Fear The Walking Dead May Finally Be Following Its Original Villain Plan

Fear's original showrunner, Dave Erickson, intended for the characters to become villains. Now, after so long, that plan may become a reality.

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Fear The Walking Dead season 7.

Fear The Walking Dead may finally be following its original villain plan. Season 7 of the show is now seeing the conflict between Morgan and Strand’s groups coming to a head. Despite the long-awaited return of Madison Clark, the season has been heavily criticized for its storytelling and creative choices, with these issues being further compounded by the potential death of Alicia. This being said, these problems could be potentially solved if the showrunners intend for this conflict to turn the survivors into much darker characters.

Fear The Walking Dead season 7 sees Morgan and his group prepare for battle with Victor Strand over his Tower after the latter has instituted a dictatorial rule over the compound. In addition, changes made to Fear‘s Alicia, while suffering from a fever, have seen her find a new purpose in building her own haven for others. Despite this, new revelations about the nuclear apocalypse serve to have disastrous consequences for the war over the Tower. This, along with many questionable actions, may indicate that these characters are heading in a dark direction similar to the Fear The Walking Dead original villain plan.

After he departed from Fear The Walking Dead, former showrunner Dave Erickson told The Hollywood Reporter about his plans for the remainder of the series, part of which detailed how he intended for the characters (specifically Madison) to gradually turn into villains. The current direction of the characters in Fear The Walking Dead season 7 seems to suggest that could be where Ian Goldberg and Andrew Chambliss intend to take the series going forward. This could also provide a proper (if still controversial) justification for killing off Alicia if it means Madison becomes a villain as well.

Fear The Walking Dead season 7 has seen several characters take actions that cross a few lines. In addition to Strand embracing full-blown villainy, Morgan sends Charlie on a dangerous mission that inadvertently costs her life on account of radiation poisoning, Luciana takes advantage of Daniel’s declining mental state to use him as a living weapon, and Wes sells Morgan’s group out to Strand. These actions are made worse by the revelation that another group is releasing zombies that have severe radiation exposure. As a result, the Morgan-Strand war for the Tower comes across as a petty conflict that will likely do more harm than good.

While killing Alicia off is still a huge risk for Fear The Walking Dead, it could have great narrative potential if it pushes Madison over the edge. After all, she has already failed once in trying to provide aid to others through the stadium. Having to experience the loss of her daughter (and therefore lose her entire family) along with all the dreams she had may very well be what turns her into a cold, ruthless survivor that only wishes to last one day longer rather than even try to rebuild the world. While it may be disturbing and upsetting for those who love the character, it could also be a unique and compelling approach to take.

For now, there’s no telling what direction Fear The Walking Dead‘s characters will take. It could simply be that things go back to normal once Strand is defeated. That being said, given how disastrous things have turned out for Morgan and his group in the past, it may very well be that the fight for the Tower (and Alicia’s death for Madison) is what pushes the entire cast over their breaking point.