Clementine Will Never Appear on the Walking Dead TV Show!

If you’re a big fan of the Telltale video game version of The Walking Dead, and you’re desperate to see the lead character cross over into the AMC show, you’re going to be disappointed. According to Robert Kirkman, the creator and writer of the franchise, the much-loved Clementine will never be seen in either AMC TV show or the comics themselves.

The first Walking Dead game was released in 2012 across multiple platforms and came from Telltale Games. Rather than an action-heavy experience, they presented an episodic interactive drama and adventure, where the player’s decisions and actions directly influenced later events and determined which characters would survive. It takes place in the same universe as the comic (not the TV show), starting shortly after the zombie apocalypse begins in the U.S. Initially, it focused on a convicted criminal called Lee Everett, who quickly saves and subsequently cares for a recently-orphaned girl named Clementine. During the first game, gamers played as Lee, but in the following games, they took control of Clementine. In the critically acclaimed narrative, gamers watched her literally grow and mature, and she has remained the heart and soul of the game.

Unsurprisingly, this has many fans of the game and show question as to whether a version of Clementine would ever meet up with Rick Grimes and his group, either in the AMC show or the comics. When Kirkman was asked this at San Diego Comic-Con, (hat tipComic Book), he gave this response:

“No. I like that if you want to play The Walking Dead video game, you get Clementine, and you get a unique experience … I think that it makes The Walking Dead more special that the comic has an experience, and they’re very linked … It would be cool to see Clementine show up and high-five Carl, but you’re just gonna have to write some fan-fiction, I’m sorry.”

In fact, Clementine has bumped into some familiar faces during her travels in the game, namely Glenn Rhee and Paul “Jesus” Monroe. But these were fleeting partnerships and the characters soon moved on to their comic book destinies. Kirkman has always been adamant that Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead shows wouldn’t cross over, and he’s always been very protective as to how the differing universes interact across the franchise. So he’s very unlikely to reconsider and fans shouldn’t expect to see her iconic blood-spattered baseball cap to appear anytime soon in the show.

Much of the popularity of the character has been due to Melissa Hutchinson’s vocal performance as Clementine and the careful character development. It even inspired the hashtag #forclementine, where people reflect on how she has inspired them in real life. Although it will be a disappointment to many to never see a live-action or printed version of her, Telltale Games have at least one more outing for Clementine with The Final Season due in 2018. which will focus on her personal journey amongst the zombies once again.

The Walking Dead returns on AMC October 22, 2017.