Fans of "House of Cards" have reason to worry that a major character could die in season 4. Their instinct tell them it will be Doug Stamper biting the dust next and Michael Kelly's statements in his interview with Deadline is making the theory more likely.

"I was alive at the end of three, that's all I can say," the actor said, careful not to let the cat out of the bag too early. I wouldn't be surprised if Beau was behind my bedroom door right now. I put nothing past him," he went on to say.

The actor himself knows that "House of Cards" is notorious for writing off key characters, whether they are fan-favorite or not. The size of the role isn't at all a determining factor. "It's House of Cards, right? They do not hesitate to kill great characters," Kelly said.

In season 3, Doug nearly died after Rachel knocked him out cold. Fans were almost on the brink of accepting that Frank's trusty cohort has met his end, only to be surprised to see him back. Will "House of Cards" season 4 pull off another stunner by killing him for real this time?

The third season finale of the Kevin Spacey-led series saw Claire leave Frank in the middle of his campaign. Much of the past season was about their marriage, with showrunner Beau Willimon telling The Hollywood Reporter that the show "is based on the strength of that marriage."

Not many fans were pleased with "House of Cards" season 3 putting so much focus on the couple's relationship. As Willimon and his team explored this dynamic, he revealed that "we'd laid the groundwork in the previous two seasons for this conflict between Francis and Claire, and the more we began exploring it, the more inevitable it became. And the more exciting it was for us to travel that emotional terrain."

It remains to be seen what will become of the couple, how Frank will hold up without his wife in such an important chapter of his life. "House of Cards" season 4 returns next year.