Contains mentions of sexual abuse.
AlthoughWill Trentcompletely changed the character of Michael Ormewood from author Karin Slaughter’s source novels, this would make the show reinstating his original death all the more shocking. AsWill Trentseason 4approaches, the show is on track to pull off a tremendously impressive feat. Where most shows gradually lose viewers with each season,Will Trenthas gained them.
This may not come as a shock to fans of the character’s creator, author Karin Slaughter. Slaughter’s novels have sold more than 40 million copies since her 2001 debutBlindsightedand,although her novelPretty Girlswas even more successful than theWill Trentbooks, the novel series remains tremendously popular.
That said, the ABC proceduralWill Trentis far from a faithful adaptation of Slaughter’s books. The basic premise is the same, with both following the eponymous quirky GBI special agent as he attempts to investigate crimes and corruption, constantly leading him into the path of the Atlanta Police Department.
Ormewood Dies In The First Will Trent Book
Angie Kills Ormewood After Discovering His Crimes
However, theWill Trentbooks are far darker than the show, and viewers familiar with the series will know that this is saying something. AlthoughWill Trenthas plenty of moments of well-judged levity, the procedural takes itself and Will’s job seriously. However, Slaughter’s source books are darker and edgier, with more disturbing content.
A perfect example of the difference between theWill Trentbooks and the ABC show comes in Michael Ormewood, a character whose story diverges wildly depending on the telling. As Slaughter noted toTVGuide, readers of the firstWill Trentnovel don’t know that Ormewood is its villain until midway through the book.
Ormewood’s book death is a brutal, fitting end for an awful villain and one that bears no resemblance whatsoever to the show’s character of the same name.
However, once this is revealed, it soon becomes clear that Ormewood is an irredeemable monster. A child abuser and rapist, the villain is killed at the end of the novel by Angie to ensure he can’t claim any more victims. Ormewood’s book death is a brutal, fitting end for an awful villain and one that bears no resemblance whatsoever to the show’s character of the same name.
In one of his first on-screen appearances, Ormewood misgenders a suspect while, only a few episodes later, he physically assaults another. Clearly, the show’s version of the character is a deeply morally questionable character that viewers are not encouraged to root for. However, that’s not all he is.
Will Trent’s TV Show Has Changed Ormewood Completely
Ormewood Is Not The Monster From Karin Slaughter’s Novels
AsWill Trentseason 1 goes on, it becomes clear that Ormewood is not a straightforward villain, although he can be a pretty terrible person. However, as the show continues,Ormewood is gradually redeemed byWill Trentseasons 2 and 3as he faces personal hardships and uses them as opportunities to grow and change.
Ormewood’s wife understandably leaves him after getting sick of his mistreatment, and he later learns in season 3 that he has a brain tumor. By the timeWill Trentseason 3’s brain tumorstoryline occurred, the character had become something of an unlikely comic relief and his clumsy attempts to be a better cop, partner, and person were unexpectedly sympathetic.
There is no denying that Ormewood is deeply flawed and problematic, but even the heroes ofWill Trenthave killed people.
Will Trent’s TV show changed Ormewood completely, turning an unambiguous monster into one of the show’s most complex characters. There is no denying that Ormewood is deeply flawed and problematic, but even the heroes ofWill Trenthave killed people. Most strikingly, Will himself kills an unarmed child by mistake in season 3 and is haunted by this horrifying mistake.
Ormewood’s Redemption Would Make His Season 4 Death Sadder
Will Trent’s Supporting Star Suffered A Brain Tumor In Season 3
Although viewers aren’t encouraged to give Ormewood’s earlier failures a free pass,Will Trentseason 3 does depict a man who is trying to learn from his mistakes and do better. This is what makes his diagnosis so devastating. WhileWill Trentseason 3’s darkest momentwas Will’s accidental killing, this twist proved that Ormewood’s entire journey could be for nothing.
Yul Vazquez
Sheriff Caleb Roussard
Ormewood’s original book fate would no longer make any sense, as he isn’t guilty of the crimes of his book counterpart. However,Will Trentseason 4 could still kill off Ormewood, albeit via his brain tumor, rather than murder, since this death would now be far more shocking.
Slaughter’s novels famously do not pull their punches, and one of the greatest tragedies of her books is just how many decent people die in the course of their stories. As such, turning Ormewood into a character that viewers ended up rooting for, only to kill him off just as he had started to turn his life around, could be a genuinely shocking twist.
Will Trent Season 4 Killing Ormewood Would Be Truly Tragic
Ormewood Was Turning His Life Around In Season 3
The main reason thatPretty Girlsis unlikely to be adaptedas a network TV show despite the success ofWill Trentis the bracing brutality of the book’s shocking content. It is hard for a procedural to shock viewers as much as crime books like Slaughter’s novels can, and this is what makes Ormewood’s potential season 4 death a fascinating proposal.
In season 3’s finale, Ormewood had barely finished saving a group of teenage archers from a gang of domestic terrorists using a bioweapon when he collapsed. It is not clear if this was a result of his tumor, although oneTVInsiderpiece seemed to suggest that Ormewood won’t die before the beginning of season 4 as a result of the collapse.
As such, it would be a brutal, but ingenious, callback to the source books to kill Ormewood long after throwing viewers off the scent by changing his character so completely.Ormewood’s death would now be a devastating twist in season 4, even though it seemed like a foregone conclusion to book readers back in season 1.
The best adaptations take their source material and turn it into something new without losing what made the original media special. This is precisely what allowsWill Trent’s book changesto work even though the show veers so far away from what viewers expect from a faithful take on the novels.
Will Trentreturns with season 4 (consisting of 18 episodes) in early 2026.
Now, season 4 is uniquely positioned to underline how far it has moved away from the books by killing off a character whose death would, at one point, have been seen as predictable and welcome. Ormewood’s redemption arc has been anything but predictable, andWill Trentseason 4 could continue to misdirect viewers by giving the storyline an equally unexpected ending.
