I Have A Wild Theory About Who Dies In The Grey’s Anatomy Season 22 Premiere, But Another Shonda Rhimes Show May Have Already Proved Me Wrong

We’ve still got a month to go before Grey’s Anatomy returns to the 2025 TV schedule and throws us into the chaotic aftermath of the explosion at Grey Sloan Memorial, and I’ve already spent a lot of time thinking about what’s to come. Who will die? Will it be multiple doctors? Who do we know is safe? I'm working on a new theory, but it’s admittedly a pretty wild one — especially because it may have already been disproven on a different Shonda Rhimes series.

To backtrack a little bit here, in the Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 finale (available to stream on Hulu or with a Netflix subscription), a canister of gas that was thought to be empty after Piper Perabo’s hostage situation ignited, blowing out a portion of the building and operating floor. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Ben Warren (Jason George) were outside of the hospital when the blast occurred, so I’ve been assuming they are safe, but what if that’s just what they want us to think?

Hear Me Out: I Think Grey’s Anatomy Might Kill Off Ben Warren

We do know that Ben doesn’t die in the explosion, but what about in the aftermath? He is clearly seen sprinting back into the hospital immediately after, with those firefighter instincts kicking in and his wife Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) last seen on the operating floor. Ben has proven to be impulsive to a fault time and time again. It’s gotten him in trouble. It’s gotten him hurt.

Do any of us think he wouldn’t risk life and limb to save his wife, or any of his other colleagues or patients? We know he would. He even says as much in his final conversation with Miranda just minutes before the blast:

And why exactly is Ben having to stand by his choices in “How Do I Live”? Oh yes, because as of the Season 21 finale, he is no longer employed by Grey Sloan Memorial. That means Jason George’s role on the show was already in question.

Is Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Meg Marinis going to send him to another hospital to continue his training after bringing him on board from Station 19? Or will he give it all up and be a stay-at-home dad to his adopted daughter Pru? Personally, I think it makes more sense that this rule-breaking maverick would go out like a hero trying to save his wife.

Ben and Miranda’s last words to each other have me a bit concerned, too, as she got paged while they were discussing his next moves:

• Ben: Go. I’ll be OK.
• Miranda: That’s right, you will. I love you.

Will he, though? Now look, I’ve predicted Ben Warren’s death before, and I definitely don’t want to be right, but his character never really got fully reintegrated at the hospital following Station 19’s series finale. Fittingly enough, it’s that very finale that throws the biggest wrench in my theory, because …

Station 19’s Finale Seemed To Show Ben In The Future — Alive

Station 19 was canceled after seven seasons, and its series finale “One Last Time” (streaming with a Hulu subscription) gave us a glimpse into each firefighter’s future. For Ben Warren, that included seeing his and Miranda’s three children all graduate. The proud mom and dad flash across the screen in the audience of three different commencement ceremonies, which seemingly proves that Ben (and Miranda, for that matter) survives at least another decade.

Is Grey’s Anatomy beholden to that ending? Does it mean that Meg Marinis and the rest of the writers can never mess with Jason George or Chandra Wilson’s characters? Or was that Station 19 ending never intended to be taken literally in the first place?

Are Station 19’s Finale Flash-Forwards Actually Canon?

The Station 19 finale featured a huge wildfire that put most of the firefighters in near-death situations, during which they imagined the futures they had to fight to live for. So were those the real futures showrunners Zoanne Clack and Peter Paige intended for the first responders, or simply projections of what the characters hoped their futures held? Clack was asked that very question but never gave a clear-cut response. To The Wrap, she said:

How infuriatingly vague! However, the co-showrunner sounded a little more decisive when speaking to Deadline about Ben’s ending specifically, as she said:

I’m pretty sure that I’m not the only Station 19 fan that took those endings as canon, but it sounds like there’s enough wiggle room there if Grey’s Anatomy did have different plans for its crossover characters.

Who Else Is In Danger, And Who’s Not Likely To Die?

Another big question going into Grey’s Anatomy’s Season 22 finale is not just who, but how many surgeons will be killed or badly injured. So who are the people most at-risk, and who is very likely safe? Atticus Lincoln (aka Chris Carmack’s “Link”) is definitely in the most danger, as the finale suggested he was in the operating room that blew up. Carmack has had some fun with that theory on social media, and I’ve been back and forth on whether or not I believe it.

I also believe Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) could be in danger, since her whereabouts were unknown seconds before the explosion and she had just made a big move for herself by breaking up with Kevin McKidd’s Owen Hunt after saving the life of the woman Owen may or may not be in love with. That would certainly be an interesting twist in Owen’s story.

As for who’s safe. Meredith is not going anywhere. She’s already confirmed for multiple episodes in Season 22, so if I’m wrong, I’ll eat my ferry boat scrub cap. I also think Simone Griffith (Alexis Floyd) and Lucas Adams (Niko Terho) are safe, because we’ll want to explore what happens when Lucas finds out Simone had a one-night stand with one of the new residents, played by Trevor Jackson.

However, if Lucas were injured in the blast, we might finally find out which of Derek and Amelia Shepherd’s sisters is his mother.

All will be answered before too long. Grey’s Anatomy’s 22nd season premieres at 10 p.m. ET Thursday, October 9, on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu. As a big fan of Ben Warren’s, though, I’m going to start preparing myself.