These ‘Scandal’ Characters Are The Least Likely To Make It Out Of The Finale Alive

Scandal has handled a lot of sticky situations over the past several years. Many of Olivia Pope’s problems have either started or ended with a dead body, plus a fabricated story to cover up the most heinous crimes. It's likely that at least one more corpse will be added to the pile before the whole thing is over. But who will die in the Scandal series finale? A major character could lose their life for one final OMG moment.

Right now, everyone’s backs are against the wall after Olivia and her crew leaked information about B613 to the media. The risky move was the only way to stop Cyrus Beene and Jake Ballard’s White House takeover, but it will also expose all of their dirty laundry to the world. Olivia’s OG associates Quinn Perkins, Abby Whelan, and Huck all agreed to take one last leap and follow her over a proverbial cliff to mitigate this last crisis. And, Mellie and Fitz Grant are ready to face their sordid pasts in front of the world. Cyrus and Jake are known for getting what they want by any means necessary, often murdering anyone who gets in their way. Jake murdered his wife AND her father in his effort to become the new vice president. And Cyrus worked with Jake to kill his journalist ex-boyfriend James in order to keep his secrets safe. Olivia has also crossed the line into murderous territory more than once, including the attempted murder of Cyrus.

A recent trailer for the episode, aptly titled “Over a Cliff,” shows flashbacks to earlier moments with Olivia — her white hat, the initial exposure of her affair with Fitz, his almost-assassination — while her father’s voice reminds her that she has to be twice as good to get half as much. Team Olivia is shown taking the stand in court one by one, to lay their burdens down. The 30-second clip ends with a horrified look on Olivia’s face and a chilling gun shot.

Someone has to get handled and it sounds like one more murder will close out Olivia’s bizarre saga. Almost anyone is fair game but there are a few people who have higher chances of biting the dust than the rest.

Cyrus (Jeff Perry)

Who hasn’t tried to kill or wanted to kill Cyrus at some point? The current vice president has been a self-serving backstabber for most of the series. He is also trying to get Mellie out of the way so he can achieve the power he has always wanted. Olivia came close to killing him earlier this season, but she couldn’t go through with another murder. He’s seething over Sally Langston’s B613 exposé and will be ready to take out anyone on Team Olivia to become POTUS. He’s a person to watch and probably the one that should be killed off. He has masterminded several plots to achieve power and has enough influence in the political world to off any of the other main characters. His death would also prevent him from becoming POTUS and continuing a White House administration predicated on lies.

Mellie (Bellamy Young)

Madame President Mellie is the main person standing between Cyrus and the White House. He has been working with Jake to get her out of the way, but her testimony to her crimes and the exposure of B613 may encourage them to make her silence permanent. She has the Secret Service on her side, but they are not always competent and trustworthy on this show. It would be a shocking and sad twist, but it is the last episode, so anything is possible.

Sally Langston (Kate Burton)

Sally has never shied away from giving her opinion on her political talk show The Liberty Report. She worked alongside Cyrus in the past to cover up her husband’s death, but now they are on opposite sides of a political war. Her B613 reveal puts in her in a dangerous situation, and Jake may want to kill her for pulling the curtain back on his secret organization.

Rowan Pope (Joe Morton)

Olivia’s dad always has his hands in everything. He may not be Command anymore, but he still pulls a ton of puppet strings. Jake didn’t have the emotional strength to take out his father figure earlier this season but he might finish the job now to spite Olivia. Rowan’s relationship with his daughter is complicated at best, but his death would be a painful blow to the crisis queen.

Jake (Scott Foley)

It is hard to imagine anyone taking Jake out. He is a manipulative killer, but he is also the fuel in Cyrus’ fire. He’s the muscle and partially the brains of their White House takeover initiative, and there is no way he will be defeated without a fight. If Olivia’s truthful plan works, then the government may decide to punish his crimes by executing him. A failed plan by Olivia’s team could still lead to him being killed to prevent more damage.

Olivia’s swan song will likely come to an overall happy ending, but someone always pays the price. It'll be a Shondaland miracle if every major character makes it out of the Scandal finale alive.