Before the mid-season finale of The Walking Dead next week, I’ve got a few predictions for it and the rest of Season 6. These theories are based on the direction the show is headed along with my hindsight as a reader of the comic. The following conversation is full of spoilers for the TV series and the comic. Bookmark this page and return once you’ve finished Season 6 of The Walking Dead if you’d like to participate in the conversation without being spoiled. Otherwise read at your own risk.

You’ve been warned.

The first thing I need to get off my chest, like Nicholas’ (Michael Traynor) torn body atop of Glenn’s (Steven Yeun), is that I believe our favorite pizza delivery boy is alive. In the age of Game of Thrones, where all bets are off when it comes to killing characters, ambiguous deaths have lost all weight. And we’ve been spoiled by this. When a character is about to meet their maker, we as an audience demand blood and visual closure to believe that the proclaimed decease will not in fact make any more appearances. That shot of Glenn screaming bloody murder with guts coming out near his shoulder is not proof enough that he was devoured, despite having absolutely no way out of that messy situation. It’s absolutely ludicrous to believe he could have gotten out of there alive, which makes him being alive all the more frustrating as a fan of the show. How can I stand on such firm ground to believe he is still among the living? There have been set photos with Steven Yeun caught walking around with the Alexandrians. Not a great reveal to find out the truth, but it is closure.

So how and when will Glenn make his big return? The only way Glenn could have avoided death is by crawling under the dumpster. How the walkers don’t gnaw on his face before he gets under there is beyond me. Glenn will make his big reveal back into Alexandra after the terror strikes the town – Alexandria’s walls will fall in the mid-season finale. This was hinted two weeks ago when Deanna Monroe (Tovah Feldshuh) walked by a bleeding panel. The wall has a weak point and soon the town will be flooded with the dead – this also happens in the comic.

When Glenn arrives, he’ll appear just in the nick of time to save Maggie (Lauren Cohan). This ravenous herd will be the climax of the mid-season 6 finale. It’s a big way to end, and it will continue to pile on the sadness porn, proving all their efforts to ward off the herd were in vain. We’ll have to wait until February to see how our survivors make it out alive.

Now I’m torn whether or not this next big reveal I have will happen in the mid-season finale to end on a big WTF moment or during the first episode of the second half. This reveal that I am referring to is Carl’s eye being shot out. It’s one of the most gruesome and surreal moments in the book, which would make for an epic conclusion. However, there are a lot of things that happen during this invasion that could over stuff a single episode, especially if Glenn shows up.

So what happens exactly? In the comics, during the herd invasion, Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Jessie (Alexandra Breckenridge), Carl (Chandler Riggs), and Jessie’s son Ron (Austin Abrams) are holed up inside a house. They need to make it out before they become fully trapped inside. They attempt an escape through the sea of walkers dressed to the nines in zombie guts. Unfortunately as they make their way through the undead, Ron isn’t fully covered and is grabbed by the zombies and pulls in Jessie and Carl. Jessie doesn’t let go of Carl and Rick is forced to hack her arm off. Douglas Monroe, who is still alive in the comic instead of Deanna, starts shooting wildly into the herd in an attempt to save Rick. The zombies are attracted to the gunshots and overtake Douglas. He continues to shoot wildly and ends up shooting Carl in the face.

I don’t think this will happen in the exact same way on the show. I believe Rick, Jessie, Carl, and Ron will end up in the same conundrum, but only this time Ron gets eaten. The series will keep Jessie alive in order to give Rick a love interest since Andrea is no longer with us – in the comics Andrea is still alive and they are together. Deanna will still be eaten, and maybe her son, Spencer, too, which will lead her to shoot Carl in the face. Deanna needs to die as the sacrificial goat for the Alexandrians to witness how unprepared they are to face the reality of the new world they inhabit. I’m confident this will happen in the mid-season finale or the following episode because Carl and Deanna have been building up to some kind of conclusion based on their actions.

Now, moving on to the second half of the season is when we will be introduced to the Hilltop community and Negan, who will be played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Jesus, who acts as the “Aaron” of the Hilltop who recruits and scouts, will be played by Tom Payne. He’ll be captured by Rick and interrogated before they head on up to the Hilltop to exchange weapons for food after Alexandria is in shambles. Alliances will be made and more teasing of The Saviors will continue.

We’ve already met some of Negan’s group, The Saviors, as they were searching for the unnamed guy who steals Daryl’s motorcycle. The unnamed guy has been confirmed to be Dwight, an important player in the upcoming war between the communities. More than likely, the next time we see Dwight, half of his face will be burned off due to his insubordination. Of course, Negan will become the next big bad who will be introduced in the Season 6 finale.

As a comic reader, and for those who like to Wiki the events of the comic to compare to the show, we all know what happens when we first meet Negan: Glenn’s head gets beaten in by Lucille, Negan’s barbed wire bat. I don’t think this will happen on the show. Although I do believe Glenn is alive, I don’t think his life is meant to be saved for this moment. It’s a peak moment in issue 100 of the comic, but I believe someone else will feel the wrath of Lucille. Who will it be? Morgan.

The Walking Dead has been building Morgan up to be a pacifist voice of reason against Rick and Carol’s extremist values, which is why he has to be served up to Negan. Good vs. evil. Day vs. night. It would only make sense for Morgan’s arc to end on the show by the pure embodiment of violence, an absolute psychopath who feels no remorse for his actions. Morgan’s death will be the key ingredient for Rick to find reason to call to arms. This will be the conclusion of Season 6.

Other points of interest that I believe might happen:

• Enid will return so Carl has someone to feel close to. Sophia is still alive in the comic and Enid will carry her position on the show
• The Wolf that Morgan is hiding in Alexandria will escape and be captured by Negan who will learn of Alexandria and Rick
• Abraham will probably be killed in the second half of next season by a Savior, which will send Rick and crew on a mission out to find them before they encounter Negan

That’s all I got. What say you? How do you believe the events of The Walking Dead Season 6 will unfold? The mid-season finale will premiere next weekend, Sunday, November 29 on AMC.