Shane, Somehow, Is Reportedly Coming Back To 'The Walking Dead'

The Mashable 101 Creator Hub Tech Science Life Social Good Entertainment Deals Shopping Games Search Cancel

• Search Result

The Mashable 101 Creator Hub Tech Apps & Software Artificial Intelligence Cybersecurity Cryptocurrency Mobile Smart Home Social Media Tech Industry Transportation All Tech Science Space Climate Change Environment All Science Life Family & Parenting Health & Wellness Sex, Dating & Relationships Sleep Careers Mental Health All Life Social Good Activism Gender LGBTQ Racial Justice Sustainability Politics All Social Good Entertainment Games Movies Podcasts TV Shows Watch Guides All Entertainment SHOP THE BEST Laptops Budget Laptops Dating Apps Sexting Apps Hookup Apps VPNs Robot Vaccuums Robot Vaccum & Mop Headphones Speakers Kindles Gift Guides Mashable Choice Mashable Selects All Sex, Dating & Relationships All Laptops All Headphones All Robot Vacuums All VPN All Shopping Games Product Reviews Adult Friend Finder Bumble Premium Tinder Platinum Kindle Paperwhite PS5 vs PS5 Slim All Reviews All Shopping Deals Newsletters VIDEOS Mashable Shows All Videos Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Warning: Spoilers for the second season of The Walking Dead ahead.

The infamous Shane Walsh, one of the earliest villains in The Walking Dead (besides all the zombies), is returning to the show. Somehow.

SEE ALSO: Chris Hardwick's bad statement got people talking about toxic nerd culture

Shane, played by Jon Bernthal, was famously killed twice in the second season of The Walking Dead, first being stabbed by Rick Grimes, and then shot by Rick's son Carl after Shane turned into a zombie. Despite this fact, Shane is coming back seven seasons later according to TV Line.

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter Loading... Sign Me Up Use this instead By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

TV Line's report comes after rumors bubbled up about Shane's return to the series and a recent Instagram post showed Bernthal in the same room as series stars Norman Reedus and Andrew Lincoln.

View this post on Instagram

It's likely that Shane won't make an appearance in the current timeline of the show, given the fact that he's been dead and buried for years and years. It's possible that Shane will appear in a flashback, but it's also possible that he'll be in a hallucination, which happened after his death in the third season.

The third option: an alternate timeline. Lost did it. Why not The Walking Dead? Andrew Lincoln, the star since episode one, is reportedly going to leave the show part way through the next season, so why not make a sharp left and reimagine the series with Shane as the prevailing leader?

We'll find out when Season 9 kicks off, likely in October.

Featured Video For You These extreme Post-it notes will definitely get your point across

Topics The Walking Dead

Kellen Beck

Kellen is a science reporter at Mashable, covering space, environmentalism, sustainability, and future tech. Previously, Kellen has covered entertainment, gaming, esports, and consumer tech at Mashable. Follow him on Twitter @Kellenbeck

Recommended For You Stephen Colbert mocks Trump administration walking back allegations against ICE shooting victim The Trump administration has attempted to walk back its allegations against nurse Alex Pretti, who was shot dead by ICE agents. 01/29/2026 By Amanda Yeo 'Red Dead Redemption' comes to PS5, Xbox, iOS, and Android: How to get it As multiple Mashable editors said this morning, "'Red Dead Redemption' coming to mobile is wild!" 11/14/2025 By Alex Perry Feds investigate Waymo robotaxis for reportedly passing school buses in Austin There have reportedly been 19 incidents since Waymo began operating publicly in Texas. 12/05/2025 By Matt Binder The tiny smartphone that somehow does it all is on sale for $85 A mini marvel for tech lovers. 12/05/2025 By Sponsored by StackCommerce That twisty 'Wake Up Dead Man' ending, explained How does "Wake Up Dead Man" pull off its locked-room murder? 12/13/2025 By Belen Edwards More in Entertainment Score $19 off the Kindle Essentials Bundle at Amazon ahead of Valentine's Day Give your special someone the gift of an e-reader this year. 55 minutes ago By Hannah Hoolihan The Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 power station is $400 off at Amazon — get this beast for under $800 This is the best price we've seen in 2026. 59 minutes ago By Lois Mackenzie The Shokz OpenRun headphones are under $90 for a limited time — act fast to save $40 Score bone conduction technology for a new low price. 1 hour ago By Lois Mackenzie The Fire TV Stick 4K Plus is $20 off at Amazon — upgrade your streaming setup for less It's the biggest discount of 2026. 1 hour ago By Lois Mackenzie The Roborock Qrevo S5V robot vacuum is on sale for $450 off at Amazon Enjoy hands free vacuuming and mopping for a low price. 1 hour ago By Lois Mackenzie Trending on Mashable NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 6, 2026 Everything you need to solve 'Connections' #971. 17 minutes ago By Mashable Team Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 6, 2026 Here are some tips and tricks to help you find the answer to "Wordle" #1693. 17 minutes ago By Mashable Team ChatGPT caricature trend: What it is, prompt to try it. Here's how you can generate your own. 02/04/2026 By Matt Binder Jimmy Kimmel responds to Trump's 'dumb and embarrassing' NBC interview Oh dear. 1 hour ago By Sam Haysom NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 5, 2026 Everything you need to solve 'Connections' #970. 02/05/2026 By Mashable Team The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox. Loading... Sign Me Up Use this instead These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!