What Happens to Judith & RJ Grimes After Michonne Leaves ‘Walking Dead’?
They’re separated from Michonne
Though it would be repetitive storytelling considering it’s exactly what happened to Rick, it’s theoretically possible Michonne could exit the story in the same way — in a tragic accident, with her fate in question. Then Judith and RJ would probably stay at Alexandria, with whoever’s still around and willing to take them in (though Judith probably doesn’t even need a parent).
They bounce around between communities
While this probably wouldn’t be the way things were set up, given how Judith has already demonstrated her ability to sneak around and disobey rules, it’s certainly how things could end up. Judith — and maybe RJ, too — could end up moving between Kingdom, Hilltop and Alexandria and staying with their friends in each community. Though they’d probably call one “home,” it would be nice for them to spend time in each place; assuming Carol doesn’t leave the Kingdom and Daryl’s new home base is Hilltop, Judith and RJ wouldn’t see much of them if they stayed in Alexandria without Michonne.
Judith grows up enough to take care of RJ
If the show decides to do another time jump post-Whisperer War, it’s possible Judith might be grown up enough, at least after the time jump, to take care of RJ by herself. If the show sprung forward another six years, that would make Judith a teenager; while that’s not quite ideal an age to adopt the responsibility of child-rearing, she could also be helped by Carol, Daryl or any of the others who would’ve helped raise her.
Judith and RJ live at the Commonwealth (with Maggie?)
For this to happen, TWD would have to cover quite a bit of comics ground in a pretty short span of time. But it could be possible that the kids could travel to Hilltop with Michonne, and stay there with Maggie while their mom searches for Rick (maybe she has a lead on his location?). Maggie would probably be Michonne’s first choice to serve as “mom” for her kids while she’s away, and Judith has already shown she’s fond of her Aunt Maggie.
Judith and RJ go with Michonne
This is probably the most likely scenario, unless TWD wants Michonne to lose even more of her children (she’s already lost Andre and Carl). It seems unlikely — if not downright impossible — that Michonne would willingly let Judith and RJ go, so when she leaves, there’s a pretty high likelihood she’ll take her kids with her… especially if she departs because she has a lead on Rick’s location, or finds out he’s alive and wants to find him.
They live with Daryl
If Michonne doesn’t take her kids with her when she exits the show, this is probably the second most-likely option. There’s been plenty of foreshadowing lately that Daryl could end up being a good dad, and Michonne probably trusts him most out of everyone who’s still around in the TWD-verse. If she couldn’t take Judith and RJ, she’d probably want them to go to Daryl — and he would care for them like they were his own.
They live…with Negan?
If Jeffrey Dean Morgan sticks around for a bit, it’s at least an option. Negan and Judith have a unique bond, and although he’s proven he’s not exactly a trustworthy character, it’s unlikely he’d do anything to harm either of the Grimes kids (after all, Judith was a good part of the reason he went back to Alexandria after escaping captivity). If Negan proves himself to Michonne throughout the next 16-ish episodes, maybe she would be okay with Judith and her brother staying with him.
One by one, The Walking Dead seems to be losing members of its original, early-seasons cast. The latest sad news: Danai Gurira’s Michonne will be departing the show next season.
While fans are likely wondering what’ll come of the katana-wielding badass who has been a key component of “the group” since Season 3, there’s another question worth pondering. When Michonne departs, what’ll become of her kids, Judith and RJ? They might go with her or they might stay behind, but the answers to that question are a little complicated.
Here are seven theories about what might happen to young Judith and RJ after Michonne chops down her final walker on TWD.
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