‘The Walking Dead’: Is [Spoiler] Really Dead?

Sunday night’s episode of The Walking Dead shocked fans when it suddenly put an arrow in a fan-favorite character.

Major spoilers from The Walking Dead Episode 8×03 follow!

When Morales was seen in Episode 8×02, he was holding Rick Grimes at gunpoint in a private room at the Savior outpost. It seemed clear, if Morales didn’t join Rick’s cause and betray the Saviors, only one of them would make it out alive. As it turns out, the character who would survive the exchange was Rick Grimes.

Daryl Dixon, knowing who Morales was, barged into the room and put an arrow in his face.

The death was never explicitly shown on camera but Daryl’s removing of the arrow from Morales’ head the same way he removes it from walkers is a clear indication of Morales fate. The man who once set sail for Birmingham and parted ways with his friend Rick was dead. It’s a loose end fans of The Walking Dead always wanted tied up but never could have imagined would play out in such a fashion. Now we know: Morales’ family died on their way to Birmingham and he would be held up in a tow truck until the Saviors found him, only to die at the hands of his old friends.

“It was absolutely a joy to see Andy [Lincoln] again,” Morales actor Juan Pareja told ComicBook.com. “And it was like old times. It was really nice to reconnect with him. It happened in the trailer before we got to shooting as we were getting ready with the makeup. And it was really nice, it was really nice. It was like no time had passed at all.”

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on AMC. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.