Emmerdale fans have speculated a death twist following the sudden exit of Ellis Chapman, amid serial killer Meena Jutla's revenge plan.
Viewers believe Ellis will not make it to Australia as planned, and could be killed off by Meena - who is out for revenge on his brother Billy Fletcher and partner Dawn Taylor.
Ellis actor Aaron Anthony reportedly quit the soap last year after bosses launched a race probe against two of its biggest stars.
The show never officially confirmed Aaron or his character was departing the soap, or the reasons why - while fans did pick up on his abrupt exit on Wednesday night.
The latest edition of the ITV soap saw Ellis go ahead with his plan to move to Australia after a friend offered him a job.
His final scene saw him bid farewell to his brother Billy (Jay Kontzle) as he told him: "I feel bad leaving you to close down the business by yourself."
"Natural ending little bro, don't worry about it," Billy replied, while Ellis added: "You and Dawn will come though, yeah?" Ellis then asked, referring to a trip Down Under.
He then discussed the wedding he was going to miss, while neither of them know the catastrophic events in store as Meena tries to kill the bride and groom.
Few details have been revealed about the storyline, other than the fact "many lives hang in the balance", while it could also mean the end of the village villain.
But as Meena prepares to take deadly payback against Billy for choosing Dawn over her, wielding a gun and holding them hostage on a viaduct, fans believe she may have already claimed another victim.
Viewers have speculated that Ellis leaving so suddenly just as Meena is returning can't be a coincidence, and they believe she may have already killed him before he could flee the village.
Taking to Twitter, one fan wrote: "Meena is going to kill Ellis and everyone is going to think he’s gone to Australia."
Another agreed: "Imagine if Ellis got bumped off by Meena en route to the airport and nobody ever knew cos they just think he's f***ed off to Australia."
A third viewer said: "I think meena has kidnapped and murdered Ellis, sending messages from his phone," as a fourth wrote: "Who else thinks Meena has got Ellis?? Eek!!!"
Meanwhile, viewers were quick to pick up on Ellis' abrupt exit and took to Twitter to comment after the scenes aired.
Aaron is thought to have quit the show late last year, with insiders claiming the Ellis star was so furious about alleged behaviour against one of his cast members that he decided to leave.
It comes after Matthew Wolfenden and Isabel Hodgins became embroiled in claims that a mixed race actress' accent was mimicked.
The stars, who play David Metcalfe and Victoria Sugden, categorically denied any allegations of wrongdoing, while it was also reported that Matthew and Aaron rowed after the alleged incident.
Got any theories or thoughts on the storyline? Let us know in the comments below.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.
