“Vampire Diaries” fans better grab some tissues for the May 16 season 4 finale. Speculation about a major twist with the cure has been sweeping the web … and all signs are pointing to a not-so-pretty ending for Damon in episode 23, titled “Graduation.”

As viewers of the hit CW series already know, ghosts of Mystic Falls past are back in town to stir up some trouble for the gang. While each has made his or her fair share of enemies, Damon seems to be attracting the most unwanted (and potentially deadly) attention.

The leaked synopsis for “Graduation” reveals that Damon’s life will be in danger after a ghostly encounter. Although the details of the threats surrounding him have remained a mystery, TV Guide recently dished that everyone’s favorite bad boy may be “in mortal peril” … possibly due to a werewolf bite!

“It’s no surprise that in the 'Vampire Diaries' finale, many of our heroes will be in mortal peril,” the site teased. Mentioning a photo from episode 23 that shows a concerned Elena looking at an injury on Damon, TV Guide continued that the wound in question is “similar to one that once almost killed Damon.” Like a werewolf bite?!

Elena and Damon in "The Vampire Diaries."
Did Elena choose Damon in the season 4 finale of "The Vampire Diaries"? CW/ The Vampire Diaries

We doubt that Klaus or Tyler would be brutal enough to take a nip at Damon, so our money is on the fatal bite coming from an unfriendly ghost. While the deceased Mason Lockwood seems to be the most obvious werewolf candidate for revenge, viewers can’t forget that Damon also played a part in slaughtering some of Klaus’ hybrids.

The real question now surrounding Damon’s grave situation is how he will recover. Thanks to Ian Somerhalder’s Twitter, we know that he will be returning to Atlanta to shoot season 5. But will Damon be a vampire, ghost or a human once the fall rolls around?

Vampire

A still from episode 23 confirms that Klaus will make an appearance at graduation, so one option for Damon could be the werewolf-bite cure via the Originals blood. Damon already drank Klaus’ blood once to save his eternal life from a werewolf bite, but the blood came with a price: Stefan’s freedom.

Would Stefan offer himself up to Klaus again for the chance to save Damon? That could possibly be what TV Guide was referring to in an older spoiler that revealed a character will be “heading on a path that will leave fans screaming at their screen.” We can definitely picture Stefan moving to New Orleans in “The Originals” spinoff to become Klaus’ number two.

Ghost

Thanks to a couple season 5 teases, fans already know that Bonnie, Caroline and Elena will be rooming together in college. The only problem is that Bonnie died in episode 22. While it’s possible that Bonnie could take the cure, another option is that the veil between both worlds will stay down. If Damon does die from a werewolf bite, he could still stick around town as a ghost.

Human

While Klaus’ blood could cure Damon of the werewolf bite venom, the actual cure floating around town would completely heal him. In episode 22 Alaric handed the cure to Damon so that he could “get the girl.” Damon never expressed interest in becoming a human and would never take the cure for himself … unless someone forced it on him. With his life in grave danger, we have no doubt that, when push comes to shove, Elena would sacrifice the chance to become a human herself in order to save Damon.

To further fuel our theories of Damon taking the cure, Klaus’ Joseph Morgan explained to Digital Spy that whoever takes it will “be a surprise for everyone.”

Catch the season 4 finale of "The Vampire Diaries" on Thursday, May 16, at 8 p.m. on the CW.