"Big deaths" are coming to The Walking Dead season 8, so why not watch this inspirational new trailer?

The Walking Dead season 8 is a harsh mistress. One minute it’s giving us a great new trailer to make us swell with pride as Rick and the survivors go up against Negan, and the next minute we’re being promised a few fatalities to knock Negan’s pair of home-run headaches from season 7 out of the park. Life’s just not fair.

“There are some big deaths this season,” showrunner Scott M. Gimple told Entertainment Weekly (via ComicBook.com), “I think they will catch people by surprise.”

Surprising deaths, eh? Well, they’re hardly going to Negan off his lofty perch on day one, but don’t be shocked to see the likes of Carol, Eugene or, oh god, Daryl meet a grisly end at any point. If there was one thing The Walking Dead season 7 lacked – after the premiere, of course – it was a sense of real danger for the main players. Here’s hoping October 23 onwards brings that back in a big way.

But enough doom and gloom. You’re here for the happiness, right? Take a gander at this wonderfully anti-Negan teaser trailer, feature Rick’s motley crew arming up and getting ready to go all-guns blazing. You can even ignore Rick sounding all dictator-y because the music is so darn inspirational.

It’d almost bring a tear to your eye if you weren’t so sure one of some of them would bite the dust. If you want more in the way of The Walking Dead season 8, then be sure to shamble on over to the 6 best moments from The Walking Dead season 8 trailer.

Image: AMC

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.