A Virginia man named Thomas Richards, a 55-year-old religious commentator, father of 11, and self-described “Bible scholar,” is taking on none other than The Walking Dead over the use of his name. The real-life Richards claims that Robert Kirkman, the creator of the wildly popular comic, TV, and video game franchise, named a psychopathic character after him, and that it’s been a living nightmare ever since.
Richards, a born-again messianic blogger who says he’s had two waking visions of Jesus, filed a federal lawsuit seeking a public clarification that the murderous, depraved fictional Thomas Richards is not meant to be him. According to court documents, the Virginia man argues that the extreme popularity of the franchise, combined with its graphic depictions of dismemberment, cannibalism, torture, and sexual violence, has exponentially harmed his reputation.
“Even individuals who rationally understand the fictional nature of the character experience this involuntary association when they see or hear Mr. Richards’ name,” the complaint claims.
Virginia Bible Scholar Says The Walking Dead Has Damaged His Reputation
Things apparently got so bad for Richards that Google alerts meant to notify him about his own work now overwhelmingly feature the fictional character instead. “Here I’m thinking, maybe, finally, it’ll be my work or something. But no, it’s just an awful character this man created,” he told The Independent. Meanwhile, Richards admits his content, titles like The Pope is the Antichrist and Nazi Germany – A Creation of the Vatican and Jesuits, can be controversial. However, he insists that his name has been inseparably linked to his online ministry since the early 2000s.
Richards’ complaint paints a picture of an alleged deliberate attack on his reputation. He highlights parallels between his real-life history and the fictional Thomas Richards: the Walking Dead character was incarcerated for a violent crime while falsely claiming it was for tax fraud, echoing Richards’ own past support of the disgraced preacher Tony Alamo. His wife and attorney, Lisa Weingarten Richards, told The Independent, “There’s a strange parallel there. And it just seemed to me like, it doesn’t seem like a coincidence.” Kirkman, through a representative, has declined to comment.
In his lawsuit, Richards has laid out two potential remedies for the character’s evil namesake: either a full public apology and a storyline showing the character’s moral redemption, or an immediate renaming of the villain in all future publications and media, accompanied by a public apology. He’s also seeking measures to disassociate his name from search engine results tied to the character. And for damages? He’s asking for at least $25 million in compensatory damages, plus punitive and special damages, court costs, and legal fees.
Thomas Richards Is Suing The Show Along With Google And X
While skeptics may roll their eyes at the seemingly far-fetched nature of the case, this Virginia man insists it’s no laughing matter. According to his complaint, the association with a violent, depraved fictional character has caused real mental anguish, harmed his ministry, and overshadowed decades of his religious work. For Thomas Richards, this isn’t just a comic book story gone awry, it’s a battle to reclaim his name, his reputation, and his place in the public eye.
Richards is also suing Google and X for hurting his message by blocking his content. “I only know Thomas Richards the geneticist. Imagine suing someone for your own narcissism. I might sue the walking dead for not featuring my name, that’s discrimination,” one person tweeted. “What kind of court would even take this case lol? I’m sure it’ll be dismissed cause if not it would cause chaos throughout the world as anyone could then sue anytime a similar name appears in books, movies, tv shows, plays,” another said.
Whether or not Robert Kirkman will issue a public clarification, rename the character, or just let the lawsuit play out in court remains to be seen. This Thomas Richards of Virginia is now at the center of a real-life biblical drama, and it’s unlike anything you’d expect from a typical Hollywood dispute.
Casey James 
Nina Franklin 
Emma Taylor 
