What If Aria Dies In 'Pretty Little Liars'?

Season 7 of Pretty Little Liars debuts on June 21, and fans are desperate to find out what happens next. The fact that cast and crew members have been dropping hints that Season 7 is the end of an era only adds to the drama, with #SaveHanna causing major upset. Would the popular show really kill off one of its lead characters, and what would happen if it did? While Ashley Benson's Hanna may currently look like the most likely candidate to meet a grisly end, what would happen if Aria died in Season 7 of Pretty Little Liars ? There's a lot of evidence that suggests she might.

In an exclusive event at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, showrunner Marlene King discussed what fans should expect from new episodes, and she certainly made Season 7 sound final. Variety reported that King said, “It will be the biggest body count we’ve ever had on a season of Pretty Little Liars.” The show has had no shortage of deaths over the years, so news that there will be more murders than ever could mean that a main cast member has something to worry about. With King's ominous line stating that "the show is coming to a closure of sorts," it sounds as if the landscape of Rosewood is about to change forever. Could Aria be in trouble?

Lucy Hale has said on numerous occasions that Season 7 of Pretty Little Liars will mark the end of the show. Back in October 2014, Hale told E! News, "There might be a movie, but seven seasons will definitely end the show." Then, in August 2015, Hale took to Twitter and stated, "Just to clarify... I am not leaving PLL !! All these rumors. I'm with the show until the 7th and last season." While the actor who plays Aria Montgomery seems pretty sure that Season 7 marks the end for the Liars, some of the cast and crew aren't so certain. Along with Freeform's recent statement that “This is the end of PLL as we know it,” it's starting to sound as if the show could well get renewed, but that significant changes are taking place. So what if Lucy Hale is leaving Pretty Little Liars in Season 7? Could the show continue without Aria?

King has made her thoughts about Aria and Ezra clear. Often calling the pair "soulmates." If Aria and Ezra do get married in Season 7, what would happen if Aria then died? Having already had a girlfriend go missing, Ezra surely wouldn't cope very well with such a dark turn of events? As Hale is so adamant that Season 7 of Pretty Little Liars is its last, it appears that something important, and extremely final, happens to Aria this season.

Many fans have theorized since the start of the show that Aria is A. If Aria has been Uber A all along, her death seems even more likely, because for all of their power, A is still fallible. Once the Liars find out who's been terrorizing them for years, all bets are off, and signs are pointing towards Aria being the big boss.

There are many other reasons Aria might leave Rosewood, including her going to start a happy new life with Ezra somewhere far away from Rosewood. If the show carried on without her, it'd be incredibly difficult to fill the hole left by Aria's bold dress sense, sarcastic quips, and amazing hair. But with Hale's insistence that Season 7 of Pretty Little Liars will be her last, I can't help but wonder if we could all be facing a dramatic change to the lineup of everyone's favorite show.

Images: Freeform; Giphy