We Hate to Say It But There's a Good Chance Daryl Won't Survive The Walking Dead's Finale

Long-standing viewers of the show know that Daryl's main costume consists of a leather vest decorated with angel wings. While this may simply be a nod to biker culture, many viewers consider the wings a reference to Daryl as the guardian angel to his group of survivors.

Although Daryl lost his wings to Dwight in the story arc of betrayal that occurs between the two men in the sixth and seventh seasons, the vest remains a noteworthy image — this time for Dwight, who loses faith in the Saviors and joins with the Alexandrians.

However, the vest returns to prominence for Daryl during the eighth season. Observant viewers may recall seeing the vest in the show's opening sequence and in the episode entitled, "How it's Going to Be." Daryl rips the piece of clothing from Dwight's shoulders during a clandestine meeting in the woods after the burning of Alexandria. The gesture is an act of frustration for Daryl who finds himself unable to trust Dwight and unsure about his own role in the war—namely, the consequences wrought by his ploy to flood the Sanctuary with the undead.

But with the vest back where it belongs, we wonder if Daryl will put aside the anger he's been harboring all season and return to the role of protector for the Alexandrians . . . or if the wings simply foreshadow Daryl's downfall.

Verdict: Unclear.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Norman Reedus remained optimistic about the audience's reaction to the eighth season finale. "There are four things that happen that could be the finale, and they all go off at once at the same time," says Reedus. "They head in different directions, and they're all individually as good as the next, and they're all very, very satisfying."

Couple this with the fact that Reedus hasn't announced any major acting obligations outside the AMC family, and our guess is that this positive reaction points to Daryl making it through the final episode.

Verdict: Daryl survives.

In season eight's penultimate episode, Daryl hatches a plan with Rosita to capture Eugene in an effort to deny the Saviors access to the production of additional ammo. The plan goes horribly awry when Eugene masterminds his escape by vomiting on Rosita and hiding from Daryl under the ashes of burned bodies. While his tactics appear cowardly, they point to a shift in Eugene's thinking that may have disastrous repercussions for Daryl.

Upon Eugene's return to the Saviors, he not only redoubles his efforts to crank out bullets but also expresses his determination to seek vengeance on the Alexandrians and the people of the Hilltop.

In AMC's special sneak peak of the finale, we see a hardened Eugene standby while Negan shoots a few of the newly minted rounds. Their conversation eventually settles on the pending battle, and Negan asks if the destruction of his former companions is something he really wants to see. Eugene replies, "More than need to see."

We can't help but think the cryptic reply relates directly to Daryl and Rosita — and since Eugene has already gotten the best of them once, odds are he's smart enough to do it again.

Verdict: Daryl dies.

Savior command leader Laura, who witnessed Dwight turn a gun on his teammates during the mid-season eight finale, returns to inform Negan of Dwight's alliance with the Hilltop. Since she's seen Daryl and his posse in the woods, she may single him out for battle. Granted, nothing about her skill set suggests she has the chops to outmaneuver Daryl, but this puts a second large target on Daryl's head and increases the chances for tragedy.

Verdict: Daryl survives.

Two to one odds are in favor of Daryl making it through this season. Now, let's just keep our fingers crossed for season nine.