7 'PLL' Characters Who Probably Aren't AD

It seems that, everywhere the Liars turn, there's a new threat looking to destroy their lives. Unfortunately for Emily, Spencer, Hanna and Aria, this new threat — aka Uber A — has nothing on Charlotte or Mona. The Season 6 finale revealed that there's an even darker entity working against the Liars, and this one means serious business. After the Liars hatched what seemed like a foolproof a plan to take down Uber A, this new Big Bad (who goes by the initials AD) thwarted them by stealing Hanna through a secret hole in the floor. Obviously, Uber A is smarter and waaaay more intense than anything we've seen before, which makes this person — who boasts about hiding "in plain sight" — all the more dangerous. Who the heck is Uber A?We likely won't get the answer to that question until well into Season 7, if not the Season 7 finale. Perhaps, then, it's easier to speculate about who is most likely not AD.

Pretty much every person on Pretty Little Liars can be argued for A, but, after six seasons analyzing every clue, it's clear that not every suspect deserves as much suspicion. So who can we likely cross off our Uber A list? Here are a few suspects that are probably pretty safe.

1. Any Of The Liars

As fun as it is to speculate about how Aria could be A, or that Spencer could have an evil twin causing mayhem in Rosewood, I'm almost positive that the show would never actually go in that direction. One of the best, most inspiring things about Pretty Little Liars is the friendship between the girls, and finding out that someone has been betraying the others this entire time would be heartbreaking. Also, real talk: if you thought that there were plot holes on Pretty Little Liars now, imagine the gaping holes that would come from making one of the Liars AD.

2. Mary Drake

Yes, Mary definitely seems like the show's brand-new villain (she tricked Ali into thinking she was hallucinating her dead mom, and that's so not cool), but, even if she's A-Team, she's not AD. Actress Andrea Parker told The Hollywood Reporter that while Mary is bad news, Mary definitely isn't Uber A, and hinted that someone connected with those initials was.

3. Dr. Rollins

Dr. Rollins is sketchy, awful, and definitely not who he says he is. However, he's likely not AD, either, given that the big reveal about him came during the Season 6 finale. Dr. Rollins was allegedly in love with Charlotte, so, while he's likely working with AD to avenge her death, it's unlikely that the show tipped its hand to the biggest villain so early.

4. Jenna

My hope is that, ultimately, Jenna will be involved in the Uber A storyline. However, it's been a while since Jenna has anything significant to do on the show, and, given that she hasn't even been mentioned in the second half of Season 6, I think it's fair to say she's probably not a huge person of interest.

5. Caleb

Not only would fans flip out if Caleb turned out to be the most evil person in Rosewood, but, logically, it would make no damn sense. Caleb was the one who sent the virus to AD's computer, and AD seemed pretty pissed about that.

6. Maya

Many fans still speculate that Maya could return to Pretty Little Liars, but, even if she does, it's highly unlikely that Maya conspiracy theorists would get the ultimate payoff that she's actually been the biggest bad of them all. While some other question mark characters (like Wren, who I still think could make a great endgame villain) receive big mentions even when they can't appear onscreen, Maya's story seems pretty open and shut. If there is more to Maya's story, as showrunner I. Marlene King hinted in a recent tweet, it could be that she knew about more than she let on — not that she's AD.

7. Sara

I feel like there should be a rule on this show: if the Liars suspect someone of being the ultimate villain, they are so not the ultimate villain. The Liars may be smart, but they're definitely prone to being fooled by a red herring — which Sara definitely is.

We may be able to whittle down our suspect list, but let's get real: whoever this new villain is, their identity should be the biggest shock this show has ever seen.

For more on Pretty Little Liars, check out Bustle's own PLL podcast, Taking This One To The Grave.

Images: Eric McCandless/Freeform; Giphy (5); prettylittleliars/Tumblr