6 characters who will probably die by the end of 'The Walking Dead' and 6 who will likely survive

A synopsis for the final eight episodes of "TWD" released during the Television Critic Association's press tour ended on an ominous note, reading: "The fight for a future continues to be exasperated by the ominous population of walkers. Not all will survive, but for some, 'The Walking Dead' lives on."

That last line appears to suggest that we could see some big deaths on the show's final episodes. But will "TWD" actually have the guts to take a big swing and take out some major players?

Ever since Negan's controversial entry on the show's seventh season caused a lot of backlash for how a beloved character was killed, the series toned down its violence. Deaths are rarely shocking and are reserved for characters who aren't long-time members of the show.

On top of that, AMC has appeared to reveal the fates of a few key characters before the show ends with the announcement of a few spin-off shows.

But "TWD" should start taking the ax to some its many secondary and tertiary characters who it's failed to fully establish. (Do you even remember Luke? How about Virgil?) From Daryl to Sebastian, I've rounded up the characters I expect to survive and the ones I'm prepared to see die by the show's finale.

In September 2020, AMC announced Norman Reedus would lead an untitled Daryl and Carol show. Now a solo Daryl series, it doesn't sound like it will be a prequel series as Daryl will head to France, the location which was recently seen at the end of "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" where there was a seemingly smarter and stronger variant type of walker.

That spin-off takes place a decade into the apocalypse.

On a recent special episode of "Talking Dead" previewing upcoming titles in "The Walking Dead" universe, "TWD" chief Scott M. Gimple confirmed the "World Beyond" ending was "a bit of a tease of some of the things Daryl is going to face."

No one in the Commonwealth seems to respect Sebastian, his mother included.

The self-absorbed narcissist has zero survival skills. We've seen him try and fail to try and kill walkers that are supposed to be target practice for him. When the walkers enter the Commonwealth, no one's risking their life to save this boy.

In the comics, Sebastian winds up shooting Rick Grimes dead and then rots in jail for his actions.

But I don't think this current version of Sebastian deserves to make it to the end. From the trailers, it looks like Sebastian is going to have a run-in with Negan, asking him if he knows who he is.

How does that happen? I have some thoughts.

Instead of killing Rick, the TV version of Sebastian may accidentally shoot his daughter Judith or someone else. That would explain Negan going after him in the trailer since he has a bond with Rick's daughter.

How we think Sebastian will die: If Negan doesn't kill him, walkers will do him in.

Melissa McBride's beloved character was originally supposed to be on the Daryl series, too, so we're feeling pretty good about Carol's safety.

At San Diego Comic-Con, Reedus assured fans that "the Carol/Daryl story isn't over yet."

It's tough to believe Hornsby will make it to the end of the series. He's on a mission to go after Daryl, Maggie, and the rest of their group after getting his face cut up and losing some of the Commonwealth army to Negan's new group.

It's usually a bad idea to go up against Daryl and his crew. The last people who thought they should mess with him and Maggie duo (the Reapers) wound up slaughtered.

How I think Hornsby will die: He's not going to go quietly. Walkers seem too easy a punishment for him. I'd love to see him have a showdown with Mercer, the leader of the Commonwealth army.

AMC announced in March that Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays Negan, will star in a "TWD" spin-off, "Isle of the Dead," with Lauren Cohan next year.

On the "Rich Eisen Show," Morgan said he was surprised they announced his upcoming show months ahead of the series finale, saying that his character won't die.

"I guess we know that Negan doesn't die," Morgan said, adding, "Spoiler alert, folks. Sorry. I'm still not sure why we announced that already. It was sort of a shocker to me."

Trailers are meant to throw us off, but the above moment doesn't look great for Rosita. Even if she does escape all of those walkers somehow, the chances of her getting bit or scratched in that moment, only to reveal or find a mark later may be high.

Rosita has long outlived her comic death and it feels like the show really hasn't known what to do with the character for most of the final season. We don't want to see Rosita go, but if there's a major death that's going to pull at our heartstrings, it's going to involve ripping a badass momma bear away from her baby girl, Coco.

How I think Rosita will die: Rosita's a great warrior so it would be a shock if walkers got the best of her. It would even be kind of lame if she accidentally gets scratched or bit and slowly turns into one of the undead. The only way I see that happening is if Rosita sacrifices her life to save her daughter.

Otherwise, it'd be more compelling to see Rosita's fellow Commonwealth soldiers turn on her for working with Daryl, Maggie, and the rest of the folks trying to overthrow the current Commonwealth regime. That would make for a shocking way to go out. I just don't know if the army would be willing to kill a mother.

Since Cohan is also starring on "Isle of the Dead," it seems like she'll likely survive "TWD" as well. I'm more concerned that her son Hershel isn't in any of the promos with Maggie. Maybe she teamed up with Negan to save him from someone.

At this point in the show, Aaron basically looks like the comic version of Rick Grimes. Aaron lost part of his arm and was given the iconic Grimes beard. That had to be done for a reason other than to just look the part, right?

I've been wondering for a while whether or not Aaron may receive Rick's comic death. While that's possible, that may be too easy. Plus, Sebastian barely knows Aaron so I don't think there's a reason for them to really have a confrontation. In the comics, Rick wins over the Commonwealth and is beloved by both their community and his own. and the

How I think Aaron will die: If Aaron doesn't get Rick's death, he'll sacrifice himself to save his daughter or his original home of Alexandria.

Judith's brother, Carl, is the one who makes it to the end of the comic. Since he's no longer on the series, it only feels appropriate that Judith should be the one to make it to the end of the show.

Since her birth in the show's third season, Judith has served as a beacon of hope and a driving force for the group of survivors to carry forward in difficult times. A lot of the things Rick's group did were to make sure they were building a better world for the next generation, including Judith. If she's not around to experience that better life, what was the point of all the sacrifices that have been made?

Judith's death would extinguish that hope, ending the show on a dark note.

Additionally, it would extremely weird if the show killed Judith off before she's able to reunite with her mom and dad in the newly-announced Rick and Michonne spin-off. If Judith dies, we riot.

Fans have been wondering if Gabe will die for years since he's long out-lived his comic death, so we wouldn't be surprised if these last eight episodes may be his swan song.

Gabe has been getting more and more ruthless — and a little reckless — with how he handles situations. That over-confidence may be his undoing.

How I think Father Gabriel will die: If Gabe gets too cocky, he may be taken out by someone when he least expects it. Otherwise, he may put himself in a position where he needs to be taken out.

R.J. hasn't even met his father, Rick, who he's named after. It would be really messed up if "TWD" killed off Rick and Michonne's son before they all have a chance to reunite in next year's spin-off.

Ezekiel has also outlived his iconic comic death so it wouldn't be shocking if Zeke doesn't make it to the end of "TWD" however, it would be pretty awful to kill off Khary Payton's character after he just survived cancer.

I've been wondering if Zeke may get a twist on Rick's comic death. Rick's murder caused such an outcry because he was beloved by members of the Commonwealth and his own group. Ezekiel is one of the few people on the show right now who has the support and love of so many people in the Commonwealth due to the secret clinic he opened up to help those who weren't being treated fairly in the community.

My fear is that Ezekiel's clinic will be discovered and shut down, and the Commonwealth will make an example out of him. The trailer teases members of the Commonwealth army carrying Ezekiel at one point. His death could cause an uprising in the community which leads to the ousting of Pamela Milton as the Commonwealth's leader.

The only problem here is that it wouldn't fit a request from Payton. Last August, Payton told me he asked the showrunners years ago to have Ezekiel die "with his head up and looking out for some kind of light" if he's killed off the show.

He said: "Whatever you do, when you write him, don't have him die with his head hung."

How Ezekiel could die: The Commonwealth army could kill Ezekiel as a punishment for stepping out of line and starting his own secret clinic.