I hate to break it to you guys, the more I watch and re-watch Episode 3 of AMC's The Walking Dead titled, "Thank You", the worse I feel about everyone's favorite pizza delivery guy, Glenn Rhee's apparent fate.
It's natural to hold out hope, after an ambiguous ending that left the audience gnawing at the possibilities. For some, it's just too hard to grasp that such a likeable guy, played effortlessly by the talented Steven Yeun, would ultimately bite the dust.
Here are 4 reasons why Glenn is dead.
#1 Glenn's exit has been a long time coming
Among the five major cast members who were in the original season, Rick, Carl, Carol, Morgan and Glenn, the Asian guy seems to be the most expendable.
The Walking Dead, although it hasn't followed the comic book version religiously, is based off Robert Kirkman's graphic novel. After six seasons, the story is almost caught up with it's comic book cousin and the moment where it strays completely is near.
Either this story continues down a path Kirkman originally intended (which is played out in the comic books for at least a few more volumes) or it deviates completely and goes in a different direction -- in which case not only Glenn, but also Rick and others are in danger.
Nonetheless, Glenn has survived the most dire situations up to this point. He's survived being beat up by the Governor and his cronies, being nearly dropped into a zombie deep well, and having his head chopped off by the nerds at Terminus.
Glenn has come close to death on numerous occasions but has beaten it every single time. However, no one is that lucky. His time is most likely up.
#2 The promotional photos mean nothing
There are a few promotional photos in circulation on the interwebs, showing Steven Yeun in a costume we haven't seen, with a character (known as Jesus) who has yet to appear on the show, but it's all speculation at this point.
The photo could have been taken at any point during filming, and it actually shows the cast just standing around. Since different scenes from the entire season are shot at different times, what we could be seeing is just a mere gathering of actors on a hot day in Atlanta.
Just because they were seen together, doesn't mean they were shooting scenes together. So don't get your hopes up.
#3 The powers that be love to shock
If you've been watching The Walking Dead closely throughout all its six seasons, you know the powers that be like to shock the audience with untimely deaths.
Ever since they turned poor Sophia into a mindless walker, they set the tone for the entire series with a message saying that no one on this show is safe from perma-death -- which is the way it should be.
In an extreme end of the world scenario such as a zombie apocalypse, not even the biggest of badasses like The Governor and Shane got to live to the end.
Glenn, the unlikely Asian hero, can apparently die too.
#4 Daryl Dixon will replace Glenn in the famous scene from the comic book
A lot of Glenn supporters who follow the comic books point to a crucial scene where a character yet to be introduced to the TV show has an encounter with Glenn and a barbed-wire laced baseball bat. They say the scene won't be the same without Glenn if he is indeed dead.
On the contrary, Daryl can replace Glenn if need be. Remember, Daryl isn't part of the comic books, and as popular as a character as he is, his storyline (now that Beth is gone) does not have much meaning aside from being Rick's number one go-to-guy.
Daryl can take Glenn's place in the highly-anticipated scene and it would give just as much shock factor, if not more, than Glenn being in the scene himself.
Final Word
It's tough to imagine The Walking Dead without Glenn, but we know the show can't go on forever. And no matter how much fans love a character, that doesn't make them immune to zombie bites.
Remember, Glenn is on the ground with a guy who is at least 200 pounds laying on top of him, surrounded by a horde of at least 50 ravenous walkers clawing at him.
With nothing but an aluminum dumpster to hide under, Glenn making it out alive seems virtually impossible.