‘This Is Us’ Season 2: How Will Jack Die? 10 Deadly Theories

“This Is Us” became one of TV’s breakout hits last year, and the twists are a big part of its success. After it was revealed that Jack is dead, fans started coming up with some pretty intense theories about how the Pearson patriarch passed.

Some theories are a little crazier than others, and the cast has even dispelled a few. Pay attention to some of these, though. Tuesday’s “This Is Us” Season 2 premiere on NBC just might give more evidence to one of them.

Drunk Driving — While Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) is largely shown as a loving father and husband, his drinking has also been referenced several times. He clearly struggled with knowing when to put down the bottle. That has given weight to the popular theory that Jack gets into a car accident.

Alcoholism will play a part in this season. Ventimiglia teased Jack’s struggle in “This Is Us” Season 2. “[Alcoholism is] definitely in Jack’s blood because of his father, and Jack’s way of dealing with it in the past might have changed or shifted,” Ventimiglia told Entertainment Weekly. “But every day it’s something that Jack is going to have to deal with. We’re going to see Jack fight to stay on the better path that keeps him close to his wife and to his kids.“

Illness — Once again, Jack’s drinking could cause a problem with his liver or a variety of other organs. However, sometimes illnesses don’t have a specific cause. Jack could easily just get sick and die.

Plane Crash — Between Kate (Chrissy Metz) hating flying and Kevin (Justin Hartley) throwing away his model planes after his dad’s death, it seems like the Pearsons might have a reason to hate planes. Could Jack have died in a plane crash?

We know that the kids were teens when Jack’s death occurred, so it seems unlikely that Jack died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks (when the Big Three would have been 21). However, the 1994 USAir Flight 427 crash, which took place just outside of Pittsburgh, could have killed him.

Suicide — Jack seems like the perfect father, but his drinking indicates that he has a dark side. It’s possible that he could be keeping his turmoil bottled up in an unhealthy way.

Hiding — Justin Hartley shared this theory with PopSugar, but he quickly dispelled it too. “I’ve heard one person say he hid and dies missing. That’s not the case, but I’ve heard all kinds of strange theories,” Hartley said.

Gambling — When Jack went to a backroom poker game, won a bunch of money and left quickly, the thugs running the game came after him and beat him up. “Ray sees either one of you again, he’ll kill you,” one of the violent men said. If Jack develops a gambling problem, he might run into Ray.

Miguel Murders Him — A number of fans seems to think Miguel (Jon Huertas), Jack’s best friend and Rebecca’s (Mandy Moore) second husband, was involved in the big death. Some even speculate that Rebecca could be involved in the deadly plan. Huertas, however, told Entertainment Tonight that this theory is way off.

Saving Miguel — Though Miguel doesn’t kill Jack, that doesn’t disqualify the theory that started on Reddit during Season 1. The theory states that Jack dies while saving Miguel and his family from a fire. Miguel is the only survivor, which would explain why we haven’t heard from his ex-wife or kids in the present day.

Random Act of Violence — “This Is Us” is about a normal family whose lives are pretty average. Something massively over-the-top might not be what they’re going for. If Jack died in a random act of violence while getting mugged or caught in a convenience store robbery, it would be dramatic but normal enough to make sense in the show.

He’s Alive — Of course, some people just have a hard time accepting that Jack could be dead. Hartley told TV Guide that he heard Jack faked his death, and Rebecca helped him. A few fans even believe that everything about Jack’s death is a dream. The actor nixed both of these ideas.

No matter what your favorite theory is, it likely won’t be confirmed in the Season 2 premiere. The return of “This Is Us” will not reveal Jack’s cause of death in the first week. However, there may be some hints that help narrow down which theories are more plausible than others.

“This Is Us” Season 2 premieres at 9 p.m. EDT on NBC.