'The Walking Dead' Season 7 episode 1 spoilers: Here's why Norman Reedus' Daryl Dixon will survive

A preview for the upcoming season of AMC's zombie apocalypse drama "The Walking Dead" hints at an unpleasant time for Norman Reedus' Daryl Dixon, a fan favourite character. The video shows Dwight, one of Negan's men, riding Daryl's motorcycle and wearing Daryl's trademark vest, giving viewers the impression that Daryl was no more.

Could he be the one who Negan kills with his barbed wire wrapped baseball bat named Lucille?

According to The Spoiling Dead Fans, a trusted source for "The Walking Dead" filming updates and spoilers, Daryl survives. But two other key members of Rick's gang -- Glenn and Abraham -- will be killed by Negan. Fans have been predicting Glenn's death for a while, as he is the one who gets killed by Negan in "The Walking Dead" comics, which is the source material for the AMC drama.

As for Daryl, he is expected to be taken a prisoner by Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan, who is said to be the meanest villain to come out of Robert Kirkman's comics.

The brains behind the show have been mum regarding the identity of Negan's victim. The only statement forthcoming from "The Walking Dead" executive producer Scott M. Gimple was that the death will shatter the lives of those who survive Negan's brutality.

"You know the beginning, and it's almost here, so enjoy your summer because the beginning is someone's end," the showrunner said in a statement that was read out during the special. "But it is a beginning. What happens in episode one will shatter the lives of those who survive and will rend the narrative into different trajectories in which we will see our characters in completely new situations, torn from the pages of the comic and remixed in The Walking Dead remixinator 5000."

"The Walking Dead" returns to AMC in October.