It's been said time and time again about the characters on "The Walking Dead": No one is safe. And while that's still technically true, executive producer Robert Kirkman has admitted that there's one notable exception.

While appearing at a "Walking Dead" panel at New York Comic Con last weekend, Kirkman told the crowd that he purposefully changed Carol's (Melissa McBride) character from the comics, transforming her from meek abuse victim on the page to the badass survivalist who can blow up an entire town without breaking a sweat that we know onscreen. That was a conscious decision, Kirkman explained, and he's hesitant to kill her off (for now, anyway) as a result of that significant change.

"The Carol that's in the comic was my attempt to show just how broken an individual can become from the zombie apocalypse," Kirkman told the NYCC crowd. "The Carol in the show, which is a much better character let's be honest, actually is made stronger by all the more horrible things that happen to her in the show. Killing her would definitely not ... we can't do that."

The crowd was mostly in favor of Kirkman's logic (when the producer asked if anyone wanted Carol to die, most of the assembled shouted "No!," though a few people did answer "Yes"), and we are, too. After all, Carol really came into her own as the show progressed; she started out fairly forgettable and frankly, annoying (remember the search for Sophia? Oof), but eventually became one of the MVPs of the series. And her recent reprisal of her meek character in an effort to fool the Alexandrians is nothing short of genius.

As for all those other sad souls the show has lost over the years -- and no doubt will continue to lose in the future -- Kirkman said he did have some remorse over those decisions.

"If I didn't have any regrets, if I didn't still wish that those characters were around, then I feel like I wouldn't have done my job," he said.

[via: Vulture]

Photo credit: Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC