'The Vampire Diaries' season 8 speculations: Did Damon kill Tyler?

"The Vampire Diaries" season 8 welcomed back former series regular Michael Trevino, who played the werewolf-turned-hybrid Tyler, but may have killed off his character just as quickly.

The teen supernatural drama, which is currently airing its eighth and final season, couldn't have ended without Tyler making at least one final appearance. Tyler, who was a core character between seasons 1 and 6, was Matt's (Alaric Saltzman) best friend, Caroline's (Candice King) ex, and the show's first hybrid. He left Mystic Falls at the end of season 6 but has re-emerged in a couple of episodes since.

In "You Decided That I Was Worth Saving," Tyler crossed paths with Damon (Ian Somerhalder), who was in full Evil Damon mode, after having successfully kept his distance for some time. But his reunion with Damon was far from friendly.

In the episode, Tyler came across Damon in the middle of the road and tried to convince him to carry out a weird plan. Tyler told Damon that killing him should be Damon's final move because his murder would be the one thing that none of their friends would be able to forgive. According to Tyler, Damon should either fight to get his former self back or just give in to the dark side.

"Think about who you want," Tyler told Damon.

"Let me go out as the face that you can never erase from your brain," he said, egging Damon on.

But just when it looked like Damon was walking away, he turned around and bit Tyler.

Does this mean that Tyler is dead? Have "The Vampire Diaries" fans seen the last of the werewolf?

Fortunately, a previous statement from "The Vampire Diaries" showrunner Julie Plec appears to hint otherwise.

"Tyler's return is pretty impactful because we've never really explored it on camera, but he's been working for the Armory, as we learned when he took Elena's body away," Plec told Entertainment Weekly ahead of the episode.

"He's remained firmly embedded in the supernatural universe, so he's got information that our heroes don't have, which is pretty key in the moment when it's revealed," she added. "And there's a great emotional component to his return that ties into all our characters as well," she said.

Tyler has yet to impart any key information in the current season, which can only mean that there's more for the character to do in "The Vampire Diaries" season 7. It may be safe to assume — for now — that Tyler survived his ordeal and will have a bigger role in things to come.

"The Vampire Diaries" season 8 airs Fridays at 8 p.m. EST on The CW.