9 Top Suspects For "A.D." on Pretty Little Liars

Updated on 8/31/2016 at 3:45 PM

And just like that, the seventh Summer season of Pretty Little Liars has come to an end. The finale was harrowing and bloody, yielding a gruesome death and eliminating three major suspects from our list of potential "A.D." perpetrators. With a long wait ahead for new episodes, it's time to hunker down and think. We haven't gotten any closer to figuring out who killed Charlotte DiLaurentis, of course, but the biggest, most perplexing question remains: who is this "A.D." who's perpetuating the most dangerous game yet? We've compiled a suspect list, just for you.

Wren Kingston

Why It's Him: Call us crazy, but Wren has just never, ever sat right with us. He's been officially confirmed for a season seven return, and there's a lot to suggest this is still Wren's game. Perhaps Dr. Rollins's secret British accent indicates a connection to Wren. Perhaps Wren's role as a doctor somehow ties him to Charlotte DiLaurentis, or even Mary Drake. There's not a lot of concrete evidence, but Wren remains shrouded in mystery.
Why It's Not: Time and time again, we've piled evidence up against Wren, convinced he's got something up his sleeve. And yet, we've never actually seen him do something truly sinister. Maybe he's a shifty guy, but there's nothing to blatantly suggest that he's a psychopath . . . yet.

Mona Vanderwaal

Why It's Her: Let's get the most obvious point out of the way: Mona was the original "A" on the show. We know she has a slightly unhinged side. We know she's always one step ahead of the liars. And, perhaps most damning, she's nowhere to be found in the second half of the season seven Summer finale. What happens after she gives Jenna Marshall a chance to leave? Where is she when the girls are trapped in that school for the blind? Maybe we really will come full circle. Maybe Mona stole the game and intends to finish it once and for all.
Why It's Not: Mona has made a lot of personal progress since she first acted as "A" and terrorized the gang. She did her time in Radley, and she's gotten to a point where she's helping, not hurting, the liars. Plus, the fact that she was just as traumatized by the dollhouse might mean she's seen how scary it is to be the victim. The girls trust her again. Hanna's the first one she calls during the whole Noel Kahn fallout. Could she really turn back to the dark side? It seems unlikely.

Caleb Rivers

Why It's Him: Caleb has always been a little too close to the drama. He's tech-savvy, which would make it easy for him to execute these grand schemes. He's nowhere to be found at the end of the Summer finale. Isn't it strange the way he and Mona behaved in the Radley Hotel? How they fixed up each other's tea? Isn't it interesting to think about how intent he is to distract Hanna from getting back to Noel Kahn when she has him in captivity? Something's not adding up.
Why It's Not: At this point, it seems like whatever "A.D." is holding onto runs deep. It's an old pain. Unless there's a part of Caleb's backstory that we haven't heard yet, we're having a hard time locking down his motive. What could possibly drive him to enmesh himself so deliberately in torturing the liars? Caleb may be shifty sometimes, but he always seems to have the girls' safety at the top of his priorities.

Paige McCullers

Why It's Her: Paige is back in Rosewood, and we can only imagine what she has in store for the girls. Once upon a time, we thought this girl could be "A." She has a violent past — don't forget she almost drowned Emily. She always hated Alison, too. Perhaps the most convincing evidence, though, is in the Summer finale. It's clear she still hates Alison, and that she's not too happy with Emily either.
Why It's Not: Paige has, for a long time, been totally out of the picture. She moves across the country for college, likely to escape Rosewood for good. Maybe something brings her back home, but we have a feeling she's not running this new, murderous game. We'll just have to wait and see.

Jason DiLaurentis

Why It's Him: Now that Jason has officially returned to Rosewood, it's time to put him on the suspect list. Given his previous involvement with the N.A.T. Club and his closeness to Charlotte, it would make sense for him to want to play a part in the end of this whole mystery. We have to remember Jason has dark tendencies.
Why It's Not: In the end, Jason wasn't really involved with Charlotte's original game at all. In fact, no matter how many times we've suspected Jason, he's always proven to be pretty innocent.

Lucas Gottesman

Why It's Him: Isn't it interesting that Lucas not only still spends time in Rosewood but also owns an apartment in the center of town? There are so many haunting memories that linger for Lucas on those quiet streets and in the walls of Rosewood High. He's so successful now — doing something in tech, right? — so why would he keep roots in the town that tore him down? It could be revenge. His new technological chops poise him to be a supervillain. He has a lair. He has a motive.
Why It's Not: Of all the liars, Lucas always seemed to really, really like Hanna. In fact, when she was dealing with all her new relationship drama, Lucas kindly offered up his place for her to crash. It could be a front, or it could be that Lucas is finally above all that drama.

Melissa Hastings

Why It's Her: Melissa Hastings has always been a little mean, a little hot-headed, and a little suspicious. She's the one who buries Bethany Young. She's got ties to the N.A.T. Club. She has plenty of motive to hate the liars, since they've invariably ruined her life in more ways than one. Since she hasn't visibly appeared in the final season (yet), it could be she's been floating around in the shadows and wreaking havoc.
Why It's Not: There's one Melissa moment that's always stuck out to us. Back in season four, she has a very pointed confrontation with her sister, Spencer. "You don't understand," she says. "You never understood! I've been protecting you since it started!" The scene sticks out so much because it proves, no matter how guilty Melissa may look, her intentions are probably good. Furthermore, we've gotten no indication that Melissa has returned or will return to Rosewood. Maybe she's finally untangled herself from this whole mess.

Mike Montgomery

Why It's Him: Mike hasn't been in Rosewood for a while, but he has a very troubled past. Let's not forget that he used to break into neighbors' houses and has always had issues with his temper. He's been romantically involved with Mona, which would make it easier for him to turn against the liars. And besides, maybe he hasn't been so absent after all. Maybe he's just been hiding out, waiting for the moment to strike.
Why It's Not: Mike always seemed pretty harmless, you know? Like, yeah, he had some trouble here and there, but he's never seemed capable of harboring a serious vendetta against the liars. Plus, the fact that he hasn't been around could just mean he's gone for good.

Andrew Campbell

Why It's Him: Quite a while ago, Andrew Campbell was one of our top suspects and one of the more suspicious characters on the show. The thing is, we're never really given a reason to stop suspecting him. More like, our suspicions get diverted in a different direction. A lot of his creepy behavior hasn't ever been explained: the way he threatened Aria, and the fact that he's been around since the beginning. And, not to be too obvious, but his name starts with an "A."
Why It's Not: At best, Andrew Campbell always seemed like a diversion or a red herring. We never got any actual hard evidence that would tie him into the whole "A.D." or "A" drama. It's not impossible, but it's just not seeming likely.