Which characters will be lucky to see the end of Alexandria, Carol and Alpha have turned up the heat on their rivalry, Negan has supposedly ed up with the Whisperers, and Eugene has made with a mysterious new group via long-range radio.
In of major character deaths, however, season 10 has been ominously quiet. The only fatal storyline of note was the shocking reveal of Dante as a Whisperer, and his strangling Siddiq to death after being discovered. Dante himself was then promptly offed by Gabriel in an act of revenge. Compared to last season's slaughter at the Community Fair or Negan's bloody baseball practice, this is a relatively light death toll by The Walking Dead's standards, and it's hard to escape the feeling that major departures could be imminent in forthcoming episodes.
One of The Walking Dead's main gimmicks is the sense that no character is ever safe, no matter how important they might be to the story. As such, it's rarely easy to tell who's set to bite the dust, so which characters should be looking over their shoulder as season 10 moves towards its conclusion?
Michonne
Of all The Walking Dead's primary cast, Michonne is the only character definitively confirmed to be leaving in season 10, although the method of her exit obviously remains a mystery. Despite The Walking Dead's reputation, there's a good chance Danai Gurira could exit The Walking Dead without her character being killed off. Viewers know that Rick Grimes was taken to an unspecified community after his accident on the bridge, and ing him would give Michonne a valid reason for being off-screen permanently without getting bitten or buried. There's also the added caveat of the Walking Dead movie which promises to finish Rick's story, and Michonne would be a natural addition to that, given her intimate relationship with Rick.
With that said, Michonne is far from safe as The Walking Dead season 10 heads towards its final stretch. Since Rick isn't expected to return to TV, engineering Michonne's move to a new home will require some narrative wrangling, especially as Rick's whereabouts have yet to be addressed. It would certainly be simpler to have Gurira's character killed, and with Michonne currently on a redemption arc after shutting her community off in the time skip, a noble death to save her people cannot be ruled out.
Carol
Carol is a veteran of The Walking Dead, and her role has become even more vital since the departures of Andrew Lincoln's Rick, Chandler Riggs' Carl and Lauren Cohan's Maggie. At this point, however, Carol has seen and done it all. Evolving from a shy and retiring domestic abuse victim to one of the most formidable characters on the series, Carol has regularly flipped between being ruthlessly bloodthirsty and wanting to abstain from violence altogether, rarely able to find a happy middle ground. At present, Carol is very much in a violent state of mind, putting her friends' lives in danger for even the slightest shot at revenge against Alpha.
With Carol on such a self-destructive path, her mission to avenge Henry's death could cost her life - a price she'll no doubt happily pay. As Melissa McBride's character starts to behave more erratically and Daryl's patience wears thin, it's increasingly difficult to envision a future for Carol on The Walking Dead. Surely a glorious death in the process of bringing down Alpha is her natural conclusion.
Ezekiel
After Michonne, Ezekiel is the character whose death The Walking Dead has built up most heavily in season 10. Usually brash with charm and confidence, Ezekiel has been a more reclusive figure of late, even attempting to take his own life during one episode, and the reason for that was revealed earlier in season 10. As confirmed by Siddiq, Ezekiel has developed thyroid cancer, and the tumor is a considerable one. Although modern medicine might've cured Ezekiel in the past, doctors, drugs and treatment are a precious commodity in the zombie apocalypse and Alexandria simply isn't equipped to deal with such a devastating illness.
Perhaps more damning for Ezekiel in fictional is how sporadic his appearances have been in The Walking Dead season 10. The once central character has now become very much peripheral, and this could be a sign that the AMC series is preparing to do away with the Kingdom's leader. Ezekiel's diagnosis might've seemed to seal his fate, but there is one ray of hope: the Commonwealth. Although Alexandria might not be able to treat thyroid cancer, the much-larger Commonwealth just might... if Ezekiel can get there in time.
Kelly
The sibling relationship between Angel Theory's Kelly and Lauren Ridloff's Connie has been a compelling one since their introduction in The Walking Dead, and whenever 2 characters arrive with such a tight bond, it's inevitable that one will be bumped off before too long. Unfortunately for Kelly, her sister has been deeply integrated into the main cast via a romance angle with Daryl Dixon, whereas Kelly's character arc remains rooted in her connection to Connie. Consequently, the slingshot wielder feels like an expendable component in the second half of The Walking Dead season 10, and her looming deafness has led to several close calls. Each time Kelly survives a zombie approaching from behind or a leap in a dark cave, her end feels perilously close.
Alpha
If the TV adaptation of The Walking Dead follows its comic counterpart, then Alpha shouldn't last beyond season 10. In Robert Kirkman's original story, Alpha is killed by Negan in a scene that mirrors the recent midseason premiere sex scene, and the real threat of the Whisperers only rears its head after Beta unleashes the full might of his group against Alexandria. The twist of Negan and Alpha sleeping together, rather than one killing the other, proves that AMC's The Walking Dead isn't going to adapt Alpha's death verbatim, but if the TV series does stay accurate to the comics, Negan may yet betray his new master, albeit at a later stage.
Many The Walking Dead fans agree that Samantha Morton's portrayal of Alpha is actually stronger than the version seen in the original comics; creepier and stronger, with a more developed backstory and intimidating demeanor. Because of this, The Walking Dead might be tempted to keep Alpha around on TV longer than she survived in the comics but, on the other hand, it's hard to see the skin-wearer integrating into Alexandria in the same way Negan or Jadis did.
Negan
Negan survives to the very end of the Walking Dead comic series, and if his storyline with Alpha had played out exactly the same on TV, viewers could've expected the former Savior leader to be a surefire addition for season 11. After all, it's murdering Alpha that helps cement comic Negan's transformation into a protagonist. But the story of Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan is evidently playing out differently, and the actor might not be planning to stick around indefinitely. If The Walking Dead's producers do intend to develop Alpha into later seasons, it might make sense to flip the comic books and have Alpha kill Negan, rather than the other way around.
This would arguably risk wasting a character that has serious long-term potential. Negan has slowly shed his villainous qualities of late, and The Walking Dead is hemorrhaging main characters, so retaining the leather-clad antihero should be a top priority. As seen with Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira, however, it's impossible to for want-away actors, and Alpha's survival could mark the end of Negan if Morgan does have half an eye on other projects.
Gabriel
Like Alpha, Father Gabriel Stokes is on borrowed time if his comic arc is anything to go by. The Lothario of Alexandria has become a central character in his community, getting meatier material than in the original Walking Dead story, and the priest has done well to survive so long given his brushes with blindness, breakdowns and betrayals. However, the Whisperer War claims a number of victims in the comics, and Gabriel is one of them, panicking when he sees an oncoming horde and getting himself stuck on a pole, presenting a tasty snack for the approaching dead.
This will not be how Seth Gilliam's character meets his end, firstly because the character is far more important on TV, and secondly because The Walking Dead already used that death during the war between Alexandria and the Saviors. But while the specifics of Gabriel's death might need to change, the timing doesn't, and as with Alpha, maintaining comic accuracy would mean the holy man of the zombie apocalypse doesn't last beyond season 10.
The Walking Dead season 10 continues with "Stalker" March 1st on AMC.