Lucille will deliver some devastating heartache on the Season 7 opener of The Walking Dead (Sunday, Oct. 23 at 9/8c on AMC). Fans of the series have been waiting months to find out who got Negan’s bat in the Season 6 cliffhanger. Count us in there, too. The staff at Channel Guide Magazine has been rewinding, freezing, analyzing and discussing that final “eeny, meeny, miney, moe moment.” Here are our predictions of who will die in The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere.
Ryan Berenz says it will be Abraham …
At the end of the Season 6 finale, my first instinct was that Abraham was on the receiving end of a Lucille grand slam. With many months to think about it, I’m sticking with my gut and saying that this is the end of Abraham. Here are my all-too-detailed reasons why:
- First, I’m taking all the women out of the equation. Negan’s a twisted and evil dude, but he’s also smart and knows that teeing off on a woman won’t win him any respect from his crew. It’s also smarter for Negan to take out the group’s strongest member, and I doubt he’d think of one of the ladies for that role. So I’m sparing Maggie, Michonne, Rosita and Sasha.
- Rick and Carl appear to be safe, based on Negan’s words.
- They’ve killed Glenn once before, and we’re not falling for that again.
- Aaron’s not a big enough character, and killing him off would be a major letdown. Aaron can die later.
- Eugene’s a possibility, though I think Negan would respect the mullet and not want to ruin it. Plus, Eugene doesn’t exactly seem to possess a brain worth bashing.
- A popular pick seems to be Daryl. It would make sense for Negan to kill Daryl. It would shock and dismay a lot of viewers, and it would be a death worthy of the hype. But it would also be a terrible move for the show to kill off its strongest, most likable character at a time when the show needs to redeem itself with fans who were disappointed with the season finale. Negan killing Daryl would be like Vader lightsabering Han to death in Empire. I just don’t see it being Daryl. Daryl’s got to go out in a blaze of altruistic glory.
- That leaves Abraham. He’s been around long enough and is likable enough for his death to have an emotional impact. He also looks like he’s the toughest member of the group, and a worthy target for Negan. He’s also had a recent emotional upheaval, which makes his character vulnerable. I also think Abraham is expendable in the grand scheme of things. But we’ll see on Sunday. Until then, just try to get Kenny Rogers’ “Lucille” out of your head…
Kellie Freeze predicts Abraham …
Sadly, I think it’s Abraham who’s gonna get the bat. Negan seems like the kind of coward who cuts down anyone who seems like a physical threat, and Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz) is a massive presence.
If it’s Maggie, I may die.
Karen Ruud says Abraham …
I have to say Abraham, because he’s boring anyways.
Lori Acken predicts Daryl or Maggie …
As much as I hate it, my gut says Daryl … or Maggie. A cliffhanger this epic has to have an epic payoff, too, to make our suffering legit and worthwhile. Though he is a major fan fave, Daryl had strangely little to do last season, which may have been intended to make what would certainly be a horribly impactful demise a little less, well, riot-inducing.
But Maggie would make for a clever riff on Glenn getting it in the comics — and Negan wiping out a lady warrior, plus an unborn next-generation Grimes Gang member, plus the treasured union of Glenn and Maggie would be devastating for viewers and the group, and soul-crushing for Glenn (resulting in some serious character development for him).
Candice Sullivan agrees that it’s Maggie …
I think it will be Maggie. This would be a huge shocker and somewhat appropriate for the end of any hope.
Jill Klitz doesn’t have a clue, but she’s going with Maggie …
I’ve never seen the show, but I like free lunches (winner of the office pool gets a free lunch) — so I say Maggie! Because some guy on the Internet said so.
Barb Oates thinks it’s Glenn …
We are definitely going to lose someone big. Game of Thrones does it almost every other episode and fans have stuck with the show — so I’m expecting something similar. We already lost Glenn once and while fan outrage was insane, I think the series’ showrunners were preparing us for this moment. It was a short, much-appreciated gift to get Glenn back when we thought he died, but this may be his true end.
We know from the teaser that Negan picked someone on the right of Rick (Rick’s face is also splattered with blood on his right side), so the possibilities include Maggie, Abraham, Michonne, Daryl, Rosita and Glenn. As many people know, the comic book has Glenn dying in this scene, so why would the writers — who are already agonizing over losing any of these characters — lobby to choose another instead, when the decision was already made for them? Plus, Glenn was kneeling more upright and Negan had to reach high to make impact, so I’m thinking it’s Glenn.
Plus, when I interviewed Norman Reedus (Daryl) for his other AMC series Ride With Norman Reedus, he was offended by my insensitive question of “How did Negan’s bat feel?” Reedus said, “That’s the dumbest question. … whoever might be a friend of mine. I take that very personally.” Ouch.
Tom Comi predicts Carl …
As much as I’d hate to see that happen, I think it would advance the plot the most because it would send Rick into a dark spiral.
Dave Lange thinks the same, too, and says Carl …
My hope is Eugene, but it will be Carl.
Who do you think suffers the ultimate wrath of Negan? Might it even be two Grimes Gang favorites? Sound off in the comments section below, then vote in our reader poll!
The Walking Dead Season 7 premieres Sunday, Oct. 23 at 9/8CT on AMC.
I think it’s Darryl because he has a second show now. Also in the preview Neegan hints that he has killed Rick’s right hand man.