The Walking Dead season seven drew to a close with an episode which united all the disparate characters and locations in the war against Negan's Saviours which will no doubt shape the future of the series (you can read our review here).

Showrunner Scott Gimple, who initially teased season eight by saying it will “melt people's minds,” has gone a little deeper in what the upcoming episodes have in store for fans and has sparked fears about the fate of character Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt).

“[Eugene] said he’s Negan in front of everybody,” Gimple told Variety in reference to a moment in the finale in which the character appeared to formalise his allegiance with The Saviours.

“He has still not found the strength to get over his fear. He’s still Negan after seeing everything Sasha is doing. I don’t think it looks good for Eugene. But with everything Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) said to him, maybe his courage is just lying dormant.“

Gimple went on to express how the battle Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and co face is different to any the characters have faced before.

The Walking Dead - Season 7 Finale - Ending scene

“It’s essentially for the whole world as far as their experience. It isn’t just their little corner. It’s the Kingdom and the Hilltop too.

“The Governor just wanted them dead. Negan would be happy if everyone was alive and well and working for him. There’s a very basic political idea at play here. They want to live in a fair world instead of having it just be Negan’s. To that end, that idea feels to me like the beginning of civilisation is at stake, this new civilisation they want to build rather than live this strange half-life serving a despot.”

The most shocking Walking Dead moments Show all 10 1 /10 The most shocking Walking Dead moments The most shocking Walking Dead moments Sophie's a walker (season 2, episode 7) Much of season two's opening half is spent looking for Sophia, the missing daughter of Carol (Melissa McBride). Turns out she was locked up in Hershel's barn as a zombie all along. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Shane reanimates without being bitten (season 2, episode 12) When Carl (Chandler Riggs) guns down a deranged Shane (Jon Bernthal) to protect his father, the shock arrives when he manifests into a walker despite not being bitten; turns out everyone's infected with the virus and will turn whichever way they die. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Axel's bullet to the eye (season 3, episode 10) A character introduced in the show's prison arc, Axel is a reformed prisoner who strikes up a friendship with Carol - until he's gunned down mid-sentence. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Carl kills Lori after she gives birth (season 3, episode 4) Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) goes into labour at the very moment a zombie siege breaks out at the prison. Unfortunately, she doesn't make it through the procedure with her son Carl being the one to put a bullet to her head. The most shocking Walking Dead moments The Governor slays Hershel (season 4, episode 8) The Governor makes his dramatic return for a showdown at the prison after he captures Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Hershel (Scott Wilson). Rick reaches out, attempting to reason with him - but The Governor starts a war when he proceeds to decapitate poor old Hershel instead. The most shocking Walking Dead moments "Look at the flowers" (season 4, episode 14) In a standout episode from the show's fourth season, Carol is forced to take drastic measures when young teenager Lizzie murders her sister Mika in the belief that she'll live on as a zombie. Realising Lizzie's depraved mind would endanger those around her, Carol puts a gun to the young girl's head and, telling her to "look at the flowers," pulls the trigger, fighting back the tears. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Carl's bullet to the eye (season 6, episode 9) Season six returned from its mid-season break in typically dramatic fashion when an iconic moment from the graphic novels came to life: Carl takes a bullet to the eye. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Beth is killed (season 5, episode 8) Upon being kidnapped, Beth (Emily Kinney) is taken to Grady Memorial Hospital managed by Atlanta Law Enforcement. Forced to reside there against her will, the group - including Rick and Daryl (Norman Reedus) - eventually find her - only for her to be accidentally shot in the head by her captor. The worst thing? Her sister Maggie (Lauren Cohan) had just arrived outside. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Negan kills Abraham Season seven opened in brutal form as we discovered it was Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) at the opposite end of Negan's baseball bat. "Suck my nuts," the soldier growls as the Saviours' leader brings Lucille raining down on his head until nothing remains but a pulpy mess. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Negan kills Glenn Negan decides to punish the group once more after getting clocked round the face by Daryl. Without expectation, he thwacks Lucille round the head of poor Glenn. With his eyeball popping out of his head, he manages: "I'll find you, Maggie before Negan proceeds to finish the job ending the former pizza delivery boy's life.

He also revealed how he had been planning Sasha's death - which saw her take a suicide pill in a bid to kill Negan as a reanimated walker - from the very beginning of the season

“As things were coming into place we saw that Sasha would do anything to make sure Maggie (Lauren Cohan) is safe and Sasha wanted to make sure she took care of this to make sure Maggie wouldn’t have to do it.

“Sasha’s sacrifice is the momentum with which the characters go into season eight. It’s tragic but much less traumatic than the first episode because this was a character going out on her own terms.”