Spoilers ahead! So, so many spoilers.
Coming off of The Walking Dead [1]'s divisive sixth season finale [2], most fans were left (angrily [3]) wondering who Negan killed [4] in that doozy of a cliffhanger in the final seconds of the episode. Although there have been plenty of theories [5] speculating about who it could be [6] (and fans are well aware that it's Glenn who receives Negan's killing blows in the comics [7]), the creators of the show purposefully kept the identity of the victim extremely vague.
In an effort to continue to drum up theories, AMC released footage from the season seven premiere at New York Comic-Con showing Rick and Negan having a tense conversation [8] directly after he bludgeons someone to death. There are a few big clues in it, helping to further narrow down who the victim might be. To clear things up further, we've rounded up all the characters who were in the showdown with Negan and could have possibly died at his hands, ranked from least dead to most dead. See them all below, and check out everything we know about season seven so far. [9]
Rick
- Why he might be dead: He was one of the biggest focal points of the final scene, with Negan taunting him about his giant failure of a plan as he strutted around the camp. Thanks to the Comic-Con footage [10], though, we know for sure that he definitely lives!
- Why he might not be dead: As stated above, he's alive (even if he ends up losing a hand in the process). The ensuing power struggle between Rick and Negan after the villain kills one of Rick's group goes on throughout much of the comic books, so it makes sense that the show's creators wanted to keep to the original source material. As well as proving Rick lives, the season seven scene also makes it clear that whoever died was likely on Rick's right side, since that side of his face is splattered in someone else's blood.
- Likelihood of death: N/A
Carl
- Why he might be dead: In addition to being in the scene where Negan kills someone, the villain shows a lot of attention to Carl before the beating goes down, calling him a "future serial killer" and making fun of his eye.
- Why he might not be dead: The reason Negan shows Carl so much attention likely has to do with the strange, unique friendship [11] that the two later develop in the comic books, which showrunner Scott M. Gimple said will come into play next season [12] in some way. On top of that, the first-person perspective of the camera isn't obscured whatsoever [13] — wouldn't we have to see some kind of patch situation going on if it was Carl looking up at the wrong end of Lucille? Additionally, before Negan bashes in the brains of the unknown character he tells everyone to stay still, and if they don't, "Cut the boy's other eye out and feed it to his father." Negan could totally force-feed Rick this unpleasant snack before beating his son to death, but we wouldn't bet on it.
- Likelihood of death: 💀
Aaron
- Why he might be dead: The biggest factor would be that, just like Rick and Carl, he's one of the characters kneeling in front of Negan in the last scene. Since he's not a huge asset to the show (no offense, Aaron), it also wouldn't really be a big deal if the writers killed him off.
- Why he might not be dead: Conversely, his small role in Alexandria and in the TV show might be exactly what saves Aaron from a tragic death, since creator Robert Kirkman confirmed [14] that whoever dies will be "beloved to everyone." Again, no offense, Aaron (he's also not kneeling on Rick's right, eliminating him from that theory).
- Likelihood of death: 💀💀
Sasha
- Why she might be dead: Sasha has been with the original crew since season three's prison debacle, so there's certainly fan love for her. A bloody exit from the show for Sasha would also make her struggle with suicide from last season, and the recent romance she's struck up with Abraham (they were hinting at bringing a little Sashbraham into the world, after all), an extra punch.
- Why she might not be dead: Yes, Sasha is definitely more beloved, and the look of terror on her face in the final scene is devastating, but it truly doesn't seem like it's her time to leave. She's also on the left side of the lineup, along with Carl, Aaron, and Eugene.
- Likelihood of death: 💀💀
Eugene
- Why he might be dead: Before Eugene bravely offers himself up as a diversion to lead the Saviors away from the group in the RV, he shares two very sad, very touching moments with Rick and Abraham, even handing over his bullet-making recipe. When he shows up as a prisoner in the Saviors' ambush a few minutes later, however, it's a total red flag that 1.) Eugene is literally the most useless character on the show, and 2.) he could be the one to die.
- Why he might not be dead: Despite all his bravery in the final episode, Eugene is a pansy, and seeing him helplessly go down at Negan's hand would be super rough. Almost icky, even.
- Likelihood of death: 💀💀
Rosita
- Why she might be dead: Rosita's recent, sad breakup with Abraham (not to mention her rebound with Alexandria cutie Spencer) would make her death kind of a bummer.
- Why she might not be dead: Her dying would likely make some people sad, but truly "beloved" she is not. It doesn't seem probable that the creators would tease such a huge, show-changing demise, just to reveal it was a supporting character like Rosita.
- Likelihood of death: 💀💀
Abraham
- Why he might be dead: Abraham is kneeling on Rick's right, and has never backed down from a fight. He boldly holds his chin up to Negan, challenging him while he's playing his terrifying game of "eeny meeny miny moe." [15] To top it off, Abraham was the one who died from an arrow to the eye in the comics [16] instead of Denise, so technically his fate on the show is up in the air.
- Why he might not be dead: That being said, if the creators wanted to kill off Abraham, would they really have wasted a chance to be faithful to the comics with his original death, only to have him die in the finale? In an interview with POPSUGAR, Michael Cudlitz seemed to confirm his character's longevity [17], saying, "[Denise's] death spurs on a whole bunch of other stuff, and then the audience knows that Abraham will continue for a while now. Now we get to see what a world with Negan and Abraham both in it will be like. That's something we don't see in the graphic novels."
- Likelihood of death: 💀💀💀
Michonne
- Why she might be dead: One of the biggest theories coming out of the finale has to do with TWD's use of the first-person perspective throughout the episode, and how its use might be a clue as to who dies at the end. Since the episode only features it three times — twice in the back of the van where Michonne, Daryl, and Glenn are being kept, and once at the end from whoever dies — it stands to reason that whoever was being kept in the van has a strong chance of being the one Negan kills. Michonne is in both spots, and her death would be a huge blow to the show's fandom (#beloved).
- Why she might not be dead: Michonne is on Rick's right, so technically it could be her, BUT in the new footage, Negan makes a big deal out of insinuating that Rick has lost his "right-hand man." Despite Michonne being a woman, she can still be considered Rick's right-hand man given all the work she does, but we're going to hold on to this technicality with all of our strength in hopes that she lives.
- Likelihood of death: 💀💀💀
Maggie
- Why she might be dead: Maggie's health is on a steep decline in the finale [18], and as she quivers in front of Negan, the leather-clad villain offers to put her out of her misery. Glenn immediately leaps to protect her, and even though no one dies, the moment between them is a total punch to the gut. It's just a taste of what actually goes down in the comics (Negan kills Glenn, Maggie loses it, everything is horrifying), and puts their beloved relationship on display. In the Comic-Con footage, there's also a close-up shot of the bloody, pulpy carnage of whoever is on the receiving end of Lucille, and within the red goo is an engagement ring. Could it be the one Glenn gave to Maggie [19]? Sure seems like it.
- Why she might not be dead: It's safe to say Maggie is not Rick's "right-hand man," although she is kneeling directly to his right. If she's the one to die, wouldn't Rick be covered in more blood? Also, the comic book version of Negan has an aversion to killing women and children, so murdering a pregnant woman like Maggie seems like it wouldn't be his style regardless of who his "moe" lands on.
- Likelihood of death: 💀💀💀💀
Daryl
- Why he might be dead: If you want to talk about a beloved character, look no further than Daryl Dixon (a.k.a. Rick's right-hand man). When people started whispering that Daryl could potentially be the one to ride into Oblivion on a wave of barbed wire in the finale, fans were immediately up in arms, even starting Facebook groups [20] dedicated to his survival. In the new video, one of the first things you see when the camera zooms in on the ground is a gray blanket, which looks an awful lot like the one Daryl is wearing while the group kneels in front of Negan. Combine the rabid love for Daryl with the same reasons above, and you'll have a pretty strong case for his death.
- Why he might not be dead: At this point, the only way we could see Daryl living is if Glenn takes his place. And if Maggie lives, why would she throw her engagement ring on his remains?
- Likelihood of death: 💀💀💀💀💀
Glenn
- Why he might be dead: "Really dead," "super dead," and "the deadest of deads," are all great ways to describe Glenn's fate. The lovable pizza delivery boy's gruesome death in the comics has been hanging heavy over the show since the beginning, and re-creating it on screen (however awful) would be the perfect way to simultaneously honor the source material and provoke a fierce reaction in viewers. There have been subtle (and not-so-subtle) references to his death in the form of bat imagery (remember that scene in Terminus [21]?) and an entire red herring storyline [22] hinting at his potential demise earlier in season six, and with a baby on the way, his death would be hands down the WORST. He's kneeling to Rick's right side, which would make sense re: blood splatter, and it might be why there's a shot of Maggie's engagement ring in the carnage.
- Why he might not be dead: N/A.
- Likelihood of death: 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀