(Note: The following post contains multiple spoilers for season 6 and clues to season 7. Proceed at your own risk!)
All it took was a 50-second sneak peek clip into the upcoming seventh season of The Walking Dead to whip up the theorizing over who Negan offed at the end of season 6. And if what’s implied in the clip is any indication, fans may be ready to riot. (Warning: Major spoilers ahead.)
In the clip, we see Dwight (Austin Amelio) riding a certain motorcycle down the road, where he happens upon some walkers. Dwight, as viewers know, stole Daryl Dixon’s (Norman Reedus) bike once before. But this time, he’s also wearing his signature winged vest. Does this imply that Daryl no longer needs said vest because his face was just bashed in?
Chances are, you can put your memorial torches away and wipe those tears from your face, as this appears to be just some very clever teasing from the producers of the popular AMC show. Regardless of who came face to face with Negan’s bat, Lucille, at the end of season 6, it’s a certainty that The Saviors will be taking over. And that means stripping the survivors of every valuable item they own — which would undoubtedly include a sick bike and a stylish vest.
Bottom line: Daryl probably isn’t dead. He is likely, however, very, very angry. Frankly, we’re more interested in what exactly Dwight appears to be looking for among the walkers.
There will still undoubtedly be tears shed and hearts broken when the real victim (or victims?) is revealed. Most signs point to it being Glenn (Steven Yuen) and/or Abraham (Michael Cudlitz). The former was the true victim in the comics, which would satisfy fans who believe that his story should end here, thus changing the trajectory of Maggie’s (Lauren Cohan’s) character. And the latter is a candidate for a number of reasons, mainly because his character is already supposed to be dead (he received that arrow to the eye in the comics that Merritt Weaver’s character, Denise, ended up getting in the show), and he exudes strength and leadership, a quality Negan might be all too happy to rid the group of.
The Walking Dead returns on AMC at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 23.
