‘Walking Dead’ Season 4 Spoilers: New Promo Poster Features Carl With Rick; What Does The Photo Hint At?

As “Walking Dead” fans know, the prison has been a safe ground for Rick and his group despite the zombie break-ins, the virus and the Governor. For a while it looked like the crew had a chance to start over, but part B of season 4 is reminding us that no place is safe in the zombie apocalypse. While they know how to better combat the dead, the struggle that will always remain is finding food, supplies and shelter.

A newly released promo poster for the second half of season 4 shows Rick and Carl walking along a railroad track. With nothing on them but their guns, the text above the photo reads: “Don’t Look Back.” A definitely haunting image, and the most important aspect of it is that Carl is now in front of Rick. Wearing his father’s old sheriff hat, the photo seems to hint that Carl is now the one in charge.

If Carl did take charge in the second half of the season, it would be an interesting twist and something that “The Walking Dead” was suggesting at the beginning of season 4 with the rest of the prison children. For Rick and the other older group members, they remember a life prior to the horrors of the zombie apocalypse. They’ve since been forced to adapt from a life of safety and warmth, to one of living minute-to-minute. But it’s a different story for the children. Despite initial attempts to shelter them from the dangers and plague of terror, this dead world is the only thing they know.

Viewers will remember that when “The Walking Dead” started, Carl and Sophia were treated like children. By the time season 4 came around the number of children had grown thanks to the addition of the Woodbury townspeople to the prison. The children were required to do chores, but they were also receiving lessons on how to survive in the world. While Carol’s initiative to teach the children how to protect themselves was initially not well received, the result was Lizzie and the rest of the group bravely coming to the rescue of countless adult prison members. They fearlessly attacked walkers, and as viewers saw with Carl in season 3 and Lizzie in season 4, killed a human threat without a second thought.

When season 4 picks resumes Feb. 9, Carl is going to be forced to help his father, who is struggling to come to terms with the (possible) death of baby Judith. Promo videos and teasers show the teen violently shaking his father begging him to wake up, while another previews him leading walkers away from a house.

“It’s going to hit [Rick] in a way that we haven’t seen before,” executive producer Scott Gimple told TV Guide of life after the prison massacre and potential loss of Judith. “If it’s just the two of them, [Carl is] going to have to step up quite a bit because circumstances are wildly different and a lot will depend on him in terms of them just surviving. They don’t have an awesome dual-layer fence and brick buildings to hide behind. They’re out in the world.”

“The Walking Dead” returns to AMC on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 9 p.m. What are your thoughts on the new promo poster? Are you ready to see Carl take charge? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or send a tweet to @AmandaTVScoop.