The Walking Dead‘s Morgan is Moving to Fear The Walking Dead

With the post-apocalyptic setting of The Walking Dead, long distance transportation has been set back a long way. In fact, the dangers of travel have been a focus on the show, including such season-long plot points as getting Eugene to Washington, DC in season 4. Spoiler, due to significant hurdles and the fact that Eugene was lying, that never actually happened. That is going to make bridging the gap between The Walking Dead in Atlanta and Fear the Walking Dead in Mexico all that more difficult. We now know, however, that Morgan (Lennie James) will be making the jump. Talking Dead broke the news and later shared video from James’ first day on set in Austin.

Morgan’s Worlds Collide #TWD #FearTWD https://t.co/eK7hDXNpHF

— Talking Dead (@AMCTalkingDead) November 27, 2017

James filled us in prior to season 7 about Morgan’s arc, from survivalist to pacifist, but things have since taken a turn again. Negan’s ruthless tactics (RIP Glenn and Abraham) and the raging war between Rick’s group and the Saviors have brought out Morgan’s combative side. Morgan was otherwise preoccupied during Negan and Lucille’s brutal beatings, so we knew he would survive the season 6 cliffhanger. Seeing as James will have to switch sets, however, it’s unlikely he’ll survived on TWD much longer.

Morgan was the first living person Rick encountered after the zombie apocalypse began. Although his character took a long hiatus in the woods, he’s one of the original survivors who has made it a long way. It will be really emotional to see him go. Morgan has been able to survive on his own in the past, so it’s possible he’ll disappear into the sunset, but on a show with a death count this high, you can never count on a happy ending, or, really any kind of ending that doesn’t leave a character dead.

Fear the Walking Dead has so far been set in a time before Rick woke up in the abandoned hospital, so we will get some more of Morgan’s backstory. Will we see Morgan reunited with his family? The moment in which he had to shoot his wife (Keisha Tillis) who had already turned was stirring, and set the tone for the entire show. While the show is gory, moments like that can make it emotionally resonant.

It’s interesting with all of the fan favorites that have perished on the show that the creators didn’t resurrect a character who has already been killed. If they wanted a strong thread of history, though, Morgan is one of the characters with the longest arc. It’s definitely bittersweet saying goodbye to someone we’ve come to know so well, but we look forward to seeing the two shows intertwine.

Featured Image: Lennie James as Morgan Jones – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 7 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC