The Walking Dead season premiere is going to be a bloody mess. Now that we're less than two weeks away from the big "Who dies?" reveal on October 23, dedicated comic book fans are reevaluating all the material released about season 7 and uncovered a very big a clue that traces back to an earlier comic from the series.
In the most recent clip for the show from Comic Con, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) threatens Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) that he is going to kill him. Rick is covered in blood, and sitting on his knees in front of Negan who starts talking about "right hands" which seems like a clear indicator that Rick is about to lose his right hand following their altercation. The clip ends with Negan grabbing a hatchet, and Rick, and bringing both into the RV. Presumably, when Rick reemerges, he'll be missing a hand.
This conversation is a reference to a gory scene in Volume 5, Issue 28 of the comic book series where The Governor cuts off Rick's hand after Rick withholds information about where he and the others have been living. It's common for the screenwriters to move around plot events within the storyline which they seem to be doing now. A writer on ComicBook.com talked to the show's executive producer and visual effects master Greg Nicotero who acknowledged the severity of the scene. "I don't know if shocking is the right word, but the episode is a roller coaster of emotions. I can tell you that," he told the site. He also confirmed that "it's safe to say that the axe could play a prominent part in the episode."
This rounds out the long list of theories circulating the web about the fate of a major character. Will Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) die? Will Rick Grimes lose a limb? Who are Negan's victims? So many questions, so few answers.