Emmerdale has responded to speculation that Robert Sugden could be making a shock return, almost two years after his exit from the ITV soap.
The character played by actor Ryan Hawley has been in prison ever since he was charged with murder, after accidentally killing Lee Posner in 2019.
But episodes of the ITV soap this week dropped a bombshell, that could have easily led to the character's comeback.
Viewers questioned whether Robert could return sometime soon, after Lee's brother Luke confessed to a violent fight with him the same day Robert attacked him.
The new evidence suggested Luke's incident with Lee might have been the cause of his death and not the attack by Robert - leading to fans questioning if Robert's prison sentence could be reduced, if not quashed.
They aren't alone either, with Luke's own mother Wendy questioning if Robert could be helped by the new information, and whether he really killed her son.
But despite major hints and the soap revisiting Lee and Robert's storyline, it appears it isn't going in the direction that fans predicted.
It's believed there are no plans currently to bring Robert back to the show, despite fans hoping the possible change to his prison sentence, if Wendy reveals all, could lead to the twist.
An Emmerdale spokesperson told Digital Spy : "There are no current plans for the character of Robert to return."
This news has confused if not annoyed many fans, after the decision to revisit the plot and suggest Luke might have killed Lee, not Robert.
The fact that the new scenes and those to come might not be building up to the fan favourite returning has left many baffled, and some upset as they were hoping for a Robron reunion between Robert and Aaron Dingle.
One viewer wrote in response: "Right thanks for wasting my time."
Another said: "This is so confusing what was the point of this you know pretty big retcon, like what does it serve other than making the posners look even worse than they already do?"
A third added: "So another pointless storyline and baiting #Robron fans #Emmerdale."
A fourth viewer tweeted: "Disappointed but not surprised x," as another said; "So what was exactly the point of this then? Pathetic!!!"
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.
