[SPOILER] Died on the 'Killing Eve' Season 3 Premiere and Fans Are NOT Happy

After a nearly year long hiatus, the hit BBC (AMC in the U.S.) series Killing Eve returned for Season 3 on April 12. The spy thriller has won acclaim and high viewership since it first debuted in 2018, as viewers have seen the complicated story between Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) and Villanelle (Jodie Comer) unfold. 

While fans were thrilled that Season 3 debuted two weeks earlier than expected, there was a shocking death that occurred during the premiere that has left many reeling. 

Who died on the 'Killing Eve' premiere? Find out which character didn't make it past the first episode of Season 3, and to learn more about the details of what happened. Plus, one of the Killing Eve writers dished on why the character was killed off.

In the most surprising moment of the Season 2 finale, Villanelle shot Eve. Of course, Eve didn't succumb to the wounds from her shooting (the show is called Killing Eve, not Eve Was Killed), and in the Season 3 premiere, Eve is keeping a low profile by working in a Korean restaurant in London. 

Eventually, Eve decides to get back in the game and track down hacker Kenny Stowton (Sean Delaney) at his new job. He's now chosen a safer path as an online journalist as opposed to being part of M16.

But, because he's Kenny, he had also still been investigating the Twelve. When Eve shows up at Kenny's office, she sees his phone on his desk, but he's nowhere to be found. When she looks out the window, she sees a body falling toward the ground. It's Kenny. 

Eve finds Kenny's dead body outside of the office building, but it's a mystery as to who killed him. 

Fans were devastated that the lovable hacker was dead, especially since it occurred so early into Season 3. Plus, right before he died, he moved a file of financial information into the trash on his computer. With this death taking place in the premiere, it's looking like there will be a lot of sinister events taking place in Season 3. 

But, his death will serve a greater purpose. Now, Eve will be motivated to get back into investigating the Twelve on her own. 

Whenever a big death occurs on a show, there's always backlash from viewers, especially if the character is one as valued as Kenny. In an interview with  Entertainment Weekly, Killing Eve producer and head writer Suzanne Heathcote discussed how important Kenny's death will be in regard to the rest of Season 3.

"We had to think long and hard about it... Those decisions are never easy. But with this story, given everything that had happened to Eve the past two seasons, we really felt we had to honor where she was at," Suzanne said. "And nothing was going to bring her back into investigating the Twelve for a professional reason. It was just too much water under the bridge for her, emotionally."

"So we knew there had to be something really personal happen to bring her back in," Suzanne continued. "And the more beloved the character, the more it means when they go. So it's always a double-edged sword."

The writer also revealed that Kenny's sister will be a key character on Season 3, and that her relationship with mother Carolyn Martens (Fiona Shaw) will be as complicated as Kenny's was. Game of Thrones alum Gemma Whelan will be playing Geraldine, who returns to the fold following her brother's death. 

Suzanne confirmed that Geraldine will be a key figure in the third season.

"They’re cut from very different cloths. They're a mother-daughter dynamic where neither of them fully understands the other. They’re just such different people, as I think often happens in families," she said. "Carolyn’s buttons definitely get pushed by Geraldine who feels that Carolyn should illustrate how she’s feeling more openly."

Though Kenny's death is a devastating one, it will serve as the catalyst for much of the action. 

Killing Eve airs in the U.S. on Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC.