At the end of the July 6 episode of “True Blood” — major spoiler alert — fan-favorite character Alcide was killed very abruptly and with little fanfare, when an unnamed, overall unimportant Bon Temps resident shot him, essentially for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was dead within seconds, and while his demise certainly isn’t a huge surprise given the brutal reality of the show’s final season, it was surprising to see such a beloved character meet such a “shrug” fate.

Alcide’s army of fans are undoubtedly hurting, though nobody has had more to say about the character’s death than the actor who played him, Joe Manganiello. Manganiello gave multiple interviews about Alcide’s fate to several outlets, but one particular sentiment kept popping up in all of the conversations. We’ll leave it to you to figure out what that is, but here are some of our favorite recurring themes from Manganiello’s exit interviews:

On Alcide’s Importance (Or Lack Thereof)

From Entertainment Weekly:
“And if you’re looking for characters to kill, it’s not like any other characters are gonna cry for Alcide because nobody knew him. [Laughs] The only one I interacted with in five years was Sam. There was a bunch of werewolf characters that we never got into. He was pack master for, like, a day-and-a-half. [Laughs] So it’s the perfect character to kill off.”

From TVLine:
“I disagree with you [about Alcide being important], but I think it’s very nice of you to say ...

Move over, Captain America: here comes… a new Captain America?

As just revealed by Marvel Comics, the publisher will be replacing Steve Rogers (played on screen by Chris Evans) with a new character in the uniform, starting this Fall in “Captain America #25.”

In the storyline, Cap has lost the super-soldier serum that kept him young, reducing him to a feeble, 90-year-old man with a keen strategic mind. Stepping into a supervisory role, Cap will choose someone else to wear the stars and stripes, though Marvel isn’t prepared to say exactly who yet.

Marvel Comics

“There are a number of changes that happen with the new Captain America that allow me to write and tell stories from a perspective that’s quite different from a WWII soldier and a child of the Great Depression,” writer Rick Remender told Marvel.com. “It offers up a lot of new opportunities and a lot of new drama as well as getting to tell Captain America stories with an entirely different character, a character I have a real affinity for and like to write. I think the fans will dig what we’ve got coming up.”

Smart money has put the new guy in the costume as Sam Wilson, a.k.a. The Falcon. Played on-screen by Anthony Mackie, a figure many fans think is Cap’s sometimes sidekick showed up on a recent cover of the “Avengers” comic in a glimpse towards the future, holding Cap’s signature shield. He’s also been ...

After spending the weekend thoroughly creeped out by four sinister teaser posters, today we’re being treated to a new trailer for “Gone Girl,” the David Fincher-directed adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel.

In “Gone Girl,” Rosamund Pike stars as Amy Dunne, who goes missing on her fifth anniversary to her husband Nick (Ben Affleck). When clues — like the ones we see in the new posters — and the media begin to point to Nick as a suspect and a dirtbag, the audience is left to figure out who to trust.

The film, which doesn’t hit theaters until October, has already produced some of the year’s most striking imagery, beginning with the Entertainment Weekly cover that Fincher shot himself. That trend continued with the Elvis Costello-filled trailer and the four evidence bag photos that popped up over the weekend.

Whether you’ve read Flynn’s brilliant book or not, “Gone Girl” certainly deserves a place on your “most anticipated” list for the fall because it’s sitting at the top of mine.

“Gone Girl” opens in theaters on October 3.

Kevin P. Sullivan

Writer/editor for MTV and lifelong film junkie. If it involves cowboys, spies, or hitmen, I'm there. All three would be ideal.

@KPSull

How was your Fourth of July weekend? Did you catch the fireworks? Lounge poolside for 72 hours straight? Shove condiment-slathered hot dogs and red-white-and-blue Jell-O shots down your throat because ‘MURRICA? That’s cute and all, but I think Katy Perry still wins this one.

Following her Prismatic World Tour stop in Miami on Thursday, July 3, the “Birthday” singer spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Walt Disney World Resort meeting Mickey and Minnie Mouse, riding roller coasters, playing it cool in front of a giraffe, possibly solving the mystery of where Santa Claus goes in the off-season, and eating pizza in Cinderella’s bed. These photos and videos should pretty much be titled “Life Goals Achieved.”

First, Katy Perry wished America a happy birthday.

And stocked up on some Astronaut ice cream.

Instagram

Because if there’s one thing you need in space, it’s the choice between Neapolitan and Mint Chocolate Chip.

Just before the clock struck midnight, Katy held a “Princess pizza party” at the Cinderella Castle Suite.

Instagram

Needless to say, I want to go to there.

Dressed in her best “GoTh MiCkEY” attire, Katy kicked off Saturday with a personal hangout with Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

And rode the Magic Kingdom’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to the tune of the “Seinfeld” theme song.

Or as Katy’s fellow rider, actress Shannon Woodward, called it: “The ride about nothing.”

After that, Katy ...