The Walking Dead‘s lost brothers’ search for each other came to a startling end in the midseason finale; but what grim outcomes can we expect from The Governor’s zombie pit clash?

Following the midseason finale, we know The Governor has a pretty ghastly plan in store for the Dixon brothers.

A stunned Andrea is subjected to look on as Merle and Daryl are forced to confront one another; Daryl as the infiltrating outsider of Woodbury, and Merle as the Woodbury betrayer. But will the Dixon boys work together in this death match, or will it be a case of every man for himself?

We know, from having watched the past few seasons of the series, that Daryl and Merle’s upbringing was less than picture perfect. Having endured an abusive, alcoholic father, and an apparently absent mother, Daryl suggests that Merle brought him up to be the man he is today. Kind of.

Following the abandonment of Rick and T-Dog in series 1, in which Merle is handcuffed to the roof of a building in zombie infested Atlanta City, Daryl persuaded the team to venture back into the volatile urban jungle to rescue his brother. However the mission is fruitless with nothing left of Merle on the rooftop other than his severed hand. Daryl grieves for Merle briefly, before accepting him as dead.

In season 2 Merle is mostly unmentioned, aside from in Daryl’s dream sequence. The group has moved on, and as far as we knew Merle wasn’t to be making another appearance in the show.

However, in season 3 when Andrea and Michonne are found at the helicopter crash site we learnt that Merle is still alive. He later divulges to Andrea that The Governor found him near to death from blood-loss and starvation, and that he has never forgiven Rick for leaving him on the rooftop. Andrea in turn tells Merle about the farmhouse, and how Daryl became an integral member of the survivor group. Merle then swears to keep looking for Daryl so that they might become reunited once again.

Throughout season 3 Merle is relentless in his quest to find Daryl, and repeatedly requests the opportunity to find him from The Governor. However, in the crossfire of Glenn and Maggie’s deliverance, Daryl finds himself trapped in the settlement. Subsequently, Daryl is captured and taken to the screamer pits, at which point Merle is cast as a traitor by The Governor to the town’s citizens. The brothers are then finally united again, as a crowd of angry people cheer for their deaths.

Given the relentlessness of both brothers to find each other, even in a world where loss isn’t uncommon, how will the brothers deal with the brutal zombie pit? Will Daryl emerge victorious? Or will Merle gain the upper hand (despite only having one…)?

Be sure not to miss the midseason premiere of The Walking Dead on AMC, Feb 10, 9/8 p.m. ET/PT.