THOMAS King returned to the Dales after a decade away in Saudi Arabia and immediately rekindled his relationship with Belle Dingle.
But one big question resurfaced as he came back to Emmerdale – who killed his father Carl King?
Carl King rocked up the village in 2004
His relationship with Chas Dingle led him to a tragic demise
He was the brother of Jimmy King
Belle Dingle was stunned to bump into her old flame Tom outside the Hop but ITV viewers were even more gobsmacked to see the pair hit it off once again, as if no time had gone by since their messy break up in 2013.
Accustomed to villagers keeping deep, dark secrets, soap fans have theorised that Tom, played by newcomer James Chase who reprised the role from Mark Flanagan, may have an agenda.
Viewers of the Yorkshire-based drama hadn’t forgotten Tom’s previous stalking of Chas Dingle, which only made them believe the hunk could be back with a vengeance.
Speculation grew further online when Tom’s unresolved grief over his father Carl was made clear as he struggled to face his uncle Jimmy King.
But what exactly happened to Carl King?
How did Carl King die in Emmerdale?
Portrayed by Ingleton actor Tom Lister, Carl King was the son of Tom and Mary King.
In October, 2012 after more than eight years of carnage, Carl King was found dead and villagers began to question who was responsible.
Fans of the long-running program knew all along who was responsible for Carl’s death as they’d seen it unravel right before their eyes.
Carl was killed by Cameron Murray (Dominic Power) as part of Emmerdale’s 40th anniversary.
Cameron hit Carl over the head with a brick after the latter boasted about being able to make people disappear and remain untouched.
His death went down in soap history as one of the most ironic demises as his last words were “because I’m indestructible.”
Who was Carl King and when did he arrive in Emmerdale?
Carl was first introduced to viewers in early 2004.
Diehard soap fans will know that Carl was the first member of the King family to settle in Emmerdale.
Tom Lister’s debut set the tone for what his on-screen alter ego would be up to as Carl’s first appearance involved making everyone believe he was a simple driver starting off at Tate Haulage.
Carl had taken on the name of Carl McKenzie when he was, in fact, a spy for his family’s own business King & Sons to whom he reported back after a day at Tate Haulage.
The character was clearly gifted at deceiving others and also used his talent in his personal life.
When he first settled into the Dales, Carl King set his sights on Louise Appleton but their romance was cut short when his wife Colleen rocked up.
Colleen revealed she was not only married to Carl but also told Louise she was the mother of his two children, Tom and Anya.
Eventually, Carl moved on to Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter), unaware that, years down the line, she would be the cause of his downfall.
What happened between Chas Dingle and Carl King in Emmerdale?
A treacherous, deceitful womanizer, Carl was unsurprisingly involved in plenty of drama during his time in the eponymous village.
His relationship with Chas was in no way peaceful as she famously cheated on Paddy Kirk with Carl, years before her affair with Al Chapman destroyed their marriage.
But after much turmoil, Carl decided to patch things up with her in 2010.
The couple were happy for a while but Carl’s thirst for excitement took over and he began an affair with Eve Jenson.
Chas found out about the illicit romance but, instead of confronting, plotted to get revenge by humiliating him.
She started her plan off by proposing to him and implying she was pregnant, prompting Carl to accept and give her a whopping amount of money for the wedding.
Carl ended things with Eve but came to regret it when, on the big day, Chas revealed his affair to the whole village.
Exposed and cheated, Carl began to feel resentful of Chas and it only got worse when he found she was having an affair of her own with Cameron Murray.
Feeling betrayed, Carl blackmailed Chas and Cameron for the money she’d stolen from him.
This eventually led to a huge showdown between Chas and Carl in a caravan and, as he attempted to rape her, she struck him over the head with a brick.
Chas ran away, believing she’d been responsible for Carl’s death when his body was found.
But as mentioned above, Carl’s love rival Cameron actually murdered him after spotting Chas making a haste exit.
Ironically, Cameron would go on to be so consumed with guilt, he’d confess the truth about Carl’s death to Alex Moss before killing him as well.
Months after murdering Carl, Cameron became one of the Dales’ most notorious villains and serial killers and was even responsible for the Woolpack siege.
Emmerdale airs weeknights from 7.30pm on ITV.
Chas embarked on an affair with Cameron Murray
Cameron murdered Carl King
