How does Morgan Jones make it all the way from The Walking Dead to Fear the Walking Dead? The Zen Master certainly found himself on a massive journey, both physically and mentally. Ever since we learned about it, fans have been waiting for the day that would see AMC’s zombie spinoff finally crossover with its flagship series. That day has finally come.
Fans have long theorized about how such an event could take place. One of the most popular theories suggested that Madison Clark, Fear The Walking Dead’s protagonist, would become the Whisperer leader Alpha. The theory presumed that Madison and her children would travel to Virginia, finding themselves on The Walking Dead as the catalyst for the Whisperer War. Another theory assumed that Abraham Ford would be the likely link between the two shows. But ultimately, it’s Morgan who has created a bridge between the two shows.
Morgan’s struggle with mental illness has been a focus of several episodes throughout the series. Much like Carol when she fled Alexandria in Season 6, Morgan left the group to come to grips with his trauma. He spent some time living in Jadis’ vacated garbage dump, but after constant visits from his friends entreating him to come back home, he was driven to put more distance between himself and the others. Morgan set out walking (and then running), and didn’t stop until he came across a lonely man (John Dorie) and a pushy journalist (Althea) in the middle of nowhere on Fear The Walking Dead.
This ragtag group then comes across a woman who has fallen to the ground, apparently injured, but when they stop to help her it turns out that this woman is actually Alicia Clark - and she’s tricked them into walking right into an ambush! Luciana, Nick and Strand are also present, and the episode ends with Alicia holding a knife to Althea’s throat. It looks like Fear the Walking Dead has made a big time skip to catch up with The Walking Dead, and a lot has happened during that time. Expect plenty of flashbacks this season to explain exactly what Alicia the others’ “story” is.
In the comic books, Morgan is long dead, having fallen victim to a walker bite when the herd breached the gates of Alexandria. In the context of the show, this would have taken place back in season 6, so Morgan’s survival made him a bit of wild card. One of Rick’s group members did in fact disappear after the brutality of All Out War. After dating and losing both Morgan and King Ezekiel, Michonne took off and found herself leading the life of a pirate with the members of Oceanside, but eventually returned to Alexandria to aid in the fight against the Whisperers. Morgan has seemingly stepped up to fill in for Michonne’s comic book role, which could put a twist on the Whisperer theory, as Madison’s group could show up just in time to save the day - rather than being the villains themselves.
For years, fans suspected a crossover between The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead was basically inevitable. And for years, those directly involved with the two series constantly shut down any hopes viewers had about the two worlds potentially colliding. In 2015, Robert Kirkman proclaimed the idea of a crossover illogical. Just last year, Fear The Walking Dead star Daniel Sharman (Troy Otto) called a crossover a “bad idea.” Let’s hope that he was wrong, and Morgan’s journey from the original show to its spinoff serves to make both shows more interesting.
