How The Walking Dead's Zombie Outbreak Started

The Walking Dead is finally gearing up to answer its biggest mysteries.
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[@davidj.thompson]

I remember the CDC scientist admitting that "everybody has it".

[@tishietish83]

Facts!!

[@JasonJones-og2ft]

That was my thought. So if it came from space, how does everyone have it already?

[@MaxDeckard]

Well yeah. Thats why it doesnt matter how you die.

[@davidj.thompson]

@@MaxDeckard Yep!

[@jasonc.parker4644]

But we don't know how true that is. The CDC has done their research, and they have come to that conclusion, but who knows if there are other people out there that aren't infected, or immune.

[@bobobonito7694]

I never thought id see Jared Leto explain how the Walking Dead started. 2020 is crazy

[@3rdworldgwaming467]

No no...... this is Jared's cousin......Jesus Leto.

[@SceneWins]

Pretty sure that actually the guy from that band about a disco...

[@DbladeMedic]

@@SceneWins Anxiety from a disco or something like that right?

[@godlevel5495]

That's Jared Leto's crackhead cousin...the lead singer of 30 seconds to Uranus

[@fanfaretloudest]

@@DbladeMedic Panic attack on the dance floor lol

[@BiggHoss]

I'd like to see them explain how the zombies don't decompose. With realistic body decomposition 90% of the zombies would be nothing but bones within a couple months

[@bgs03548]

Because the ‘plandemic’ shots destroy the ‘human’ part of the brain leaving only the Reptilian brain intact. It was an obvious clue on the scan’s of Jenners wife’s brain. Jenner SAID ‘this is an extinction level event’. You saw ‘who’ blew up the cities. Right? Good ol USAINC. Ppl are blind not to see this. They SHOW you who did it & why. No one even asks WHO blew up the cities? Shot’s and bomb’s were to facilitate the planned NWO Zombie Apocalypse. Zombie’s came from dying in the bombings. They’re ‘required’ tell you what they’re doing. Most ppl can’t see through the ‘fiction’ because most ppl, 99% are hypnotized by the lies on MSN & state education. ZA is scripted to happen on the 3rd & 4th Dimension’s. Stop eating meat, flesh and blood, anything with a heart and set your intention to raise your frequency OUT of those Dimension’s to the 5th Dimension. Then seek TRUTH. You’ll find it. This is the only escape and YOU are a Player. If you got vaxxed you can transmute it by decree.

[@buggzo]

They do decompose, and you see a handful of almost completely decomposed ones throughout the show in random episodes, but I think there's just a constant refresh of the supply of fresh zombies (live humans constantly dying off all the time and all over the place) that we only see them halfway decomposed

[@theperfecteraser5988]

@@buggzo I doubt that, sadly I can’t write a whole CER response on why I disagree, but I just do. Hi

[@TheTillmanSneakerReview]

@@buggzo The decomposition would not allow their bodies to function, especially years later. Even living people experience decomposition, in the form of dead skin, for example.

[@buggzo]

@@TheTillmanSneakerReview It was explained in the first season that the virus attacks the nervous system and decreases the rate of decomposition in the nervous system while feeding it response signals. Yes, the entire world knows that it's an unrealistic premise because it's a fictional drama series and the entertainment is in the drama, not the science. If you're trying to make scientific sense out of something the show itself absolutely refuses to truly acknowledge - - then the reality of the whole thing is going completely over your head.

[@henryate5028]

2:25 When he starts to explain.

[@CeeJayHoopTalks]

Mvp

[@johnwhite8777]

Thanks

[@CrazyBambii]

Thanks

[@rage-quitcentral5038]

Thx bro

[@anantaalbar]

to much bs , thanks

[@MrDumesday]

This makes me wonder though. Being a fan of the zombie genre, I’ve never cared about the origins of any zombie outbreak until TWD. Weird.

[@CatoNovus]

It's because you didn't know. When people have information, they don't look for it. When they don't have information, they do look for it.

[@astainlessnoyb1038]

Space virus is what also caused the whole "Living Dead" series.

[@jasonberryman7900]

@@astainlessnoyb1038 and Shawn of the dead

[@crypticdifferent4900]

because they never explained it

[@my_universe1290]

@Former Auror Feeling a little edgy today, are we?

[@robertespley248]

Is anyone else curious as to whether the International Space Station would have zombified astronauts on it in the walking dead universe ?

[@joebond545]

Hell nah, left for dead 2 creeped me out enough

[@dysartes]

It'd depend on whether the last set to go up were infected, surely? Also, at some point the ISS would come back to Earth with a bang...

[@yourstruly4817]

In FTWD Victor talks a Cosmonaut, but maybe the virus never reached space

[@joebond545]

@Da Mighty Shabba lol It wouldn't surprise me but i think the crm are all.about doom and gloom I doubt they'd be playing video games

[@deandrenicholas2545]

The Floating Dead???

[@timrichmond5226]

My issue with the walkers is that they are able to move when clearly their muscles have rotted, mechanically impossible.

[@xXMINIJARVISXx]

It's not real bro

[@timrichmond5226]

@@xXMINIJARVISXx I know, sis

[@Salena905]

Who knows how the virus affects the body? Anything is possible. And it is a TV show, so we have to allow the makers to get away with certain facts to make it entertaining. ☺️

[@doronstauber7285]

I bet you voted for a democRAT.

[@Prophetofthe8thLegion]

@@Salena905but too what extent? I know nothing on TV is ever gonna be 100 percent realistic especially when it’s about something that never happened. But the reason we watch is to see what theoretically would happen.

[@jedijim3]

I’m still sticking to the theory it was somehow caused by Walter Whites Blue Meth!

[@LordWhatever]

It was, blue sky is the culprit.

[@Messiisthebest724]

That’s a stupid theory to be honest if it was bath salts then yeah it would make sense

[@seanbrolly5601]

I always thought it was strange that they didn’t find an old newspaper with a story about where it started

[@mmartinisgreat]

ThAt wOuLd bE a ClIcHe

[@jamesnolen3934]

Also, why would they need that? Their are plenty of people around that were there from the start...

[@cpcva724]

What are newspapers?

[@timdurgan]

@@jamesnolen3934 yeah, it's only Grimes that was in a coma. Surely everyone else watched the news before TV went dark....?

[@damanhammerar154life7]

Grow or GO!

[@mrdoe8484]

The Zombies came after someone ripped the tag of their mattress. Never rip the tag off your mattress, it's important!

[@miguelcastaneda7236]

pillows and sleeping bags too

[@deltalimabravo6727]

🤣

[@mrdoe8484]

@@miguelcastaneda7236 Yes! lol

[@betanusolosix]

Lmao

[@WilliamLemoine31]

I always take the tags off

[@UncleMuin]

When Kirkman was shopping the comic series around, no companies were interested. Until he told Image Comics that "...aliens did it." They were intrigued. They gave the books a chance. Then, the EIC at Image asked Kirkman when the aliens would appear, he said something along the lines of "next chapter. Or the next after that, depend of the story progression." And Kirkman successfully held off the issue for long enough that the series no longer needed the "aliens" angle.

[@willemvandeursen3105]

@Muin's Corner. Image Comics are excellent, and there's Dark Horses too. I don't understand why Marvel and DC are still leading the Comic sector. I'm certainly got fed up with the over-exploited Superhero franchise. Nearly every superfreak is a kind of Messiah, and their stereotype nemesis a Satan. The apocalyptic Zombie concept is 60 years old but still doesn't bore.

[@coryhaugen6528]

Hence, "space spore"

[@coryhaugen6528]

@@willemvandeursen3105 Budgetary reasons. DC and Marvel have the capital to burn with shit like backpacks and toys. Ever notice how it's always the same one-note characters? Every year who is it? Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Ironman. Sometimes a little razzle dazzle with Wonderwoman or Captain America. Point is, they can burn millions of dollars in development and slap that shit on shelves because they know it'll sell. Now try that with, say, Astro Boy, Ghost, Hellboy or The Mask.

[@sleepy.timaeus.arts.]

lmao i love that. gotta do what you gotta do

[@jamesbell1613]

So it was aliens!

[@Goodforthegame]

One of the great mysteries to me is why after defeating the Saviours they didnt continie to make bullets - they had Eugene who knew how to make them and could of wiped the Whisperers out without raising a sweat 😂

[@PaulGirdlestone]

TBH, space spores would at least be more refreshing than a company making a bio-weapon/medical thing gone wrong and broken out.

[@nancyjones6780]

Like Covid?

[@rebelfighter5249]

@@nancyjones6780 yeah. Except when you do some research and cut through the fear porn, you'll find Covid is just an overhyped common cold. The world shut down over nothing. Yes, ppl died. But the numbers were very low, esp in the US. Masks don't do jack to stop viruses. The "experts" never ran clinical trials to show what type of mask material would work to keep the virus out. On that basis alone, this pandemic was blown way out of proportion and millions were falsely panicked for no reason.

[@cjastrooo03]

Resident Evil viruses in a nutshell

[@robertcarmosino6563]

Congress and China...

[@kevinlutz5994]

Covid-19: hold my beer.

[@astralplex]

It’s funny how in the first season the zombies were able to turn door knobs (Morgan’s wife), run and pick up rocks to smash windows and able to climb fences ... but as the seasons went on... they lost all of those abilities lol I guess they figured out that a lot of the survival scenarios wouldn’t really be able to work out if the zombies were able to do all those things

[@astralplex]

And also- in the last seasons ... Negan figures out that he can infect Hilltop by soaking their weapons in zombie guts and thus making anyone who was injured with the weapons get sick with zombie fever... but uhhh... what about all the times they used the same weapons that were covered in zombie guts to either- kill their prey out hunting (daryl and his arrows) and their swords or axes to amputate someone’s limb when it got bit??? Hello. Just doesn’t make sense or they had incredible luck not having ANY sort of cut or scrape... even cuticle cuts whenever they slaughtered a zombie and the guts spilled all over them in the process. Lol. The guts surely must’ve gotten in someone’s eyes or mouth at some point. Come on! But I guess that’s why it’s just a show!!! Lol

[@Pleuntjejaja]

I think it’s because the zombie virus evolves and the already zombified become more and more expired and stuff

[@khatdragon7694]

Decomposition

[@Gaming2DMX]

I think it’s just because they are getting older and weaker

[@bayarea_pyro4159]

I think it’s bec they started rotting and were so far gone. Fresh infected could still do a lot of human stuff but start to get worse over time. After a year their bodies must barely be able to hold themselves together. Probably why humans are the main antagonists and zombies are just part of the setting towards the end. Soon no more hordes of zombies to threaten communities bec they can’t even move.

[@roman5209]

My girlfriend and I discuss apocalyptic scenarios sometimes and whenever zombies come up we always hit a wall with suspension of disbelief because realistically without water to drink and subject to the weather and elements, rotting zombies would not be an issue after one month, which is incidentally the plot of 28 days later.

[@declanmarshall6581]

But if it is from out of space who knows what it can do to our anatomy I mean the universe is infinite, the viruses might be made of elements we can't even comprehend which allow the body to stay together as it multiplies in the host, in twd we see the zombies bite through denim jeans wich normal humans can't do so it definitely alters our anatomy.

[@sigma80]

A "28 Days Later" with a "Rage.Virus" that makes people insane (Biogenetic engineering of a virus.) might be possible, but it taking seconds was idiotic. It could be airborne, but a few hours to day is much more likely than "5 seconds to Instant Psycho" like the movie says. The Dead are dead. A corpse rots. Muscles move because they have energy. How is a nonbeating heart, and rotting muscle and flesh providing energy? It's preposterous, and you know it. A story can have it though, that's why it's "fiction". Whether that fiction works, and you have a believable story is another thing.

[@blacksheep1924]

I didn't know how fast Corpses rotted but I know it didn't really take long, so this has been a thing on my mind for awhile. I figure they could probably explain it as something to do with the effects of the virus trying to keep the host alive long enough to infect multiple new hosts. I don't know if that would be a good enough answer for most so they just don't talk about it. Ooooh 28 days later sounds interesting then I have to take a look at it myself

[@nickehleg2023]

The walkers aren't exactly dead, their brains are still working so this maybe slowing down the rotting

[@blacksheep1924]

@@nickehleg2023 that's definitely possible

[@Atomic181]

What I'm curious about is if the virus infected everyone at the exact same time, or if it gradually infected everyone. So, for example, if somebody in say, D.C was a walker because they were infected, and you were in Los Angeles or something and you died, would you still become a walker or would you just die naturally?

[@predator3007]

It’s traveling though the air

[@tearex8688]

Slow infection. It just stayed under radar for so long.

[@Turtle3000]

Lol I don't watch it anymore, and I clicked on this to get "the answer."

[@marcodelatorre2080]

Same

[@RealSasquatchWatch]

i gave up after the negan season.

[@phoenixfit668]

Same. I got bored of it

[@14chema14]

Same

[@randomdumbass7535]

Same

[@ashueats12]

Rick: Coral imagine if were a book. Carl: Please dad. Rick: Would norman reed us? Carl: omg dad Rick: WOULD HE CORAL?

[@slashertalk4635]

Me?

[@Steve_P_B]

*read

[@ashueats12]

@@Steve_P_B but his surname is reedus

[@AdamZNC]

R/Woosh

[@chrisstarring2991]

Coral? Wtf?

[@nikkideede7972]

During the first season, there was a webisode where someone turned into a zombie while on board an airplane

[@BA3676]

“ Little girl, don’t be afraid… of the Colt Python .45” - Sheriff Grimes

[@MrPapageorgio]

I'm not saying its aliens but its aliens.

[@joejackmanpace]

you win the internet for the day :D

[@MichaelGonzalez-hd7kk]

Well people watch too much Star Wars and Star Trek. The most likely "alien" life form to be discovered would be bacterial.

[@Korzo_johannez]

And The walking dead franchise slowly turns into a History chanel documentary

[@black168382]

@@MichaelGonzalez-hd7kk you say like we don’t have ufos flying around in real life lmao

[@jrchmgn2774]

- Giorgio Tsoukalos.

[@MichaelGonzalez-hd7kk]

I thought they took a cow, grinded it up and fed to other cows, made hamburger out of those cows and that unholy patty caused the outbreak.

[@catmcflooffloof4832]

Mad cow disease but on steroids

[@swhorne]

that was zombieland

[@MichaelGonzalez-hd7kk]

@@swhorne Granted on ZL they did state that patent zero started it by eating a tainted hamburger but mine is an almost direct quote from a different source.

[@tsugi6382]

@Michael Gonzales Lmao The Simpsons ain’t twd LMAO

[@Honest-King]

Burgertown zombie map from cod advanced warefare ?

[@ZenaMOBrien]

Personally I like the idea that it came from outer space, especially if it was spores. Panspermia and where did the spores originate from. You could really get into it and have it go down an alien franchise sort of route. Not space exploration but figuring out where they came from, etc.

[@gr5565]

Episode 1, season 1 ending soundtrack: “I’m ridding on the space junk… And it’s bringing me to you…”

[@IronBrig4]

It's an homage to the film that started it all, Night of the Living Dead. In that movie a crashed satellite animated the first zombies. So it's not definite, but definitely a nod to the first modern zombie film.

[@Salena905]

Maybe an old film, but it's a classic, brilliant for its time.

[@PhyllisBennettNana]

Aw that movie scared the mess outta me!! Had to walk home from the theater in th dark with my pregnant sister in law...

[@niranjansrinivasan4042]

@@PhyllisBennettNana how old were you back then ?

[@IvyKilla]

Kirkman also pitched the story of the walking dead to image comic with aliens in it but the aliens never came. He said it in many interviews. Image comic wasn’t interested in a zombie comic book so he added the aliens to convince them and they said yes.

[@brandenperez694]

You beat me to it

[@zombiegaby]

Yeah but he also said he never planned on going through with it, it was just to sell the comic in the start

[@IvyKilla]

@@zombiegaby walking dead comic book was never suppose to end to begin with. But when mainstream ruin is vision he decided to end it. He really doesn’t like what it as become, except for the comics and the books he put out because he as 100% creative rights, everything else not coming from him, he hate it.

[@zombiegaby]

@@IvyKilla he might hate the TV show even though I don't recall him saying that, but the goodbye text he wrote in the final volume said that he ended it how he wanted it, although it ended faster than he thought it would. It was a very touching and interesting read and I recommend every fan of the comics to read it!

[@IvyKilla]

@@zombiegaby he will never say he hate the show out loud while it’s still air and sell, but you can see that’s how he feels. In many talking dead and interview you could see it. Don’t forget you don’t bite the hand that feeds you. He doesn’t want to burn bridges because he as tons of projects he want to put out. Like the invincible animated series coming out very soon.

[@xtrynottoblinkx]

I can’t wrap my head around the fact that being bit causes you turn. But not getting blood in your eyes or in a wound 🤷🏻 makes no sense to me.

[@stephenstiles2]

I have a short story in my collection that is post apocalypse. It is sixty years after the war. It started with civil unrest and riots, followed by 3 pandemics, each worse than those before. Finally, a scientist named Ray Wilder developed an airborne retrovirus that actually STRENGTHENED the hosts. Unfortunately, it eventually mutated and pesticide resistant insects caused world wide famine. The US eventually developed crops that resisted the insects but it was too late. Other nations demanded the United States SHARE it's food supplies (since Wilder, sponsored by the US, created the retro virus that had CAUSED the famine), but were denied. That's when the missiles were launched. The Wilder virus continued to mutate, carrying genetics from species to species. Spiders the size of ponies were not unheard of. One isolationist island conducts a lottery during lean years to cut down the population. The story centers on a young man seeking to escape the island and survive. (Thanks - author Steve Witcpalek)

[@bribaker2517]

Love this dude!

[@YTNOAH-mv5rv]

Cool story

[@davidj.thompson]

In my novels, the zombies are caused by necromancy and feeding on living creatures keeps them from totally decomposing. Heck, they'll even eat other 'walkers'!

[@suezimarie61]

The Story you describe, sounds Fascinating. - How can I get hold of it? - Cheers, from 🇬🇧

[@salvagemonster3612]

Dude. 48 seconds is all you needed to do this. So he took George Romero’s explanation.

[@itsclemtime2357]

So, it’s aliens? Well..that sucks.

[@Fiendishfoe666]

And then people wondered why George A considered Kirkman a hack.

[@CartoonHangout]

To be fair he said aliens so the comic would get picked up

[@rdc2021]

Yes thats exactly right. In Night of the Living Dead it is hinted that the Gouls were caused by radiation from a spacecraft that had visited Venus and destroyed before it arrived at Earth because of the High levels of radiation

[@John.Not-Jack.Daniels]

@@Fiendishfoe666 Was there anyone who ever did a work of zombie fiction that Romero didn't consider a hack?

[@BoogSReviews]

I honestly think it was just an Easter egg referencing Robert joking that it started in space since that was his original pitch for the comic and a reference to night of the living dead. I don’t think he’ll ever reveal what started it, which I’m fine with, because I like not knowing. But I think it was just a fun Easter egg. I didn’t even realize it till I rewatched the episode.

[@gustavofelicio4253]

Just added a comment saying pretty much the same thing. Turns out I'm not making things up, after all. Now, just to confirm: there was a kinda funny comic story referencing aliens and an invasion that was published in a Nth Special Edition, right?

[@thegreatpapyrus2306]

Yeah, I honestly think that knowing what the virus actually is would kinda ruin the fun of the show.

[@maximeruys1460]

Exactly

[@jiinx72]

In TWD they(Rick) got told in the CDC that everyone Carrie's the virus which activates once they die. But what they didn't explain if this was a dormant virus which finally woke up or if it was a pathogen that escaped a Bio Lab.

[@cbbuntz]

The publisher told Kirkman that the premise of TWD was "too normal" so Kirkman just told the publisher that maybe the virus was caused by aliens, which is how he convinced them to publish it in the first place, and then he just never addressed that point.

[@thetimkazakh.624]

(actually did, but it was a non canon joke bonus to issue 75 that was drawn by "Invincible" comic book artist)

[@musicalmattress1053]

Wow, after the video I know as much as I did before. Thanks!

[@parisgreen4600]

Yes, I think they were reaching a little to extrapolate a whole video from one offhand line. But I do like the presenter for pronouncing words correctly!

[@chevyatkins558]

MM best comment so far

[@RandomGuy-ys2yd]

I’m not trying to be rude, this is actually a comment but your profile pic matches your comment

[@abbeymaher7639]

Yh sorta

[@debraperkins4448]

😃😄😁😆😅🤣🙃😉

[@ryanworkman3032]

Robert kirkman made it as an homage The George Romero night of the living Dead reference of that zombie apocalypse being caused by something from space

[@sodapop1311]

I've heard this scourge came from Outer space

[@Asertix357]

I thought the same thing when I heard it.

[@arturocardona140]

That checks out. The best way to avoid genre tropes is to create reference similar successful and well known works.

[@donaldtusk2678]

He even put a tribute at the end of one of the issues

[@gustavefrankfurter6462]

Yes. In Night of the Living Dead it was radiation from the Venus probe.

[@bradshumate5461]

makes sense, old night of the living dead zombies started from a solar flare

[@mikestewart505]

I really enjoy the show, and I would be curious to see how they explained them, but there can be no really reasonable cause, since they aren't actually possible. TWD just aren't plausible as anything but a metaphor. No amount of "brain activity" can make muscles contract (or a neuron fire) without ATP and oxygen.

[@cerisejones8061]

I always found it funny how rick was always sweaty lol

[@hopper6094]

Fr

[@rickgrimes2764]

Hi my friends

[@hopper6094]

@@rickgrimes2764 WHERE ARE YOU WAY YOU LEFT?!?!

[@Themehsofproduction]

“KoRl” ~ Rick grimes

[@LaceyAnn]

😂

[@microwavethibodeaux6129]

COOOAAARRALLLLL

[@melaniemartinezstan2869]

No its cOrAl

[@jothamdockie5172]

Cooorrral

[@lIlIlIl..]

@@melaniemartinezstan2869 bro cringe

[@juancapellan8980]

Unlike someone else who left a comment further down who said that they were never interested in the cause of a zombie outbreak until TWD I have always found that the most interesting aspect. How would it start? The granddaddy and original Night of the Living Dead also had a space connection saying it was some kind of strange radiation that had come down from space on a capsule or something. I think that gives it more validity and makes it even more frightening.

[@aquaticproducts4274]

So maybe that passenger that got on the plane after breathing it in was the passenger in the walking dead:flight 642 after the outbreak started?

[@kcollier2192]

Sounds like a variation on the great sci-fi classic The Andromeda Strain...

[@daveb947]

Also Night of the Living Dead. Well, its never confirmed but the outbreak coincided with an irratiated satellite falling back to Earth. :-/

[@joshuascott2048]

....why does this ring a bell that I can't put my finger on????

[@robertanderson5735]

Didn't think the remake was as bad as everyone thought also....

[@caronstout354]

Same theory was mentioned in Shaun of the Dead.

[@KoldBreeze]

A potential storyline that was abandoned stated that Strand from Fear The Walking Dead knew of the origins of the disease. It was stated in the first season. If you remember, he was NEVER afraid of Walkers and knew how to easily manipulate them before anyone else did and he even knew that everyone on the planet was already infected. If we trace the timeline, that was before the CDC knew. And why was he detained at the temporary hospital in the first place? It was even stated in his character Wiki that he knew more about the virus than anyone else at the time. I think that should be further explored.

[@theunknowngamer5477]

A year later.....WE NEED your insights!! When this trip stops, I hope you keep adding something to the canon, the complete tale.

[@Itsmyopinion00]

Another year later, whatdya got bud

[@batzgameguru]

The cannibals will be my favorite part of the series but sadly was way too short

[@kingnate4382]

I think the space junk song basically told us that the infection came from space, the lyrics ' riding on the space junk, it's bringing me to you' basically admitted it

[@rlm6213]

"Space spore" is also a bit of a callback to the 1968 original 'Night of the Living Dead'; in that flick, scientists theorized that the zombies are because of radiation from a space probe that exploded in Earth's atmosphere on its way back from Venus. It's also a reference to 'The Andromeda Strain', both the book by Michael Crichton and the film.

[@ATAKTICON]

That’s exactly what I just wrote before seeing this post

[@Appalachianasshole41]

Andromeda strain had zero to do with zombies and literally jack ahit to do with this show.

[@ryanosullivan6147]

Can’t trust Bob down in construction. Compulsive liar 🤥

[@landonmiles97]

And to think I listened to the life lessons of Bob the Builder told me as a child. Little did I know...

[@danielstockwell2424]

But he was right about the gun in the Winchester!

[@Alovepoet]

Lol

[@marinesreccy6452]

This is enlightening. I thought zombies were actually loving, cuddly, and gave out free kisses. Wouldn't mind meeting a zombie like that. Thanx for breaking this down, ur a wonderful mans.

[@thegreenphantom4304]

Thank you for the information, now I know why my neighbors drool and grunt.😂

[@drinksanddice9528]

In an interview at the end one of the early issues of the comic Kirkman said "I had always assumed it takes place in the romero universe" if that's the case it was a satelight with a radioactive payload that exploded In the atmosphere (from the news report in night of the living dead) the bite doesn't spread it but instead causes a fatal infection that can't be treated because of a lack of active medical facilities.

[@xmorobertson]

@Arturo Henrik Land of the Walking Dead established that no matter how you died, you came back as a Zombie also. They showed that by the guy who committed suicide by hanging himself coming back

[@darkwoods1954]

Night of the Living Dead never said it was radiation from space that cause the outbreak. There was a news report about it possibly being radiation from space. People were scrabbling to find an answer. Romero never wanted that as THE definitive reason. It was meant to be ambiguous.

[@drinksanddice9528]

One of the Kirkman interviews is in a 2004 wizard magazine either issue 157 or 158 I don't have them infront of me to check for sure

[@ajclements4627]

In NotLD, scientists theorize that the reanimations are occurring due to radiation from a space probe that exploded in Earth's atmosphere on the way back from Venus.

[@TheNotverysocial]

@Arturo Henrik It's because of people like you people think TWD is the first to have zombies that exist on a plane where you have only to die to turn, which is a lie. *Night of he Living Dead* was first. Quit perpetrating these lies.

[@pest1382]

If they made a 3 part or so show giving us the details of how it all happed I would definitely watch it.

[@SpvrtanGeneral]

@Risan Stfu. No one asked for you to comment

[@amouramarie]

That's the only version I'd watch lol. I'm not into random zombies appearing out of nowhere, here's some gore, or in post-apocalypse humans turning on each other, here's some gore. The contained story of normalcy to appearance to discovery, research, outbreak, and ultimately losing control with a bad ending would be actually interesting to me.

[@anonymous-vg9qf]

@Risan wow bro youre so cool im trying to be like you

[@Capnblinski]

Right. After a season or so, the show gets repetitive and ludicrous. I only kept watching cause I liked Rick's character. A pre - TWD would be great though.

[@damndirtyrandy7721]

@@amouramarieadd to what happened to the WHO in France when they were at the edge of a cure but the building self-destructed

[@mkinkade7103]

Yeah the group ended up at one of the last CDC Centers at one point where they met a scientist who was working on a cure before they were overrun. Finding answers was part of a season.

[@ausrap1fan228]

That isn’t why they went there. They surmised that if anywhere was likely to still be defended, it’d be the CDC. They went there for safe haven, not for answers.

[@kikimilan9194]

@@ausrap1fan228 they went there for answers rick said they needed to know what's really going on. Shane wanted to go the that military base called fort something for safe haven.

[@thatmar1neguy]

Even in dead island there’s an NPC that says “I heard it came from space, came down on a meteor”

[@DevilDog78]

In the original, 1968 "Night of the Living Dead", if you listen to the radio broadcasts, you'll hear a quick blurb about how scientists found something "odd" on the Venus probe coming back to Earth and they blew it up.

[@Ryadalyl]

I recommend the following zombie experience for any fans of this genre; Autumn, a book by David Moody and FEED trilogy by Mira Grant. Both are original zombie outbreak books. Both are brilliant.

[@filhanislamictv8712]

Autumn and Feed

[@easyJat99]

Are they on Amazon or something??? I haven't found any good zombie books in a while

[@Salena905]

I've read FEED trilogy, awesome story and not yet read Autumn although that's in my list. Have you read Haters? I've only read book one but it's amazing, not zombies but something else just as scary.

[@Ryadalyl]

@@Salena905 Hope you enjoy. Happy reading.

[@davidj.thompson]

@@Salena905 Lately I've heard a lot about the "Crossed" graphic novels. They seem to have no boundaries that they won't 'cross'...

[@ammiller3911]

Love space spores idea. Hopefully they make a space themed prequel

[@jcaseyjones2829]

I gotta be honest - especially after the revelation that everyone has it, I didn't really care what started it. It's become much more acceptable in these stories not to explain everything

[@windrasshean]

Fun facts: Kirkman was originally pitched the walking dead visual novel with the concept of outer space alien that turn human into zombie (or something like that), in hope to appeal to the publisher back then. But when it finally approved, Kirkman true intention was to focus on the surviving the post-Apocalypse zombie world aspects all along. So in away, Kirkman "scammed" the publisher, but it turned out to be a hit.

[@appleifc]

I like the Breaking Bad Walter White / Heisenberg -Blue meth theory much better. More plausible....

[@jaimemedina4577]

Only issue with this is how EVERYONE has it. Im sure a good majority of peoplee doesn't smoke meth

[@1o1beauty]

@@jaimemedina4577 I agree. But Kirkman did say it’s the same world. I’m thinking of Nick watching the plane on the first day....and Walter watching the plane crash. Also Nicks gf was the first zombie and they were smoking meth... There’s gotta be some connection there- there’s gotta be

[@jaimemedina4577]

@@1o1beauty i would only accept this if Breaking Bad had just a snippet of any Zombie activity or even a mention of a character from TWD . But it doesn't and never will unfortunately cause I do like the theory

[@Caneda_John]

@@jaimemedina4577 breaking bad is in the same universe merle has the blue meth in his saddle bags in TWD s1 and in FTWD they where playing the ballad of Heisenberg at the market so BB is a prequel to TWD so it would make sense to not see zombies in BB but see that it was the meth that Jesse Pinkman altered that caused it to happen.

[@mrnobody8941]

Yes, because everyone smoke meth and hate breathing.

[@miragalau]

I am still watching it to this day and wondering thanks for the info!

[@Tristan-DaDino]

It actually came from a lab in France as on one of the early episodes you get a scene from a scientist in a lab watching a video from the scientist in Atlanta and in French on the wall it was spraypainted “the dead came from here”

[@symonlynch3366]

Someone farted on a piece of fried chicken, thus began the Apocalypse!

[@xvyieTess]

HAHAHAHAHAHA

[@haydenschneider3]

It’s true. I was the one who farted on the fried chicken 😈

[@jurihan3203]

@@haydenschneider3 congratulations you just Doom Humanity😭😭😭

[@haydenschneider3]

@@jurihan3203 hahahahahahahaha lmao

[@danielrathbone]

I'm sticking to the theory that it was man-made

[@jcIIXVIIIVII]

Man-made...in space lol What if it was a virus that astronaut scientists were secretly creating and working on, on the I.S.S. and they were bringing it back to earth and something malfunctioned and the spores were released, or some spores accidentally hitched a ride on the astronaut(s) and it like rapidly mutated once in Earths atmosphere in order to survive in an "alien" environment? It can still be man-made, and from space. Win-win! Lol

[@mhart94]

COVID=19

[@thejogayogafiles]

@@mhart94 cv19 vaccine that mutates.

[@mhart94]

@@thejogayogafiles indeed

[@JohnBasilone-fr4bz]

I always liked the theory that it was made by a pharmaceutical company so that they’d make people sick and then charge high prices for the cure so they could make more money but the virus got out of hand and nobody can cure it

[@alphafred8492]

I used to have a theory that everyone has an inert, unsympathetic version of the virus that when you die, becomes activated. Whereas if you get bitten by someone that already has the activated version, that virus will thus be activated in you, explaining how you become zombie when die normally and also when simply bitten/scratched by a walker.

[@bittybuta3756]

that's canon tho. Everyone is infected, that's why everyone turns no matter how they die. It's told in season 2

[@alphafred8492]

@@bittybuta3756 Its cannon that everyone is infected, however there is no explanation, hence why I have a theory.

[@bittybuta3756]

@@alphafred8492 well yes, there is an explanation as to why everyone is infected, and it's a really bad one. It's aliens :(

[@blackticalmayhem8461]

good theory i like it. the bite simply increases the activation i get it. was Resident Evil like that? idk.

[@zombiegunner3arc82]

Anyone hear about the house Hershel and Tyrese got? It cost them an arm and a leg. I'll go now.

[@Generihol]

It started from an undertested covid vacine.. Coming to neighborhoods near you in 2021.

[@TheNolesfan94]

Please don’t get my hopes up

[@shimodafilms]

On the nose!

[@1o1beauty]

Thank Bill Gates

[@Andy-413]

LOL

[@stevenbacon-cheddar9914]

Allegedly...

[@TheZipperDragon]

"I'm not saying it's Space Spores, but...Space Spore."

[@moviegirlfp]

I read an article where Kirkman said he'd like to keep TWD going as long as possible and eventually might bring aliens into it

[@Sutterjack]

The thing that bugs me most about zombies is why they don't consume a whole body instead of just taking a couple bites. Do they live just for the burning desire to infect others? I assume once bitten you become "tainted meat" and hence the zombies move on.

[@Itsmyopinion00]

Well yes that's usually the drive of viruses and bacteria, is to infect more, spread more

[@mrsmonster7020]

Romero hinted to radiation from a 'Venus probe' as the thing that caused the zombie outbreak. NOTLD was filmed in 1967. The Andromeda Strain was published in 1969, so the Romero reference came before that.

[@kathleenobrien3473]

That's why I was disappointed with Fear the Walking Dead, I wanted some answers!

[@kiiko9090]

The new credit cut scenes show it was a group in France studying for the military

[@hectorgarza6679]

I thought it was in the water. Seems more plausible as an explanation for everyone having it rather than it came from space.

[@RealStuntPanda]

I was in the Navy and we would start rumors, scuttlebutt, just for fun to see how many FNGs would fall for it, "We're taking this aircraft carrier to the middle of Antarctica! The flight deck will be fitted with snorkels and we'll all be issued SCUBA gear. I heard it from someone in Inertial Navigation." Always say you heard it from Inertial Navigation, that's the kicker.

[@BennyLlama39]

If memory serves, doesn't FNG mean F@*kin' New Guy(s)? 🙂

[@Eldritch-1]

My father used to send the FNG's to get a collapsible crowbar or camo paint from stores lol.

[@ryankohls6921]

Oh yeah like the Rick Grimes movies are going to happen. They already effed up the entire story arc. Seriously one the best shows on TV and the writers and creators turned it into a daytime soap. Such a pity.

[@dr.krieger6563]

They did the same thing with Game of thrones, the later seasons were incredibly poorly written.

[@MikeWojton]

I thought it was implied in the first episode of Fear The Walking Dead, when Nick was in the old church shooting up with his girlfriend, that it was tainted drugs. I seem to remember her ODing and dying , and then turning and trying to kill him.

[@amandapruys6595]

But she could have turned just because she died, the CDC guy admits everyone has it. Not necessarily because of the drugs

[@jayit6851]

What drug would every single person on the planet take?

[@MikeWojton]

@@jayit6851 That's not what I said. If you think about the whole thing logically (which is dangerous with comic books and fiction stories) it doesn't make sense. So everybody has "It" already. How long have we all had it? 5 years? 20? Forever? Is it something human beings evolved with? But that doesn't matter. Whichever it is, something then had to trigger it so that when people died they came back hungry for human flesh. In terms of the story it just makes it convenient and an interesting plotpoint. No matter how someone dies they will reanimate. Kirkman always said he didn't have an explanation because that part didn't matter. The writers on Fear came up with that drug bit and he obviously was ok with it, but that doesn't mean that's 'his' explanation. If he comes up with one now it's most likely because people keep asking him and that's the only way to shut them up.

[@MikeWojton]

@@amandapruys6595 You're right. I didn't say mine was the only correct explanation. That's just the way I saw it.

[@ludwigvanbubthoven5692]

In Night of the Living Dead, it was also theorized that space was the origin of the outbreak. Interesting.

[@brettharvey2530]

really doubt the whole virus from space thing was supposed to be anything more than a nod to George A Romero and the first night of the living dead movie....

[@kaptansolo19]

Agreed

[@gainsgaming2985]

Couldn't Kirkman just be playing into the space joke, by making the military character say "he heard" that it was from space. As if he himself read the tweet and now is going to tell everyone, a tongue in cheek way of saying how he heard something from a reputable source, but it could be fake anyway.

[@davidhamilton1711]

If you remember in season #1 Rick stuck in the Military Tank and Glen made first contact via the radio, Rick looked out and saw his first true look at the Walkers and the song " Riding on the space junk" starts playing. Huh..🤔

[@pugtronix]

Closure? I'd say it opens it up for a hell of a lot more story!

[@TheShadowguy64]

Such a clear reference to the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD I'm surprised Adam didn't see it. That outbreak started with a crashed probe that returned from Venus

[@warandpoetry9542]

The Space Theory actually goes deeper - when Kirkman pitched the idea, the publishers didn't want to make just another zombie story, so he lied and said the Zombies where caused by aliens. There's even a non-canon comic short where Rick wakes up from his coma to find the other characters fighting aliens.

[@5CENT-STUDIOS]

Or maybe the soilder is saying “I heard it came from space was really them just referring to this joke” a.a. (Space spore) like idk breaking the 4th wall

[@stevenburrus7809]

i like to imagine a radioactive comet passing by tainted everyone on earth. cheesy but realistic.

[@vincentalexander4640]

Well, since "Night of the Living Dead" (The granddaddy of them all) kind of hints that the zombie virus came from space, I have no problem with the explanation.

[@superiorintellect5520]

The host rocks!! He is just like a Scooby Doo Jesus!!

[@Eldritch-1]

Yes that's exactly it! just couldn't place it. lol

[@joederue9900]

You should have seen him 11 months ago , the transition is great

[@t0k3verse]

That was one of the possible beginnings in George Romeros Night of the Living Dead. Some craft picked up a virus and exploded in orbit. The particles rained down and started to raise the dead.

[@leifcrenshaw8794]

To me it was always better when they didn't try to explain it but that's just my opinion THANK YOU! 😱🙂🙃!!

[@UberAwesomeDewd]

The zombie outbreak came from another dimension. That's how they were able to feature major characters from this show in the canon lore of the card game Magic The Gathering, a game that features multiple dimensions

[@ASHl33164]

“Back when the universe first kicked off,” I know what you meant, but that would also be a great way to refer to the Big Bang. 😂

[@Niggleblade1986]

Hated that show 🙄

[@gagetaylor192]

@@Niggleblade1986 I don't think he meant the show dude. I think he was referring to the actual big bang.

[@SJones240]

Bob down in construction do be knowing though. 😂

[@rama30]

I take it as a joke and a nod to "Night of the Living Dead" where radiation from the probe to Venus was blamed.

[@rob3326]

What I love about TWD is that it's not about zombies, it's about people fighting to survive without losing what makes them human and not just animals.

[@Rez090]

I'd rather have seen the show from the zombies' point of view, screw the humans.

[@rob3326]

@@Rez090 Watch the zombie shuffle for 180 hours with a few snacks a long the way?

[@BoogSReviews]

@@Rez090 honestly I’d love an episode about the field walker Shane sees from season 2. That walker was so simple and haunting. I’d love to know it’s backstory.

[@belowaverageiq5460]

I was so mad when the series went from zombies to just the two factions fighting

[@jyggalag2863]

Zombies aren't everything during a zombie apocalypse. People are also a threat too. You can't tell me that you expect everyone to just trust and not kill each other. There are gon a people out there who will kill others, either out of desperation or just cause they can. Like Negan and the Saviors.

[@leonardoisaiaszerda4436]

You can't expect a series just about zombies, what would they do? Just run every episode?

[@DarqnessGacha]

Well, that's because it's a zombie apocalypse show, do you not expect other people to be a threat, too??🤔🤔🤔

[@nugsymalone1247]

"The Walking Dead", or, "How to kill your neighbors and feel good about it." This show is trash

[@DreamstudioXD]

The audio drama "we're alive" keeps the zombies evolving with the story, they eventually have to deal with other humans but the zombies are always a threat. It started in 2009 so early recordings sound kainda weird. But story wise its good. The zombies are freaky af, they run too.

[@peterbarton5741]

Ricks still in a coma it’s all happening in he’s head all the characters are employee’s and patients in the hospital

[@DevEr1k]

This is a nice theory

[@Skypost4ever]

Eh, I don't think so. I hate the "it was all just a dream" trope.

[@Devil-tn5iu]

Lol that’s exactly like alice in the borderland

[@kc_h7h]

@@Skypost4ever yea and it doesn't even make sense. So rick also dreamed about the charachters internal crisises, private conversations, origins/background stories? It's not like Rick was in every twd scene. What about tyreese and carols episodes with the kids. Did He dream about that too while not even taking part in that dream? Very dumb theory

[@rickandevilmorty8407]

Daryl the janitor and negan some alcoholic patient

[@andiconda]

I'm pretty sure the soldier's line is a reference to Night of the Living Dead

[@AaronTalksFilms]

I remember a story about Kirkman, when he first started writing the book, that the publishers wanted a definitive answer to the zombie virus. Robert was reluctant to include that answer, but flippantly told them "it will be aliens" as a way to throw them off and let him write the story in the way that he wanted.....

[@motownthrowdown8050]

It makes sense. It all started "the day the sky fell" in world beyond also.

[@richardjohnson4052]

I believe that in the 1968 Romero film, it was stated that a satellite returned from venus and brought the zombie virus with it.

[@marcd1981]

I think the title should have been "One Theory for How The Walking Dead's Zombie Outbreak Started", as there is no definitive answer either way for how the outbreak actually started in this video. As for Liking and Subscribing, based on this one click bait titled video, that won't get me to do either.