Rafael Barba (Raúl Esparza) will finally know who wants him dead in the upcoming season of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

Last season, the Assistant District Attorney's fate was left hanging in the air when all eyes were focused on the drama unfolding with corrections officer Gary Munson (Brad Garrett). Because of him, Sgt. Mike Dodds (Andy Karl) was killed and the entire SVU team was shocked by the turn of events. It was a powerful moment on television when the young agent sacrificed his life to save innocent people. Viewers cried alongside the characters, especially when Mike's father, Deputy Chief William Dodds (Peter Gallagher) embraced his son's lifeless body.

Amidst all the tears and drama, Barba's problem was overlooked. The upcoming season is expected to continue this plot. He has been receiving death threats, and before the series went on a break, they still had no idea who was the culprit was. In Barba's line of work, he has acquired quite a lot of enemies. There are many criminals who want him dead, but someone has been angry enough to send him threats. Design N Trend hopes that answers will be provided in the upcoming episodes.

Meanwhile, Lt. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and the rest of the SVU team would have to deal with their own grief over their friend's death. Mike had been a good colleague and his presence would be missed.

Showrunner Warren Leight explained in a previous interview why they decided to kill off Karl's character. According to him, it was for the fans who expect to see some closure on the show especially when cast members leave. He also thought it unfair for the new showrunner to be burdened with a cliffhanger.

"I'm keenly aware that some fans felt a lack of closure in other departures on this show, so I tried very hard, whether it was Munch or Cragen or Amaro or now Dodds, to make sure that there's a real understanding of his arc out the show. I didn't want a cliffhanger for the finale because it's not fair to the departing showrunner to take everybody to a cliff and then let the new team mop it up," he told The Hollywood Reporter.

NBC's "Law & Order: SVU" season 18 will return on September 21, Wednesday, at 9 p.m. EST.