'House of Cards' season 5 release date, plot spoilers 2016: Frank Underwood's death looms
"House of Cards" season 5 is rumored to be Frank Underwood's (Kevin Spacey) last, with his death looming in the political drama series. Two people close to the president will be suspected of killing him. Moreover, his demise may eliminate the possibility of Spacey reprising the role in a TV spinoff.
Online media outlets are replete with so many theories regarding Frank's endgame in the Netflix series. The likelihood of assassination is never a distant possibility given his ruthless pragmatic approach to politics.
Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly) is a plausible candidate for masterminding Frank's purported murder. Stamper has served the president well as an extremely reliable loyalist who can carry out his boss' orders. Alluding to the timeless observation that there no permanent friends in politics only permanent interests, the next season will reportedly see a significant realignment of political loyalties. As the ebb and flow of alliances change, Stamper will reportedly turn his back on his benefactor and kill Frank as reported by International Business Times.
Another suspect in the rumor radar is Frank's ex-wife, Claire Underwood. In season 4, Claire's political ambition is putting her on a collision course with her former spouse. The season finale may have dropped a hint of what's to come. It was suggested that she clearly wanted to undermine Frank's presidency by any means possible.
Despite Frank's support for her vice-presidential bid, the animosity runs deep. After all, Claire only felt compelled to work with him for pragmatic reasons. If an opportunity presents itself, the former first lady will likely seize the moment to take Frank's political apparatus down including the president himself.
As reported by Movie News Guide, Frank's death may not necessarily entail a conspiratorial murder plot as some media outfits suggest. The alternative view is that the death of his character may be attributed to his increasingly failing health. This gives Claire an enormous chance to establish a power base that will dismantle Frank's own.
However, as a Machiavellian through and through, it remains to be seen whether Frank's enemies could effectively take him down in the political TV drama series next season. After all, he seems to have perfected the craft of acquiring, maintaining and expanding his political power.
