He killed his loan shark boss Rick Neelan and concealed his body in the woods, and next week the villainous Gary Windass is back on Coronation Street.
Gary showed his softer side on Corrie when he left Kate Connor a gift of £1,000 for causing the death of her fiancee Rana Habeeb in the Underworld factory collapse, but Ryan Connor gets the brunt of his rage over the cash he owes him.
Ryan lands a DJ job in a hotel and Gary’s furious to learn that Ryan’s cashing in while still owing him hundreds.
Gary corners Ryan into an alleyway behind the hotel and demands his cash.
The terrified son of Michelle Connor tells Gary he can't pay and, his anger boiling over, Gary starts attacking Ryan leaving viewers wondering if he'll make it out alive.
Last month Ryan made an enemy in Gary when he sold a desk in the builder's furniture shop with £650 hidden inside.
Ryan admitted he took the money but swore he had no idea it was Gary’s.
Seizing the opportunity to make money, Gary told Ryan he could pay it back plus interest.
Actor Mikey North, who has played Gary since 2008, found out at the Corrie Christmas party that his character was set to join the soap's list of iconic killers after Richard Hillman and Pat Phelan.
Asked if he was worried his days was numbered when he learned of Gary's twisted new direction from family man to villain, he said: "I've always said 'if you're going to go, I'd rather go in a blaze of glory' as it were, leaving bodies behind."
The actor says viewers will see a "more calculated side" to Gary emerging over next 12 to 18 months, and he warns he could kill again.
The cash-strapped father-of-one sabotaged the factory in March and murdered Rick after he tried to kill him.
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