HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER - "He's Dead" - As a police investigation gets underway after Simon's accidental shooting, the "K4" deal with a new set of obstacles. Meanwhile, a distraught Annalise finds herself in an unimaginable situation as Laurel and her baby struggle to cling to life on "How to Get Away with Murder," THURSDAY, JAN. 18 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EST), on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Mitch Haaseth) VIOLA DAVIS, LIZA WEIL, CHARLIE WEBER, KARLA SOUZA

How To Get Away With Murder left its big cliffhanger for season 5 in the form of the mysterious Gabriel Maddox. Who is this new character and what role will he play in season 5?

Warning: How To Get Away With Murder season 4 spoilers will follow.

As season 4 headed into its final moments, everything was for once peaceful in the lives of How To Get Away With Murder‘s leading characters. Of course, the peace was quickly broken, this time by the arrival of Gabriel Maddox. The confident and flirtatious new character was seen enrolling in Middleton University’s Law Program. Frank immediately recognized Maddox’s name and proceeded to call someone with the following message:

“Hey. Looks like the good times didn’t last too long. Her kid’s here.”

Now Deadline reports that the actor portraying Maddox–Rome Flynn–has been promoted to a series regular for season 5. With this news clearly indicating that Maddox’s role won’t be wrapped up in just the first few episodes, let’s take a look at some of the most compelling theories about this new character.

Bonnie’s child

Earlier in season 4, it was revealed that Bonnie had once been pregnant but she was told her child was born dead. That may no longer be the case after Nate looked through files that ADA Denver was keeping on all of Annalise’s closest associates. In Bonnie’s file, there was a DNA report that found someone with an exact DNA match to her, with the words “CHILD ALIVE?” written in pen at the bottom of the report.

Maddox’s character makes his first appearance only seconds later. Frank also says “Her kid’s here” and Bonnie was pregnant when she was 15, meaning she is old enough to have a child now enrolling in a college law program.

When asked about the DNA test and fan theory, showrunner Pete Nowalk remained tight-lipped:

“I can’t really tease too much, but just know that was a genetic test for Bonnie and this child, so it’s all related basically. All we know is Bonnie said in episode five that she was told her child was born dead. So she’s lying, or someone else is lying to Bonnie, it’s all possible.”

It’s possible Frank knows Maddox is Bonnie’s child and is calling Annalise. If this is the case, it raises even greater questions about why Annalise and Frank have hidden this information from Bonnie, and how much Maddox himself knows.

Brother of Wes

Suspicious of the role the Mahoney family may have played in the death of Wes, Annalise confronted Sylvia Mahoney in the season 3 finale. It was revealed during their tense meeting that it was Sylvia’s son Charles–not her husband Wallace–that raped Wes’ mother Rose Edmond. Before parting ways, Sylvia said to Annalise, “You are wrong about so much.” This seemed like a huge tease for things to come, but the Mahoneys didn’t end up playing a role in season 4, meaning Sylvia’s words remain unresolved.

That could change in season 5 if it’s revealed that Gabriel Maddox is the brother of Wes. It is possible that Rose Edmond had another child, one that could or could not be biologically related to the Mahoneys. Sylvia’s defense of her family seems entirely callous given the horrific things they’ve done. If they had some role in raising Maddox and from their perspective giving him a good life, that might explain why Sylvia can still defend her family, and why she feels there’s still so much Annalise doesn’t understand.

Since Frank was so involved in what happened with the Mahoneys, he would likely know about the existence of Maddox and his connection to the Mahoney family.

Laurel’s brother

Laurel Castillo’s family was at the heart of season 4. In an attempt to bring her father Jorge to justice for murdering Wes, Laurel got practically everyone involved in an attempt to take him down. Jorge did everything in his power to save himself and salvage his grand plan, but ultimately to no avail. Even Laurel’s mother Sandrine Castillo came onto the scene, along with the reveal that she met with Wes shortly before his death.

Although Jorge is in jail, the Castillo family will still play a central role in season 5. Laurel will continue to be the main character while raising her son Christopher. The fate of Laurel’s mother remains ambiguous and will surely be answered. The role of the Castillo family could escalate even further if it turns out that Gabriel Maddox is Laurel’s brother.

There’s definitely more focus to come on Laurel’s mother. It’s possible that she had a child with a man other than Jorge, and that child is Gabriel Maddox. Her son has now come to Middleton because he’s trying to figure out what happened to his mother, and she was last known to be in the area around Middleton. The arrival of a brother Laurel didn’t know she had will throw a major wrench into her life, and possibly pose a threat to the life of young Christopher, especially if Maddox thinks Laurel is responsible for their mother’s disappearance.

Also, Frank thoroughly investigated Laurel’s mother not long ago in order to determine her real motives. If she had a son that Laurel didn’t know about, Frank likely would’ve uncovered this information in his investigation, which explains why he immediately recognized Maddox’s name.

Tegan’s son

Tegan Price–attorney and partner at Caplan and Gold law firm–turned on Jorge Castillo in the season 4 finale. Not much insight was offered into Tegan’s life beyond her work. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have juicy backstory, though. Perhaps it is that exact backstory–including a child she gave up–that drove her to become such a workaholic in the first place.

If Gabriel Maddox is Tegan’s son, this could spell trouble in a few different ways. For one thing, Jorge and his associates could use Tegan’s son against her as revenge for incriminating the Castillo patriarch and to secure his freedom.

Also, it’s made clear that Tegan doesn’t believe Michaela or Annalise about what really happened that fateful night at Caplan and Gold. It’s easy to forget, but the Keating 4 are still in law school and with Gabriel Maddox about to join them, he will likely grow close with at least one of them (my money’s on Michaela). This could lead to Maddox discovering the truths still concealed from Tegan, truths she could end up using against Annalise and company.

Like the Castillo family, Frank is someone who covers all necessary bases. Once he was in on Laurel’s plan to take down her father, he would’ve made sure he knew everything he could. That would include knowing everything important about Tegan–such as her having a son– since she was an important piece of the plan. Tegan is one of the few people who could’ve incriminated Oliver and the Keating 4 as she had crucial information surrounding the incident at Caplan and Gold.

All we know is that Rome Flynn’s promotion to series regular as Gabriel Maddox means he has a major role ahead of him. We can’t wait to see what that is and if it aligns with any of these theories.

What’s your favorite Gabriel Maddox theory? Let us know in the comments below!