Chilling House of Cards teaser confirms Frank Underwood death

You suspected it. But now it's been confirmed.

House Of Cards has killed off its main character. Frank Underwood will have met his mortal demise sometime between seasons five and six.

Netflix has released a new clip from the forthcoming final season of its political thriller, one that shows Robin Wright's Claire Underwood standing over something, looking down.

"I'll tell you this, Francis," she says, clearly not in grief. "When they bury me, it won't be in my backyard. And when they pay their respects, they'll have to wait in line."

The camera then pans to the ground, to a headstone that reads Calvin Underwood before it reveals another headstone next to it, one that says "Frank Underwood 1959-2017".

You can't be deader than that. Rubbing salt into that wound is that Frank is buried next to his father, who he loathed.

It was widely expected that the character, played by the now-disgraced Kevin Spacey, would be killed off screen after the actor was embroiled in scandal late last year.

Spacey was accused by Anthony Rapp of sexual assault in the 1980s when Rapp was 14 years old. The Oscar winner was immediately stood down from House Of Cards, which was already in production, pending an investigation. He was later sacked from the series.

He was also sensationally edited out of All The Money In The World by director Ridley Scott who recast his role with Christopher Plummer. Plummer was later nominated for an Oscar for the role.

House Of Cards' future was in limbo for a month while Netflix and the production company pondered the next steps. Actor Patricia Clarkson, who joined the series as a political strategist in season five, credited Wright with saving the show and everyone's jobs.

The writers reworked the season with Wright in the lead. Narratively, Wright's character was already occupying the president's chair at the end of the previous season, which likely made story decisions easier.

House Of Cards will return for its final eight episodes on November 2.