Emmerdale fans predict tragic turn for Bear Wolf as he makes 'worrying' return

During tonight's episode of Emmerdale, fans saw Bear Wolf make his return to the ITV soap after making a brief exit from the Dales - as some predict a tragic turn.

At the start of the month, the character drove away from the village during a secretive storyline which saw his personality change and him displaying concerning behaviour. Viewers had seen the character behaving angrily and aggressively, and then returning to his usual self as if nothing had happened.

Before his exit, he told his son Paddy Kirk after yet another run-in that he was going to stay with a friend in Ireland.

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During tonight's episode, Paddy and Vinny could be seen having a chat as Paddy revealed his dad Bear hadn't been in touch. Vinny then told Paddy that his dad was probably protecting him - as Paddy responded: "It doesn't matter now, I don't need him and he doesn't need me. He'll be having the time of his life somewhere in Ireland now."

The camera then panned to Bear in a field as he got into his messy car. He was then seen typing a text to Paddy, which read: "Paddy, I'm sorry," although he didn't appear to press send.

As his return aired, fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter - as some aired their concerns for Bear, worried he may take his own life after writing out the message.

Others were left confused, as one wrote: "I wonder what is wrong with him?" questioned one fan, as another exclaimed: "No Paddy, there is something wrong with Bear!!!!"

A third penned: "So we didn't find out what's wrong with Bear then. Just seeing him alone and isolated in a field," as a fourth asked: "Is bear living in his car?"

However, some fans think they'd worked out exactly where he'd gotten to, as one penned: "Is he in one of Moira's fields? I don't think that he's gone far at all."

Previously talking to the Mirror about the storyline, actor Joshua Richards who plays the character said: "There’s an element of confusion in Bear’s thinking. I think he’s lashing out because he feels vulnerable and a bit afraid,’ he said.

‘He’s a man who, in the past, has been incredibly physically strong and has earned his living from being fit and healthy. And he can fight. He still has that capability," he explained of where Bear's head was at at the time.

Speaking about what would happen when Bear returned, Joshua said: "I think it’s going to be an excellent storyline to take on because I haven’t seen anybody take it on before."

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Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.

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