Everyone We Thought Was "A" on 'PLL'

It's been four seasons and we still don't have this answer — even though it's been promised to us so many times before. Who the heck is "A"? With the Pretty Little Liars Season 5 premiere airing on June 10, hopeless PLL fans (myself included) are wondering whether or not we'll finally learn who's under the black hoodie. And with Season 5 spoilers confirming that Ezra will survive, it seems like it will truly be the "Season of Answers" we've been promised. Unless he thinks "A" is Aria or Mrs. DiLaurentis — then we're totally screwed.

So, really, who is "A"? It feels like we've guessed and been so certain a hundred times over during the past four seasons of the ABC Family drama. And, each and every time, we've all failed miserably to identify the mastermind who wanted to kill Alison DiLaurentis and has terrorized her friends ever since she disappeared. We know that it's a game (thanks, Mona) and that there's essentially a kingpin with a handful of deceptive minions — but that's about it. We've resorted to accusing everyone from Alison's own mother to anyone that has the slightest twitch or wandering crazy-eye to no avail. And it's been disappointing, year after year, to wait for an answer that never comes. Now that Ezra seems to think he knows the answer (and the showrunners have promised to reveal it — eek) it seems like a good a time as ever to go over all of the characters we once thought were PLL's villain.

Ezra Fitz

Remember that brief window where we thought crazy-eyed, semi-violent, and entirely creepy Ezra was "A"? Especially when he was luring Aria to his "writing cabin" and dressing up as a gas mask-wearing soldier for Halloween in Ravenswood. We were all so sure — remember #EzrA? Well, we were wrong.

Aria Montgomery

Even though I don't necessarily believe that this is possible, the Internet does. The Aria is "A" theory has yet to be disproven and PLL fans love a good twist, so who knows.

Mr. Montgomery

Creepy Mr. Montgomery, how happy we are that you're no longer in Rosewood. When we saw Alison and Aria's dad get into an argument about her trying to blackmail him about cheating on his wife, we thought for sure he killed her. I mean, look at him — he's creepy. But, alas, it wasn't him. Byron isn't a murderer, just a cheater.

Jenna Marshall

Was there ever a time that we didn't suspect Jenna or even believed that she was actually blind? Toby's sister was always lurking around, looking suspicious, and being an Alison hater. But, again, we were wrong — and we learned that for sure during the Season 4 finale when Ali revealed that she received confirmation via text that Jenna wasn't her bully.

Mona Vanderwaal

Well, Mona technically was "A" for a time — she admitted to that. But we really didn't start to suspect her until after. Hanna's former BFF revealed that someone had taken "the game" from her and that there was a new "A" now — she still creeps me out, though. (Especially when she hums.)

Cece Drake

Alison did get her kicked out of UPenn — so she had motive. And Cece was revealed to be Red Coat and clearly she and Ali had this weird "we look alike, but we're in competition" thing going. Cece also killed Detective Wilden and apparently knows who tried to kill Ali — if she's not "A," she's absolutely in on the game.

Ian Thomas

We all really thought Ian was "A" during the first few seasons — I mean, he tried to kill Spencer, after all. But, just like Jenna, during Ali's reveal during the Season 4 finale, Ian was declared not "A." He was still in on all of this though. and how creepy is it that he was just running around filming people?

Melissa Hastings

Meet the reigning "A" suspect after the Season 4 finale. I'm sorry, but Melissa is the worst. And, considering how much she hated Ali and the fact that she's one of the Hastings Mrs. DiLaurentis told Ali to "never turn her back on," she's so likely to be the ringleader of this circus. Did I mention that she's the worst?

Mrs. DiLaurentis

Ezra probably thought she was "A" and that fact that she buried her daughter alive didn't really help her case. But now she's dead — like, really dead — so if she was "A." her secret dies with her. If not, well, that's one less suspect we have to worry about.

Lucas Gottesman

Remember PLL revealed that Lucas had vandalized Ali's memorial while sporting a black "A" hoodie? He was one of the first characters we pointed fingers at and screamed "A." Lucas had a motive, after all — Ali was so terrible to him. But, he turned out to be just another minion — I mean, no criminal mastermind is in yearbook club.

Toby Cavanaugh

Ugh, those heart-crushing moments when Toby walked out of Radley wearing that black hoodie and when Spencer realized he was working for "A". We thought for sure he'd been playing her (and us) the entire time and that we'd finally figured out who was running the show. And again, WRONG. Toby went undercover with "A" to protect Spencer and, well, here we are.

Wren Kingston

Wren didn't start to creep us out until we found out he was working at Radley. (Okay, hooking up with underage Spencer while he was with her sister was creepy.) And we still don't know anything for sure about his backstory. Thus, Wren could totally still be "A" — only time will tell.

Jason DiLaurentis

Ali's older brother who sashays in and out of the series, stirring up trouble every damn time. I didn't want to believe it, but Jason really could be "A." Every time the girls get close to finding out what he's up to, he puts on this wounded older brother, former substance-abuser act and throws them off the scent. Nice tactic and well, he's a secret Hastings.

Mr. Hastings

Something just gets under my skin about Mr. Hastings. Maybe it's because he doesn't seem like a great dad or because he asked Mrs. DiLaurentis at the police department during the Season 4 finale, "We still have an agreement?" He might not be "A," but he knows a lot more than he's let on and that's dangerous. What's with these Hastings, by the way?

Garrett Reynolds

Another dead guy. Garrett was one of the first characters to really bite the dust on PLL — and we thought for sure that he was doing Jenna's bidding. Was he "A"? Doubtful — Garrett was lame and creepy and that was about it.

Darren Wilden

Was he the "Beach Hottie" that Ali thought impregnated her? We may never know — but during his time amongst the living, Wilden terrorized the liars almost as much as "A" ever did. Which lead us to believe that perhaps he was "A," especially when we found out that he was in Cape May the summer Ali disappeared. But, he's dead now too — thanks, Cece — so clearly, not "A."

Images: ABC Family (17)