'The 100' season 4 release date, spoilers news 2016: Zach McGowan promoted to series regular; showrunner hints at second apocalypse

Zach McGowan, whose recurring character Roan debuted in the third season of "The 100," will have a more permanent place in the The CW's post-apocalyptic sci fi drama.

During last week's Comic-Con, it was announced that McGowan had been promoted to series regular on "The 100." The news came just days after the announcement that his other show, Starz's "Black Sails," will end with its upcoming fourth season.

The news of McGowan's promotion was a relief for Roan fans who have been wondering about the character's fate since the season 3 finale aired in May. The last viewers saw of the Ice Nation fugitive was when he was being dragged away by Grounders after having been shot by Kane (Henry Ian Cusick) in the season 3 ender.

In the first half of the finale, Roan was helping Clarke (Eliza Taylor) negotiate a truce between Arkadia and the Ice Nation. Things eventually turned chaotic and the two tried to flee. In the first episode of the two-part season 3 finale, a bloodied Roan was seen being taken away. The character did not appear in the finale's back half. This led some fans to theorize that McGowan will not appear in "The 100" season 4.

Fortunately, Digital Spy reports that the makers of "The 100" were so impressed by the actor's portrayal of Roan that he was written into season 4 as a regular.

Meanwhile, it appears that the season 3 revelation about the Earth soon becoming uninhabitable will play out in the upcoming season.

In an interview with Digital Spy during last week's Comic-Con in San Diego, "The 100" showrunner Jason Rothenberg said, "The world is going to end... again!"

"Season four is [when] the Earth strikes back," he explained. "We'll see the environment beginning to collapse and crazy s— will start happening."

"So it's about how the characters are going to survive this, not whether they can stop it," he added.

"The 100" season 4 will debut on The CW next year.