Who Is ‘A’? 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

The Season 5 premiere of Pretty Little Liars is finally here, which means the question that has plagued us all for the past four years has resurfaced once again: Who is A? This season, we’ll finally find out who the man (or woman) behind the black hood and leather gloves is.

Read on for must-know facts about A. Maybe you can piece together A’s identity before the big reveal.


1. There Are 6 Likely Culprits

Since the show first aired in 2010, many people have surfaced as A’s accomplices, like Mona, Toby, and Lucas. Sure, they’ve all lent A a helping hand, but none can take the credit as being the mastermind behind everything.

In anticipation of Tuesday’s premiere, Entertainment Weekly has done some investigating to come up with the six characters that are most likely A.

Here are EW’s predictions:
Jason DiLaurentis
CeCe Drake
Paige McCullers
Bryon Montgomery
Mr. DiLaurentis
Melissa Hastings

Are your guesses similar? Some seem to be a little too obvious. Only the director, producers and writers know.


2. There Are Multiple A’s

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(Screenshot/Netflix)

For those of you who are PLL virgins looking to pick up the show this season, A is the nameless and faceless antagonist. He/she has posed as Alison in texts, but surfaced after Ali’s funeral, suggesting it must be someone else. He or she has spent the past four years sending threatening messages to Aria, Spencer, Hanna, Emily, and Mona — jeopardizing their lives on more than one account.

The whole A ordeal started with Mona, who went by the handle A to bully Alison through text messages and creepy notes. However, in the Season 2 finale, Mona was caught and sent to Radley Sanitarium, and another A took over. This A put together a team of stalkers, which has been dubbed the A-team.

Yes, Toby was part of the A-Team, but only to protect his girlfriend Spencer and get the dirt on Red Coat. In the last season, we finally learned who was behind Red Coat: Alison and CeCe Drake.


3. Several ‘A’ccomplices Have Been Revealed

The following have been revealed as official accomplishes of A.

1. Mona Vanderwaal was the first A. To date, she’s the only true A.
2. Toby Cavanaugh
3. Spencer Hastings
4. Lucas Gottesman
5. Melissa Hastings and Darren Wilden (as the Queen of Hearts)
6. CeCe Drake


4. We’ve Already Met A

The biggest spoiler that director Marlene King revealed on her live chat with Reddit is that A will be revealed very soon.

She also spills another juicy detail: We’ve already met A.

You’ve met them in theory and reality.

King also said that one character has to die off this season, and added that she’s not looking forward to making the phone call to the actor to tell him/her they’re booted off the show. For those of you who read the books, you have to remember that King and PLL author Sara Shepard agreed long ago that their endings would be completely different, so just because Mona was the killer in the books doesn’t mean she’s the ultimate antagonist here.

And if you’re one of the many who has little faith in A’s true identity being announced, I have some bittersweet news. The director doesn’t plan on dragging the show out, and said an end to the whole series is in sight. It was announced on Tuesday that the show has been renewed for a sixth and seventh season. Maybe ‘unlucky’ number seven will be the culmination of the show. Makes sense in a creepy way.


5. There Are Many Clues You May Have Missed

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(Getty)

Here are some things you may have overlooked in previous episodes:
1. Ezra writes his A’s on the blackboard just like A does
2. Ezra goes to Ali’s funeral even though he isn’t supposed to know her
3. A is left-handed
4. Marlene King has referred to A as a “she” more than once
5. The letter typed to Aria’s mom saying that she knew about her dad’s affair was written up on a typewriter similar to the one in Ezra’s apartment that Aria often uses