The Walking Dead season 9 delivers goriest scene in years as main character has arm amputated

Warning: spoilers for The Walking Dead season 9 episode 2 follow

US drama The Walking Dead refused to hold back in its latest episode which saw one of the lead characters lose their hand.

In the series’ goriest moment in years, Aaron (Ross Marquand) had half of his arm amputated by medic-in-training Enid (Katelyn Nacon) after a giant log came hurtling down upon him, trapping him underneath.

Fans were quick to point out that the amputation is a plot twist reserved for none other than lead character Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) in the source material with many highlighting how much Aaron is beginning to resemble the comic book version of Rick.

With Lincoln departing the series in a matter of episodes, could The Walking Dead be teeing up Aaron as his replacement? This theory was met with a lukewarm response on Twitter.

Another star set to leave the series during its ninth season is Lauren Cohan with this episode – titled “The Bridge” – seemingly setting up her exit storyline.

Showrunner Angela Kang confirmed that Cohan plans to return at a later date despite her starring role in new sitcom Whiskey Cavalier.

“We’ll cross that bridge [when we get to it]. Lauren and I have had conversations, and she’s excited to come back, even if it’s not for a full season. We can work with that. That’s scheduling problems. We’ll figure out the story.”

She continued: “We have a great relationship, and she still loves the show. Sometimes, our actors need to spread their wings a little bit. We get that.”

The Walking Dead continues in the US on AMC every Sunday with the simulcast airing in the UK at 2am. The episode is also available to watch on NOW TV ahead of its repeat on FOX at 9pm the following evening.