Homeland's third season may be over, but that doesn't put the rumors to rest about Nicholas Brody's (Damian Lewis) fate. In last December's finale, "The Star," Brody was ripped out of an SUV by Iranian soldiers as he was attempting to escape the country with his longtime confidant and lover Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes). He was then brought to a public square, a noose was tied around his head and he was hung to death. Mathison could hardly bare to watch as the father of her unborn daughter was executed in such gruesome fashion.

Brody's death seems pretty ironclad, but is there possibility that Brody played dead and somehow held his breath? Probably not... A much more likely scenario is that we will see Nicholas Brody throughout season four in the form of flashbacks and in Mathison's dreams. We won't be seeing much of Brodie's wife Jessica (Morena Baccarin) and daughter Dana (Morgan Saylor) either.

No Brody, no wife, no kid, this doesn't sound like Homeland anymore, except for the fact that Mathison is still very much alive and well. She'll be relocating to Istanbul, Turkey where she'll be a case officer. Mathison will get to assemble her own team and everything.

Homeland series creator and show runner Alex Gansa had this to say about Mathison's role in season four:

"I think that is all going to squarely land on Claire Danes' shoulders now," he said. "It's really her show, and where Peter Quinn fits into that, where Fara fits into that, and where Saul fits into that is going to be a process of discovery."

Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend) will likely be a part of Mathison's Istanbul team. Former CIA Director Saul should be around a lot as well.

What are you most looking forward to in Homeland next season? And do you think the fourth season can return the show to its glory days? Let us know in the comments section below.