(Spoiler warning for The Walking Dead through the end of season 7.) The Walking Dead season 7 took plenty of twists and turns, seeing the loss of major characters Glenn (Steven Yeun), Abraham (Michael Cudlitz), and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) to newcomer villain Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and the Alexandria safe zone were subjugated and oppressed by Negan and his loyal followers, the Saviors, until joining forces with the Hilltop and Kingdom communities to oppose Negan’s protection racket. With the three communities finally united and ready to fight by season 7’s end, season 8 will unleash all out war, as teased in the explosive San Diego Comic Con trailer — which also offered a peek at a decidedly different looking Rick Grimes…

March to War After having their weapons collected by Negan, Rick and co. were forced to relieve the isolationist Oceanside community of their cache of guns. In partnership with the Scavengers, Alexandria plans to ambush Negan on his next collection rounds — until Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) and her stinky band of bandits flip, having struck a deal with Negan and the Saviors. Outgunned and outmanned, Alexandria is given a respite by way of Sasha's sacrifice, her reanimated corpse giving Rick, Carl (Chandler Riggs), Michonne (Danai Gurira), Daryl (Norman Reedus), and the others the chance to make their first strike. The bloody battle escalated with the arrival of the cavalry: the Hilltop joined the fray, commandeered into action by Maggie (Lauren Cohan), as the Kingdom provided swift relief, King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) leading the charge with Carol (Melissa McBride) and Morgan (Lennie James) in tow. "Alexandria will not fall," says Ezekiel with his rallying cry. "Not on this day!" With Negan and the Scavengers forced to flee, the real battle has just begun. Rick, Maggie, Ezekiel and their communities stand united, committed to stand together against what comes next, as Negan addresses his army: "We are going to war." prevnext

Fresh Meat In The Walking Dead, (almost) no one is safe, meaning (almost) anyone can go at any time. With seasons 6 and 7 expanding the world around our core cast of characters by way of the introduction of four new territories — the Hilltop, the Kingdom, the Sanctuary, and the junk yard — the series' cache of characters is bigger than ever. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan, Daryl-wannabe Dwight (Austin Amelio), snakelike Gregory (Xander Berkeley), and kung fu ninja Jesus (Tom Payne) were promoted to series regulars since coming aboard, while season seven introduced new players Jadis (McIntosh) and toady Brion (Thomas Francis Murphy), Oceanside's Cyndie (Sydney Park) and Natania (Deborah May), and King Ezekiel's loyal ally, Jerry (Cooper Andrews), while expanding the roles of supporting players Aaron (Ross Marquand), Eugene (Josh McDermitt), Enid (Katelyn Nacon), Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), Rosita (Christian Serratos), and Negan's right hand man, Simon (Steven Ogg). With the larger world outside of the Alexandrian gates continuing to expand, season 8 is also set to bring aboard even more new characters: as reported in April, the upcoming season will introduce Dillon, "a sexy, blue-collar twentysomething whose survival skills include sarcasm," and Abbud, described in the report as "an innately likable Muslim American whose nerves are, let’s say, jangled, because he’s flown solo for too long in zombieland." Season 8 might even bring back Heath (Corey Hawkins), who disappeared under mysterious circumstances, leaving only an odd note (reading "PPP") for his unfortunate scouting buddy Tara (Alanna Masterson). With new blood on the way, we can probably expect some spring cleaning to take place... prevnext

Major Deaths The Walking Dead loves killing main characters as much as Negan loves Lucille and the "F word." With so many characters in play (and because this is The Walking Dead), it's not hard to guess the upcoming season will see the loss of at least one major character. Of the original Atlanta Five (Rick, Carl, Daryl, Carol, and Glenn) the Atlanta Four, the only real possibility may be Carol, who as of late has struggled with the fact that she's killed more people than the Terminator. She (finally) got her mojo back in season 7, and it would be a real loss to send off both McBride and Carol, but when The Walking Dead one-two punched Glenn and Abraham in a double knockoff in its season opener, it gives the impression almost anything can happen. Another big possibility is Morgan who, like Carol, ended up adopting a "no kill" rule only to ultimately realize that in this world, you kill or you die, or you die and you kill. "I don't die," Morgan is heard saying in the trailer, which are probably the exact words that have signed his death warrant. After bringing Morgan and Lennie James back in season five, it would be another big blow to lose an OG character, but an actual, full scale war could mean the end of Morgan, who has spent much of his journey on the show teetering dangerously on a path towards self-destruction. But, hey. That impressive jail cell Morgan built could come in handy... prevnext