The Walking Dead ended its fourth season with somewhat of a whimper, without any major deaths nor revelations. Sure, Rick ended up biting a dude’s throat out, but we still don’t know who took Beth, we don’t know where Carol, Tyrese, and Judith are, and we don’t know what Terminus is, nor what they’re planning on doing with Rick and co. Plus, this is the first season finale that didn’t end with a major character’s death, and that actually surprised a lot of fans.
But alas, don’t expect the no-death policy to last for long. Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman [who also serves as a producer on the show] recently spoke to the Hollywood Reporter and admitted that it’s very likely that some major characters get offed in Season 5. He explains, “It’s always highly likely, though I wouldn’t say that it’s any more likely than it ever is, but it is always extremely likely. We did pull back on the reins a little bit at the end of season four. We’re definitely going to hit the ground running for season five and we really don’t let up very quickly at all. It’s going to be a pretty fast-paced, intense season.”
Most fan speculation is centered around the death of one particular character – Glenn. The character suffers a gruesome death in the comic books, and I can’t imagine the show deviating from that, especially with the story arc that results in his death. When asked about the possibility of Glenn dying in Season 5, Kirkman didn’t reveal anything, but he did say to keep the rumors flying.
Of course, there’s always the chance that the show surprises us and ends up deviating from the comics, and killing another major character. After all, Carol is dead in the comics and Andrea is still alive, and the show switched their character arcs a long time ago.
That being said, I do think that Glenn’s death is pretty much inevitable, as much as I don’t want to believe it. I can only hope that the showrunners don’t decide to kill off any more of our core characters from the first season, since we really only have Rick, Daryl, Carl, Carol, and Glenn left from that group.