‘This Is Us’ Fans Have a New Theory About Jack’s Death and It’s Not Good

Ever since This Is Us revealed that fan-favorite character Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia) wouldn’t make it to the present day storyline, fans have been obsessed with trying to figure out how the father of three would perish.

A number of theories have abounded in recent months, including a drunken car crash and a heart attack, but one new idea that recently surfaced is possibly the darkest of them all. During the show’s Mar. 7 episode, a teenage Kate urges her dad to drive two hours to see Rebecca’s (Mandy Moore) concert, and a shot of Jack driving while surrounded by beer cans left many fans thinking he got into an accident as a result of drunk driving.

However, there are people who feel this is too obvious and have come up with a much more violent theory in which they suspect Jack dies after getting shot, since the show is such a fan of the surprise twist angle.

Although there’s not much evidence for this theory, some viewers believe Jack dying as a result of a random robbery or another form of gun violence would emphasize the NBC drama’s point that life is unpredictable.

Ventimiglia has spoken about Jack’s death multiple times in interviews, and while he hasn’t divulged how the character dies, he did tell Us Weekly that viewers will be “crushed” after watching the scene.

“I don’t think it’s scalable,” he said. “You’re making people fall in love with Jack and Rebecca and the relationship with these kids and everything, that I really feel people are going to be crushed when that moment comes.”

Check out a few fans’ arguments for the violent theory below.