Jon Bernthal to appear in The Walking Dead season 9

As Andrew Lincoln’s exit from The Walking Dead looms, a past character is set to return.  Former TWD actor Jon Bernthal is set to make a comeback to show sometime in season 9.

Bernthal is also expected to show up at The Walking Dead panel at next months’ Comic-Con.

Bernthal’s character Shane Walsh was killed off way back in the climax of season 2.  He made a brief appearance in season 3 as a hallucination of Rick’s but has not been seen since then.

More from AMC

• The Walking Dead Universe receives 3 Saturn Awards nominations
• Creepshow season 4, episode 4 recap: “Meet the Belaskos” and “Cheat Code”
• Fear the Walking Dead makes TVLine’s 10 Worst Shows of 2023 List
• The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Danai Gurira stuns at this year’s Academy Museum Gala
• Let’s discuss The Walking Dead: Dead City location change rumor

Given that deaths on The Walking Dead are pretty final, there are only two real possibilities in how Bernthal will be used.

The first is that he could once again show up as another of Rick’s hallucinations, though Rick hasn’t had any of those since season 3.  It is worth noting though that Tyrese experienced them right before he died in season 5.

The other possibility is he would be used for flashback purposes.

Sources from Deadline report that the second option is more likely.  According to them, Bernthal will be used as part of a This is Your Life scenario for Rick.

Given the significance of Rick’s exit, it’s also possible other previously departed characters will appear as well.  Lori and Carl would be the most logical choices but no one should be ruled out.  Fans shouldn’t put it past AMC to bring back as many characters as possible if only to milk more ratings from Lincoln’s departure.

Next: Fear The Walking Dead Season 4: The positives and negatives

What is your opinion of Bernthal’s return to the show?  Do you think anyone else will make an appearance for season 9?  Give us your thoughts in the comments below.