Over a decade after she was first introduced, fans finally know how the story of an iconicWalking Deadprotagonist ends. It’s been a long slog full of heartbreaking tragedy and unexpected triumphs, but we finally know whether this beloved hero makes it out of the zombie apocalypse alive.
Walking Deadfans first met Clementine back in 2012’sThe Walking Dead: Season Onefrom Telltale Games. An eight-year-old girl, Clem travels with Lee Everett, who - at the end of the game - rescues Clementine from harm before dying from his resultant injuries (with Clem shooting his zombie form, depending on the player’s choices.)Clementine went on to star in three more seasons of the game, however her story didn’t end there.In 2022, Tillie Walden began a trilogy of books starring the young hero, with input from franchise creator Robert Kirkman.
The volume sees Clementine engage in a final battle for her soul…
With the recent release ofClementine: Book Three, the character’s story is brought to a satisfying close, with a heartbreaking death, the debut of a classic villain cut from the original series, and an ending that ties up the narrative that started way back inSeason One.
The volume starts off in Nuuk, Greenland, where Clementine and her friends have settled down in a town full of survivors. The volume sees Clementine engage in a final battle for her soul, deciding on her priorities in this new world.Here’s what everyWalking Deadfans needs to know about where Clementine ends up…
Clementine Suffers One Last Loss
As Clementine and her friends settle into life in Nuuk, Clem and her girlfriend Ricca De Leon attend school, resuming the education that was cut off by the zombie apocalypse. While the culture is unfamiliar and their place in it comes with duties and requirements, the group begin learning the language and making new bonds. Their hard-fought-for peace is interrupted whenRicca collapses and dies, seemingly from a brain aneurysm- an illness that the small community weren’t able to detect or treat.
It’s the latest death to destroy Clementine’s life, following her parents' demise andLee’s tragic death in the first game. In this case, Clem and Ricca have already been through life-threatening adventures, making it all the more tragically unfair when Ricca dies without warning or explanation. Injured to the core and unwilling to face any more loss,Clementine pulls back from her friends and begins associating with the volume’s villain, the Gardener.
The arrival of the Gardener is a big deal forWalking Deadfans, since the villain is an old idea cut from the original series.
Clementine Almost Turns Villain
While Nuuk is a peaceful place, it’s torn between two factions - the city council, led by Ujammiugaq, and the Gardener’s militia. The Gardener is the nickname of a survivor named Maria who has assembled a militia from the town’s disaffected girls, acting as a mother figure to those who have lost everything.Maria’s gardeners protect Nuuk by capturing the undead and burying them up to the neck, ‘planted’ in Maria’s ‘garden.’
While Maria and her group initially seem welcoming, it’s soon revealed that Maria has a pathological fear of being avoided, having been abandoned by her family after the zombie outbreak. She is unwilling to allow anyone to leave her, and frequently ‘tests’ her militia by having them plant a zombie solo, leading to deaths among her young followes. Offered acceptance and purpose, Clementine falls under the Gardener’s spell, even skipping Ricca’s funeral to remain in the Gardener’s compound.
Clementine’s final words in the franchise bring her 13-year arc to its conclusion.
Eventually,Clem discovers that Maria is planning to assassinate Ujammiugaq and take over the town. Clem is captured by Maria and ‘planted’ in her garden among the dead, but ultimately breaks free and helps to bring the villain down, persuading the Gardener’s militia to turn against their would-be leader. Clem chooses her former friends over the illusion of acceptance and love, deciding to take a harder path, but one that’s ultimately her own.
The arrival of the Gardeneris a big deal forWalking Deadfans. InThe Walking Dead Deluxe #104from Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Dave McCaig, Kirkman explains that he originally planned two villains for theWalking Deadcomics that he didn’t end up using. ‘The Contractor’ and ‘The Gardener’ were planned to star alongside such iconic villains as the Governor, Negan and Alpha, but ultimately ended up being cut when the story took a different turn.Clementine Book Threefinally allows fans to meet the Gardenerand see the terrifying gimmick that gives the villain her nickname.
Clementine Gets Her Happy Ending
Surrounded by Family, Clem Finally Makes It
After defeating the Gardener, Clementine finally visits Ricca’s grave, swearing that,“If I ever love anyone again like I loved you, I’ll tell them every day.“In the final scene, she returns to her shared house, where different groups of friends have congregated for a meal.Clementine walks inside with her cat Dr. Barnwell, saying,“Everyone’s waiting"as her final words in the franchise.
SinceTelltale’sWalking Dead: Season One, Clementine has been looking for a family to replace the one that was ripped away from her. She’s settled in many different places, but always ended up having to leave and often to leave people she loved behind in the process. In Nuuk, she’s finally found a home - one populated by the found family she encountered on her adventures, and the people she saved after she arrived.In the purest sense, Clementine finally arrives home.
Of course, this ‘happy ending’ is one tempered by loss. Clem’s new life comes after losing the most important people in her life - people who she’d change places with in a heartbeat if it meant giving them a second chance at life. Her experiences cost her family, friends and even her leg, and while new aspects of her life can fill part of the void left behind,there’s no replacing what she lost. The book ends with Clementine re-enrolling in school - two-sided imagery which sees her reclaim part of the life she lost even as she’ll never be able to return to it.
It’s telling that while the trilogy ends with Clementine finding community and family, it actively tears away her direct love interest and new (villainous) mentor…
This theme is echoed in Clem’s new baseball cap, sewn by a friend in Nuuk.Clem’s original cap was given to her by Lee Everett, symbolizing the lessons and influences he passed on to her as her early protector and mentor. Clem gave up the cap inThe Walking Dead: The Final Season, symbolizing how she was striking out as an adult and protector. Its return sees her give up this desperate, nomadic life, but it’s still not the original - things are better now, but they’ll never be what they were.
How Does Clementine’s Ending Fit into Larger Continuity?
In the final comic of the original series,Walking Dead #193, the story jumps ahead in time, revealing that - once humanity is dominant once again, with huge zombie-free areas and connections across the country -the outbreak is known as ‘the Trials.‘Thezombie apocalypse is treated as a tragic eventthat nevertheless tested modern life and stripped away the unnecessary, leaving a stronger, more purposeful world behind in its wake.
Tillie Walden’sClementinetrilogy embraces this theme, with Clementine coming through the Trials as a dynamic hero with love and community as her highest priorities. However, as withWalking Dead #193, it’s clear that the experience of reaching this point took its toll, and Clem is still haunted by what she lost. It’s telling thatwhile the trilogy ends with Clementine finding community and family, it actively tears away her direct love interest and new (villainous) mentor.
In losing Lee and Ricca, Clementine lost sources of love that she knows she may never have again. It’s a bittersweet ending that brings closure to Clementine’s journey, seeing her through the Trials to a new way of life, but doesn’t lose sight of the almost unbearable weight of what she lost along the way.
The Comic Trilogy Is Over, But She’s Jumped Medium Before
Clementine’s story appears to be over inWalking Deadcanon, even thoughBook Threeleaves her at just 19 years old. Walden has made it clear that herClementinebooks are a trilogy, with the story resolving in this final installment. However, there is some hope for fans who love the character. After all, Clem started off as a popular video game character before making the jump to her own graphic novels - it’s within the realm of possibility that she could make a similar jump in the future.
Ultimately, Clementine’s story deserves to be over because her arc is one of coming of age.She started off as a child and she enters adulthood having lost and learned, becoming someone who is connected to and responsible for a larger community. It’s a satisfying arc, and it would likely take a lot to make it worthwhile risking that fact on another appearance. At the same time,Clementineis one ofveryfew authorized spin-offs set within the comic universe, so Robert Kirkman clearlyconsiders Clementine to have unique potential.
Clementine: Book Threedraws the iconicWalking Deadcharacter’s story to a close, seeing her emerge into adulthood having been transformed forever by the zombie apocalypse - an unlikely survivor who has taken on the responsibility of saving others, despite losing so many people close to her.
Clementine: Book Threeis available now from Skybound Comet.
The Walking Dead
The Walking Deadis a massive multimedia franchise that began with a comic book series created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The franchise gained widespread popularity with the launch of the television seriesThe Walking Deadin 2010 on AMC, which chronicles the lives of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, referred to as “walkers.” The success of the original show has led to numerous spin-offs, web series, video games, novels, and other media. The franchise explores themes of survival, human nature, and the breakdown of society in the face of an existential threat, making it one of the most successful and influential horror series of the 21st century.
