Turns Out, ’Jane The Virgin' Had Been Dropping Hints About That Bananas Twist All Along

MAJOR spoilers for the Jane The Virgin Season 4 finale.

In the middle of Season 3 of Jane The Virgin, fans were shocked and devastated when Michael was killed off of Jane The Virgin. Or so they thought. In the telenovela-style show's most jaw-dropping scene yet, fans learn that Michael is still alive in the Jane The Virgin Season 4 finale — at least, it certainly looks that way. Although actor Brett Dier and the rest of the cast didn't leave any tracks on social media about his return, there were still clues that Michael was still alive on Jane The Virgin for fans who paid close enough attention and remained a tad skeptical.

Since Michael's death (apparently, due to a spike in blood pressure stemming from his gunshot wound from Sin Rostro), he's lived on through Jane's (Gina Rodriguez) very intimate and personal book inspired by their romance. This has been a major storyline throughout Season 4. Jane's experienced the occasional flashback of Michael to showcase how integral he was in her life and in the show overall. However, after a time jump on the show and dating other men like Fabian Regalo del Cielo (Francisco San Martin) and Adam (Tyler Posey), Jane had finally realized she was in love with her accidental artificial insemination baby daddy Rafael (Justin Baldoni) — a victory for Team Rafael fans.

But in Jane, an ending that solid is just too good to be true. Just when Rafael is about to propose to Jane, he has a mysterious conversation with Rose (Bridget Regan) which leaves him distraught. Why? Because Michael didn't die after all, it seems. Although the show did an amazing job at convincing fans otherwise, perhaps the clues for his return were there all along.

1. It Wasn't As Final As We Thought

After the character's heartbreaking death, showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman told The Hollywood Reporter about how the event fit in the overall story. Somehow, she might have hinted that Michael's death wasn't totally final. "It was always just part of the larger arc," she said. "I see the show as one whole long story." Those cryptic teasers definitely leave room for Michael's ultimate return. And if she knew at the time how his return would fit into the whole story, she'd probably mapped out when: just as Rafael was going to propose to Jane, truly making things come full circle (and devastating).

2. Fans Knew He'd Be Back, But Not How He'd Be Back

After the shocking moment broke fans' hearts, Urman gave them some comfort when telling THR that the show would be bringing Michael back. Although at the time, it seemed she meant he'd strictly be in flashbacks. Looking back, Urman kept her hints about Michael's return vague enough to keep potential for him to still be alive. "Definitely, definitely bringing Brett back," she said. "There will be things that you hadn't seen before, and there will be things that you have... you don't want to bring him back too soon so that the audience doesn’t feel the loss of him." In hindsight, it's clear she certainly stood by that choice.

3. Michael's Other Brush With Death

Loyal fans know that Michael's bounced back from a (near) fatal experience before. In the Season 2 finale, for example, he was shot right in the chest by Sin Rostro just moments after he married Jane. While viewers were understandably skeptical whether he'd live or not, Season 3 showed his slow recovery (until he died, of course). Maybe we shouldn't have been so convinced the second time around after all...

4. His Involvement With Sin Rostro

Viewers may have been too heartbroken over Michael to remember just how deep he was in Sin Rostro's case. Not only was he in an intimate space with the villain because of his relationship with Jane, but he was fully committed to bringing her down through his work as a detective. Through Season 4, it's clear that Rose is still calling the shots (hence her menacing phone calls with Rafael). Therefore, theories — like the one Medium's Brandon Daniel laid out —suggested that perhaps Michael faked his death, a sacrifice to do undercover investigating. It's also possible that Sin Rostro orchestrated Michael's "death" to kidnap him. Would either be surprising at this point?

5. Patricia's Back-and-Forth Behavior

When Jane asks Michael's mother Patricia for her blessing to write a book about their love story, she initially denies it. She ultimately gives Jane her approval although she's reluctant and says she doesn't want to be a part of it and tearfully asks for space from Jane. After that, Patricia arrives at Jane's book signing to make amends and get an autographed copy, singing her praises. Did Patricia know Michael was alive and was covering it up? Did she change her mind because she'd discussed it with him?

6. The Funeral

Although fans saw the moment that Michael collapsed, the phone call Jane received about it was probably the most legitimate form of proof shown. Yes, there was a brief flashback to Michael's funeral, but did anyone notice that his actual dead body was never shown?

7. Jane Finally Moved On

In Episode 10 of Season 4, Jane and an insecure Rafael get into a conversation about Michael and how Jane "picked" him first. Jane tells him that she's finally moved on. "This is the first year that I forgot about the anniversary for Michael's death, and that's because of you," she said. Jane fans know how much the love shows to foreshadow, and this seemed a little too good to be true.

8. The Narrator

After four wild seasons, it's been established that this telenovela-inspired show is consistently shocking. Michael's death was certainly convincing, but maybe fans shouldn't have ruled out the idea that he could still be alive. Nothing is off limits when it comes to the show: the real deaths, fake deaths, accidental inseminations, and long lost twins prove it. Up until the Season 4 finale, the narrator has hinted at how events in Jane's life are like they're "straight out of a telenovela." Urman, the show runner, has always been adamant about trusting the narrator, telling reporters last year, "The narrator does not lie. It's a reliable narrator."

As glorious as this shocking twist is for Team Michael (and sad for Team Rafael), let's just hope this isn't another long lost twin emerging in Jane The Virgin's wild universe.