With eight episodes left to go, “The Walking Dead” still has over 30 main characters. Surely, they all won’t make it to the end, especially with a breed of variant walkers who — if we’re to believe Aaron — can apparently climb walls and open doors.

I’ve already taken a look at who’s the most and least likely to get killed off of the show by November’s series finale, but that’s not who I think the series should take the ax to before its end.

As much as I want the show to shock with some big deaths, I’m not convinced it will. Since Glenn’s death on the season seven premiere, the show has largely leaned into killing off secondary or tertiary characters to keep the main group intact.

In doing so, the show has become almost predictable in who it decides to kill off.

But the show should take some big swings in its final episodes. If we don’t have time to showcase every character and flesh their story out, it’s OK to kill them off.

There are plenty of folks who have overstayed their welcome and haven’t served a purpose for a while. There are others whose deaths would be impactful and deliver an element of surprise that’s been missing for a while.

If I had my way, here’s who wouldn’t make it through the last batch of episodes alive.

Magna’s character has largely been wasted.

Nadia Hilker has played Magna on “TWD” since season nine.Josh Stringer/AMC
When Magna’s group was first introduced to the show after Rick’s departure in 2018, I expected her to have a major role moving forward. In the comics, Magna (Nadia Hilker) is equivalent to Rick.

After two seasons, we barely got to know and learn a lot about Magna outside of her relationship with Yumiko and her vague prison past. Viewers spent more time falling in love with other members of her group, including Connie and Kelly.

“I wish we could have seen Magna’s backstory,” Hilker told Insider recently over Zoom. “That’s something I would’ve loved to experience.”

If Magna survives the show and gets to live out a happily ever after with Yumiko, great. But if the series wants to make Magna’s role impactful and truly memorable, the best thing to do for her character now is to give her a big send-off.

Hilker previously told Insider she kind of wanted to get killed off the show to experience being a walker.

Not even Kevin Carroll is sure why and how Virgil is alive at this point.

Kevin Carroll joined “TWD” on season 10 as Virgil and I’m not sure why he’s still around at this point.Eliza Morse/AMC
There’s only one good reason Virgil is still alive, and that’s to tell others that Michonne went searching for Rick, who she learned may be alive. Everyone else thinks he died years ago.

Conveniently, Virgil hasn’t been seen since the big storm at Alexandria on season 11, episode eight. Maybe he’s been holed up in a medical ward at the Commonwealth after having his injuries looked after, but there’s been little reason to keep his character around when there are so many other stories to wrap up.

He shouldn’t have survived the series’ great haunted house episode. Even Carroll told me he couldn’t believe his character made it out alive. I’m just waiting for Virgil to spill the beans about Rick, so he can get killed.

Luke has been MIA for so long that people probably don’t remember his character much.

No one, except for Jules, is largely going to miss Luke if he bites it. Sorry!Gene Page/AMC
Do we really even remember Luke (Dan Fogler) at this point? The member of Magna’s group hasn’t been seen on “TWD” since 2020’s season 10 finale, likely because Fogler was filming the third “Fantastic Beasts” movie.

Luke has long outlived his comic death by Alpha on the show. It wouldn’t be surprising if he was killed off before the series ends as his character hasn’t had much to do.

I’m still hoping for a Luke and Princess meeting (since the two share a love for music), but with eight episodes left to go, it doesn’t seem like there’s time for something like that.

Father Gabriel has long overstayed his welcome.

We love Gabe, but this show hasn’t taken big swings in ages.Jace Downs/AMC
Seth Gilliam has given a great performance as Father Gabriel and his relationships with Negan and Aaron have become two of the series’ best dynamics.

That said, I don’t know why Gabe has outlived his comic death for this long on the show. In the comics, his character was torn apart by walkers when the Whisperers were introduced. While the show has teased references to Gabe’s comic fate over the years, nothing’s come of it.

Instead, we’ve seen Gabe become incredibly more confident as time has passed, maybe too confident. I’m continuously waiting for Gabe’s cocky streak to get the best of him, resulting in a fatal mistake in these final eight episodes.

We deserve some big deaths in the final run of episodes, and since we largely know that Maggie, Negan, and Daryl should be safe because of announced spin-offs, Gabe is one of the biggest characters whose death would provide an emotional blow.

How is Rachel still around?

Avianna Mynhier has played the older version of Rachel.Jace Downs/AMC
Rachel stepped in as the de facto leader of Oceanside when Sydney Park, who played Cyndie, exited “TWD” for a bit to work on projects, including “Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists” and “There’s Someone Inside Your House.”

We never learned much about the character who was played by two different actors since her introduction in season seven.

Park, who played Cyndie on “TWD” starting on season seven, recently hinted on The Wayne Ayers podcast that she may be back on the series for its final hurrah.

If that’s the case, we don’t need two leaders of Oceanside. Kill off Rachel.

Sebastian doesn’t deserve to survive.

Teo Rapp-Olsson has played the spoiled Milton son so convincingly that he easily became a villain you love to hate.Josh Stringer/AMC
You simply don’t get away with embarrassing some of the show’s most beloved characters without getting put in your place.

In the last season, Sebastian has managed to slight Daryl, threaten Rosita, and make a mockery of Eugene and no one has been able to do a darn thing about it because of his high standing in the Commonwealth as Governor Milton’s son.

It’s extremely frustrating because he’s proven time and again that he doesn’t care about anyone but himself in the zombie apocalypse.

In the last block of episodes, we learned that Sebastian horrifyingly sent over 30 citizens of the Commonwealth to their deaths in the hopes they could retrieve some cash for him. You read that right, cash. No one truly needs money in a zombie apocalypse.

A Sebastian death would also deliver justice for comic readers. It was beyond disappointing to read that Sebastian survived the “TWD” comic after shooting the story’s protagonist, Rick Grimes, dead as he lay defenseless in bed.

Sorry, Sebastian, but you just don’t have any redeeming qualities here or in the comics.

I don’t know what Yumiko’s brother, Tomi, is doing on this show anymore.

Ian Anthony Dale joined “The Walking Dead” on its final season.Josh Stringer/AMC
Tomi helped save Ezekiel’s life and helped him to get an underground hospital set up at the Commonwealth, but other than that, I don’t see him serving the story much moving forward.

Doctors and siblings usually don’t fare well on this show anyhow. Perhaps the writing’s on the wall.

Tomi’s death would really light a fire under Yumiko and her group to fight back against the Commonwealth as well.

I don’t know why Elijah was introduced so late in the game.

Elijah has felt expendable for the last few episodes.Jace Downs/AMC
“TWD” loves introducing minor characters who will stick around just long enough to die in place of a larger, more important main character. Ever since Elijah was introduced on the season 10 finale, he’s felt expendable.

Now that Elijah has expressed interest in Lydia, his purpose in the final few episodes seems clear. I’d be shocked if Elijah doesn’t die trying to save his crush. Young love rarely survives on this show.

Shira has served her purpose. It’s time for her to go.

In a great twist from the comics, Shira impersonated Max and broke Eugene’s heart. But, girl, it’s time to go.Josh Stringer/AMC
Shira (Chelle Ramos) broke Eugene’s heart, impersonated Max, and is now sneaking around the Commonwealth, doing who knows what.

I thought she would’ve received the boot on the last batch of episodes after it was discovered that she was impersonating Max and catfishing Eugene.

I’m just waiting for her to have a run-in with Carol.

Gracie should’ve been killed off in the last block of episodes.

Gracie is Aaron’s daughter on “TWD.”Josh Stringer/AMC
Aaron saved his adopted daughter from a flooded basement in the last batch of “TWD” episodes. While it gave us a nice father-daughter moment, it would’ve made more sense to see Gracie, who hasn’t been fleshed out otherwise, killed off in that moment.

Would it break Aaron’s heart? Absolutely.

But it was probably easier to keep Gracie alive. With so many stories to wrap up in a short amount of episodes, “TWD” probably didn’t have enough time to explore the ramifications of Aaron losing a child on top of losing so many friends in the past.

The show should sacrifice Aaron.

Ross Marquand has played Aaron since season five.Jace Downs/AMC
If anyone is going to get some version of Rick’s comic death, it should be Aaron who basically looks like comic Rick at the time of his death.

It’s easy to imagine the dad sacrificing his life to take out the villainous Lance Hornsby for the next generation to thrive. If the show is looking to hit us in the feels, that’s one way to do it.

As much as I hate to say it, I think “TWD” should kill off Kelly.

If we’re looking for a good cry on the back half of the season, Angel Theory would more than provide. It’s nearly impossible to watch a scene with Kelly without getting emotional.AMC
Angel Theory does a great job of making you feel Kelly’s pain every time she’s on screen and that’s exactly why the show should kill the beloved character.

If the show isn’t looking to play it safe and wants to pull at our heartstrings, they’d give us a devastating goodbye between sisters Connie and Kelly to deliver a big, emotional moment before the series ends.

A Negan death would’ve been pretty cool even though that doesn’t seem to be happening.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan is getting a spinoff so he’s likely safe, but it would’ve been a shock to see him killed off.AMC
I know he’s getting a spinoff show, but if that wasn’t happening, I think a Negan death would’ve been the perfect way to end his story, especially since “TWD” creator Robert Kirkman originally considered killing off Negan, but at Maggie’s hand.

On the show, Rick’s son Carl wrote Negan a letter before his death. In it, he asked Negan to turn over a new leaf.

If it came down to it, it would’ve been pretty great to see someone who caused so much pain to the Alexandria group sacrifice his life for Carl’s sister, Judith, in order for them to build a better future.