Because time is a severely warped circle these days, it's baffling to think that Fear the Walking Dead has been keeping Morgan's Season 5 fate a secret ever since September 2019. That need for secrecy has obviously lasted longer than anyone thought it might, since TV productions and release schedules have been in flux since March. But Season 6 now has a locked-in release date on AMC in October, and the cast and crew got together to tease what's coming soon for the characters when the show returns. But what about Morgan?
To be expected, everyone involved was a lot quicker to talk about all the other characters beyond Morgan, while Lennie James' protagonist got the short end of the explanation stick. Fear the Walking Dead's Comic-Con@Home panel opened up with an extended Season 6 teaser, followed by moderator Chris Hardwick asking showrunners Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg if Morgan was okay. Their answer was beyond vague, though it had a purely pessimistic vibe, despite the jokiness involved.
CHAMBLISS: Define ‘okay.’GOLDBERG: Yeah, ‘okay’ can mean a lot of different things. Physically, spiritually. GIMPLE: I think he needs a couple of pints at least.
We can all assume Scott Gimple is talking about blood, but after being shot and left for dead by Colby Minifie's Virginia, Morgan could probably down a few beers as well. (R.I.P. Jimbo.) The character's chances were seemingly lowered even more in the footage we've seen from Season 6 so far. It's chilling to see his eyes go completely red like they did in the trailer's final seconds, since I can't imagine a cause that isn't just "yeah, he's definitely a walker now." A fan question was posed about Morgan's red eyes, and Andrew Chambliss at least confirmed that Morgan isn't bothered by pollen. In his words:
Yes, that was definitely Morgan with the red eyes. It’s not allergies. There is something going on with Morgan.
The character that now has possession of Morgan's stuff delivered a warning that was ominous for all the reasons. He went looking for Morgan's body and didn't find it, and though he almost definitely assumes that Morgan is a walker now, fans still have a sliver of hope that such villainous assumptions are destined to be thwarted. We can hope for Morgan to come swooping in at the most opportune time to save Alicia, Strand and other characters from Virginia, only to explain later that every single blood vessel inside his head burst, leading to his gross red eyes. Or that he stumbled into a food coloring processing plant and fell into a vat eyeball-first. Something along those lines.
While Lennie James didn't quite address the question of Morgan's fate head-on, he did field a fan question regarding his burgeoning relationship with Karen David's Grace in a way that touched upon his hopes for the future. (Sure, he's probably just versed in how to answer these kinds of spoiler-avoiding questions, but still.) In his words:
I’m interested to see where that might go and what that might look like. Being Morgan ain’t gonna be easy. Ain’t gonna be easy. Ain’t gonna be running over hills holding hands.
Is there a potential future where a non-walker Morgan not only still alive, but is healthy enough to engage in a romantic relationship with Grace, even if they're not running across hills? The ayes don't have it if Morgan's eyes are a sign. Check out the Season 6 trailer below and judge for yourself what Morgan's situation will be when the new episodes arrive.
Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 is set to premiere on AMC on Sunday, October 11, at 9:00 p.m. ET. Be sure to tune in and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more on the show, and bookmark our Fall 2020 TV premiere schedule to see what else is premiering during the back half of 2020.
