After eight years, HBO’s “The Sopranos” will come to an end Sunday, and Tony Soprano has finally gotten himself a gun — a birthday present from his brother-in-law, who didn’t live to see him use it. Now Tony is holed up in a safe house, lying in bed, and hugging the AR-10 automatic rifle to his chest, his finger on the trigger.

But what end awaits New Jersey’s most notorious crime boss? Death before dishonor? Or will it be dishonor instead of death?

Like fans around water coolers across America, the editors of the Sun have endlessly debated the fate of Tony and his family — nuclear, extended, and criminal — with a ferocity sometimes bordering on the risible. In the spirit of passion and comedy, here are some predictions about possible dénouements of “The Sopranos.” The question of what comes after “The Sopranos” has already been answered by the transformation of the cable universe since the show made its premiere in 1999: “Six Feet Under,” “The Wire,” and “Deadwood” on HBO. “Sleeper Cell” on Showtime. “The Shield” on FX. Even Fox had to come up with “24.” “The Sopranos” may be coming to a close, but its legacy of complex, extended, character-driven drama will live on.

Tony turns FBI informant (2–1)

Truly a fate worse than death. Upon realizing that his impending war with Phil Leotardo’s powerful Brooklyn family is a fool’s mission and that his own family has been reduced to a petty gang, Tony has no choice but to do the unthinkable. Honor, tradition, his family tree, the very man he believes himself to be: None of it matters when survival is at stake.

Tony, who has been unequivocally revealed as a monster this season after years of sympathetic leanings, will realize there was never any honor in “the life” to begin with, and that the code by which he has lived has been a violent lie from the beginning.

Tony is killed by:

Carmela Soprano (5–1);
Phil Leotardo (10–1);
Janice Baccalieri (20–1)

Most fans of the show will tell you that Tony Soprano is one of their favorite TV characters of all-time — and that he must die. But who among his community of criminals, depressives, and abettors has the right and/or the opportunity to do it?

First up is his wife, Carmela, who has endured years of marital infidelity and lying, not to mention self-hatred and denial. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Carmela knows her husband is responsible for the deaths of Adrianna La Cerva, Christopher Moltisanti, “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero, Tony Blundetto, and others. In the end, her fear of God (and hatred of the path down which Tony has led her) trumps her love of life.

Brooklyn boss Phil Leotardo has been itching to wipe out “those pygmies in Jersey” for years, but now he has the authority to do it. Phil, who has always believed Tony to be an upstart with no respect for “the life,” would like nothing more than to pull the trigger himself — claiming, in the process, revenge for the murder of his brother Billy, for Tony’s harboring a homosexual in his crew, and for that one time Tony ran him off the road when Phil was late on a payment.

Tony’s sister Janice has already blown away a man in her life (and kicked the crap out of a soccer mom), so don’t think she won’t do it again. Tony has always blamed Janice for abandoning him at home with their vicious mother when they were kids; Janice probably blames Tony, at least in part, for the death of her husband and Tony’s lieutenant, Bobby. Historically, when two Sopranos hate each other, one winds up covered in blood.

A.J. kills:

Tony (20–1);
Phil (8–1);
himself (6–1)

A.J. Soprano, as emotionally vulnerable as ever, is the embodiment of his father’s clinical depression, moral depravity, and lack of genuine introspection, which may be why he is eternally unable to satisfy his old man. When he acts out, like Tony did as a child, he is scolded for going down the wrong path. When he moralizes, as Tony never did, he is ridiculed for his lack of backbone. Perhaps the only way to emerge from this iron shadow is to kill the man who blocks the sun. Of course, an alternative would be to kill the man who aims to kill his father. A.J.’s loyal Soprano blood ran cold when his uncle Junior tried to murder Tony. After his attempt on Junior’s life, inspired by “The Godfather,” A.J. was scolded by Tony for not recognizing the difference between life and art. Now, with his family’s survival at stake, that confusion could come in handy — and make dad proud.

But on third thought, A.J. could do many fans of the show a favor and dive back into that pool with a shorter leash. With more bloodshed inevitable on the horizon and A.J. sinking further into depression, is there any way he won’t cause someone’s death?

Tony returns to therapy: (3–1)

Tony’s visits to Dr. Melfi — the original bread and butter of the show — have recently become an exercise in futility for all involved. But despite the good doctor’s newfound belief that her patient has been duping her all along, both parties know deep down that they wouldn’t be where they are if not for the other. Tony, who dubbed himself Dr. Melfi’s “Prince of Tide” for a short time, probably doesn’t even realize that he has, in fact, become a more efficient killer and manipulator since having his head shrunk. But at the same time, he has come to realize that his deep-seated fear of his fang-toothed mother and his conflicted memories of his father’s hard-knock life have shaped the man he has become — and that his realization of this is a realization in itself.

10–1 says he has to be wheeled back into that circular office. 20–1 says he walks in with guns blazing and visions of Melfi and his mother intertwining in his mind.

Meadow takes over (17–1)

With few soldiers left to take the reigns should Tony fall, candidates are preparing their nomination speeches. But perhaps no one is more suited for the head of the table than the boss’s daughter. Meadow undisputedly possesses the intellect to run the show, and has betrayed occasional flashes of the requisite moral flexibility (like when she defended the mafia’s code of conflict resolution to her boyfriend as “going back to the old country”). For years, viewers have prepared themselves for her sacrifice, “Godfather Part III”-style, at the hands of Tony’s nefarious business. But perhaps a more modern fate is in store for the first daughter: a rise to power. Hey, she’s looking for work these days, anyway.

The Russian returns: (200–1)

We’re still waiting.