There are many iconic couples in the history of The Walking Dead, but all pale in comparison to the longevity and heart of Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira). Starting as adversarial allies at best, this zombie apocalypse power couple is the very definition of a “slow burn.” But are they a hot item in the OG comics, too?

In the AMC series, Michonne first shows up at the prison in season 3, and Rick is suspicious. Fresh off of his wife’s death and embroiled in the drama of the Governor (David Morrissey), he can trust very few people. Clearly, it isn’t easy to nurture a romantic relationship in the zombie apocalypse. But eventually, the two grow closer and form the type of family that the rest of us spend our lives looking for.

Rick and Michonne find common ground through their shared trauma of losing loved ones. Perhaps even more significant, Michonne finds a way to move past her grief of losing her son with her relationship with Rick’s son, Carl (Chandler Riggs). In every sense of the word, Michonne becomes a mother to Carl, which naturally leads to her romance with Rick. She raises Carl and Judith (Cailey Fleming) as her own, becoming the mother they always needed but never had.

Of course, this is the zombie apocalypse, and it isn’t always smooth sailing. In fact, Rick and Michonne suffer what no parents should once, let alone twice. Carl’s death wraps the couple in so much grief that it seems impossible they will carry on. But they are the ones who live, so they do. Enough to build a community and conceive a child together. Their relationship blooms out of the darkest of places, which makes it all the more devastating when Michonne must once again endure loss. During Rick’s heroic attempt to save the community, he blows up a bridge full of walkers. He never knew that Michonne was pregnant with their son.

Rick is presumed dead by many, but ultimately Michonne decides to go looking for her husband. This dynamic has been such a touchstone for the series that it has evolved into its own show. Finally, fans get to see Rick and Michonne reunite after years apart in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. But while they may be fan favorites as far as the television show is concerned, comic readers have seen another side to them.

Are Rick and Michonne a couple in the comics?

Rick and Michonne are beloved by audiences of The Walking Dead, but are an invention of the show. Though they fit into each other’s lives seamlessly, their dynamic is quite different in the books. Both characters cultivate romantic relationships, though never with each other. Fans of the television series may be shocked to learn that in the comics, Rick’s apocalypse wife is Andrea.

Played by Laurie Holden for three seasons, she was wildly unpopular. Strangely maligned during the course of the series, Andrea is punished for wanting to learn how to operate firearms. But in the comics, not only is Andrea a crack shot, she shows leadership and strength of character on the page, which was not pursued in the series. This writing decision may be why Michonne was chosen as Rick’s partner in the show. Comic Andrea more closely resembles Michonne in the series than her actual counterpart.

For Michonne’s part, she shares many relationships with prominent characters in the comics. Ezekiel, Morgan, and Tyreese were all her lovers before their respective demises. The television show is quite a different animal from the comics, and it’s okay to allow it to be. By casting different actors with different personalities from the comics, other relationships come about. Both Lincoln and Gurira are executive producers of The Ones Who Live, and are staunch supporters of their characters’ love for one another. The Walking Dead could only go on for so long because of an emotional tether, and Rick and Michonne’s relationship keeps fans coming back again and again.

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