WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the Season 8 premiere of The Walking Dead, "Mercy," which as of publication has not yet aired on the west coast, and for The Walking Dead comic series.


AMC’s The Walking Dead is not shy about deviating from the comic book series by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard it’s based upon. Characters who have extremely long lifespans on the printed page have been culled on the show quickly (and at times, unceremoniously), and vice versa. New characters and story elements have been added to the show, creating surprising twists and remixed scenarios with different survivors in roles that long-dead characters inhabited in the comic. It’s a smart play on the show’s behalf, one that makes the series feel like more of a communal event than if the show stuck to the source material faithfully.

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But in the last season and a half, the show has been doing just that. Story beats, character deaths, and even dialogue from the comic have been adapted almost to a tee, which has us wondering if Season 8’s take on the massive 12-issue story arc “All Out War,” which ran from 2013's The Walking Dead #115 to 2014's #126, is going to continue this trend. If so, here are some things we expect to see in the weeks ahead.

There will be some losses (but not as many as you think)

No doubt about it, this kitty is a goner. Of all the elements, the show will adapt from the “All Out War” storyline, Shiva being devoured by a group of zombies is pretty much a given. Look, no one wants this to happen. Tigers are awesome (even if they are poorly rendered at times). From a logistics standpoint, killing Shiva is an easy way for the show to reroute the money spent on a CGI tiger to larger scale battles, and it also gives Ezekiel a little more character depth in the show, and will further galvanize his alliance to Rick and company.

As strange as it sounds, for a comic storyline called “All Out War,” there are surprisingly few major character deaths. Holly and Richard are the only major characters who die during this comic run, but Holly has been dead in the show since the beginning of Season 6, and Richard’s death was moved closer to the show’s adaptation of “March to War.” This potentially leaves room for at least two “big” deaths, which is something the show revels in.

Someone is getting a promotion

Maggie Greene has been put through the wringer: she’s lost her home, her family and her beloved husband. She’s been one of the earliest survivors to join Rick on his post-apocalyptic odyssey through the South both in the comics and the television show. In “All Out War,” Maggie channels her grief into something much more useful in this desolate landscape of violent men and reanimated corpses: righteous fury.

Maggie’s transition from sweet farm girl to strong leader is solidified at the end of “All Out War,” when the often-maligned (and rightfully so) Gregory is usurped by the people of Hilltop and replaced by Maggie. It’s a big moment for the character and gives her renewed purpose. Not only will she have to take care of her son (it’s a boy, by the way), she will have to protect an entire community. The purging of Gregory will also be cathartic for audiences of the show see as how Xander Berkley has done a phenomenal job of playing up the character’s despicable traits, making the viewers thoroughly dislike him. And after the soul-crushing events of Season 7, we all could use a win.

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Big, bloody, battles

Walking Dead All out war

Despite the lack of key characters biting the dust, there are some massive set pieces in “All Out War" -- like, Saving Private Ryan big. Gunfire, explosives and hand-to-hand combat fill the pages of the comic during this storyline, and, if the show’s thirst for the gorier aspects of the source material are any indication, we’re going to see some brutal throw-downs.

Season 8 of The Walking Dead should have no shortage of actors looking to fill the roles of extras for cannon fodder. This will also give us a chance to really see the overall scope of the world, which is something the show has not fully achieved so far. In fact, there are times where it feels like the Alexandria Safe Zone is inhabited only by the established characters. This season has a golden opportunity to prove the contrary.

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The big brawl

Negan vs Rick

“All Out War” ends in one of the most ridiculous displays of macho heroism the comic has ever seen, in which Negan and Rick square off one-on-one in hand-to-hand combat. It’s a brutal battle that leaves Rick with a broken leg and Negan with a knife in his throat. Both men miraculously live the ordeal, but not after the horrors of war have ravaged their respective camps.

The show so far has done a great job of teasing Negan’s might, but -- much like in the comic -- the question of whether he’s just a paper tiger, ready to be fell by a more viscous rival, is always in the back of a viewer’s mind. Negan is often surrounded by security who armed to the teeth. There’s no doubt he’s a great tactician and has mastered the art of intimidation, but how would he fare mano a mano? It turns out, the guy can brawl. Keep in mind, though, it’s against a guy missing a hand in the comic.

Give the man a hand!

Speaking of missing hands. Season 7 teased the loss of Rick’s hand constantly. Most viewers who are familiar with the comic was certain Negan was going to take it at some point. Subtle foreshadowing is not The Walking Dead’s strongest attribute. Maybe Rick finally losing his hand will be the big shakeup this season. It’d be a bold move, one that would only further Negan as the TV show’s most formidable villain.

Honestly? It’s all up in the air. The show deviates from the comic in strange ways and is painfully loyal to it at times, too. Who lives, who dies and who gets maimed is anybody’s guess. But there is one thing for sure: there will be blood this season, spilled on both sides of this war. And if the show plays it close to the comic at all (which based on the promos, it will) the events of “All Out War” should take the show in new and exciting directions.