If it doesn’t happen tonight, we have positive confirmation on one major character who will die this season, or at least be turned to a walker.  It’s confirmed by a photo of the character as a zombie, so there is no disputing it — all that remains to be determined is if he is put down and if so, by whom.

You have been warned not to read on if you hate spoilers.

Photos of a zombified Merle have popped up online, so his character is definitely biting the dust. Many fans are speculating whether Daryl will be the one to put him down, but it seems a no-brainer for writers to milk the emotional torment of Daryl having to kill his own brother. And remember, these bunch of writers had no problem having poor little Carl dispatch his own mother with a bullet to the brain.

Of course Daryl will have to be the one to kill him.  And you can bet it will make fans only love him more… if that’s possible. As someone posted on Facebook:

We like him. We really, really like him. And as despicable as Merle is, seeing Daryl suffer is a real drag.