The Strolling Useless creator Robert Kirkman has been accused of utilizing his post-apocalyptic zombie comedian sequence to hurt a non secular commentator’s profession in a weird new lawsuit.
Thomas Richards — whose work contains controversial commentaries on the Catholic Church, together with a video titled “The Pope is the Antichrist” and “Nazi Germany – A Creation of the Vatican and Jesuits” — prompt that Kirkman, a self-proclaimed atheist, “harbored animus” towards him as a consequence of his “sturdy stance on scriptural fact.” He additional alleged that Kirkman deliberately named a disturbing character after him, and now, when individuals Google his moniker, they’ll discover articles on a violent, misogynistic assassin from The Strolling Useless, somewhat than his personal content material, per The Unbiased.
“I observed I wasn’t getting Google alerts for my work, ever, however I used to be getting Google alerts for this horrible fictional Thomas Richards on a regular basis. Right here I am considering, perhaps, lastly, it’s going to be my work or one thing. However no, it is simply an terrible character this man created.”
In line with Richards, his title being part of the Strolling Useless Universe, which has grown to incorporate an 11-season flagship present, video video games, webisodes, and several other spinoffs, mixed with its “graphic depiction of dismemberment, torture, cannibalism, and sexual violence,” has moreover negatively affected his repute.
“Even people who rationally perceive the fictional nature of the character expertise this involuntary affiliation once they see or hear Mr. Richards’ title.”
Apart from a public apology, he is asking that Kirkman both repair the character’s repute by publishing “storylines inside three months displaying the Thomas Richards character’s full ethical transformation, redemption and evolution right into a heroic determine who actively works to guard others and demonstrates real regret for previous actions,” which might be inconceivable with out a full rewrite of the comedian points, because the character is not alive — or that he rename him.
Thomas Richards’ Grisly Story Wasn’t Included in ‘The Strolling Useless’ Present
The fictional character of Thomas Richards made his debut in Difficulty 13 of The Strolling Useless comics greater than 20 years in the past, when Rick Grimes and his group found what they believed to be an deserted jail after leaving the Greene household farm. Whereas trying to filter Walkers, they encounter 4 former inmates, Axel, Andrew, Thomas, and Dexter, who had been dwelling there since their incarceration. Well mannered and unassuming, Thomas initially flies underneath the radar as a minimal risk to the group, particularly since he claims that he was doing time for tax evasion previous to the outbreak. Nevertheless, the true extent of his darkness was but to be revealed.
After Maggie Greene’s teenage twin sisters, Rachel and Susie, are found violently murdered, suspicion regularly begins to fall on Thomas. It was later confirmed that not solely was he the killer, however he was additionally in jail for brutally stabbing his spouse to demise. Compelled to make a troublesome resolution for the security of the opposite members of their group, Rick decides that they’ll execute Thomas by hanging him. Nevertheless, after one other fellow survivor units him free in hopes that he might nonetheless be rehabilitated from his violent tendencies, Maggie shoots him, leading to his demise.
Whereas Thomas had a surprising and memorable arc within the early days of the comedian e-book sequence, neither his authentic character nor his story was included within the tv adaptation. As a substitute, Thomas’ existence appeared to be solely loosely referenced by a special prisoner named Tomas (Nick Gomez), who had been behind bars for an unspecified crime. Moreover, Rachel and Susie aren’t featured within the present, and so they have been as an alternative changed by the character Beth Greene (Emily Kinney).
The Strolling Useless
- Launch Date
-
2010 – 2022
- Community
-
AMC
- Administrators
-
David Boyd, Ernest R. Dickerson, Billy Gierhart, Man Ferland, Laura Belsey, Jeffrey F. January, Michael Cudlitz, Sharat Raju, Alrick Riley, Michael Slovis, Michelle MacLaren, Rosemary Rodriguez, Seith Mann, Tricia Brock, Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Daniel Sackheim, Fred Toye, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Jon Amiel, Kari Skogland, Kevin Dowling, Tawnia McKiernan, Larry Teng, Julius Ramsay
- Writers
-
Channing Powell, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Glen Mazzara, Jim Barnes, Vivian Tse, Robert Kirkman, Erik Mountain, Evan Reilly, Kevin Deiboldt, Julia Ruchman, Nicole Mirante-Matthews, Nichole Beattie, Eddie Guzelian, Geraldine Inoa, Magali Lozano, Curtis Gwinn, LaToya Morgan, Eli Jorne, Adam Fierro, Frank Renzulli, Ryan Coleman, Jack LoGiudice, Charles H. Eglee