Several Fear the Walking Deadcrossover characters from The Walking Dead appeared in the spin-off, including some of the parent show's main characters. When The Walking Dead's short first season aired on AMC in 2010, it earned raves and high viewership numbers, which only increased as the seasons went on. By the end of season 5, The Walking Dead was hitting its highest levels yet, leading AMC to launch the prequel series Fear the Walking Dead. While Fear the Walking Dead had its own cast of characters which it followed at the start of the zombie apocalypse, it wasn't long before characters from The Walking Dead crossed over.
There have been many more Walking Dead spinoffs after the main show ended, with varying levels of connection to the original show and all at different places in the timeline. Unlike The Walking Dead: Dead City or Daryl Dixon, which are spinoffs focused on specific TWD characters, Fear the Walking Dead remained separate from the original series until season 4. With the fourth season came the appearance of several The Walking Dead crossover characters. While the then-newly-appointed central character Morgan is the most well-known, he's far from the only The Walking Dead character who appears in Fear the Walking Dead.
Morgan Jones Arrived In Season 4
Season 4, Episode 1: "What's Your Story?"
The first TWDcharacters in Fear the Walking Dead arrived in the season 4 premiere when Morgan Jones (Lennie James) joined the regular cast. Morgan had been in The Walking Dead almost from the beginning. Lennie James was part of the season 1 cast, and Morgan was one of the first survivors Rick Grimes encountered after awakening from his coma. Morgan lived at his home with his son Duane and befriended Rick. However, Morgan and Duane didn't follow when Rick left to find Laurie and Carl.
Morgan eventually caught back up with Rick later in The Walking Dead season 3 and then officially joined as a cast regular in season 4 (though, tragically, without Duane). By The Walking Dead season 8, Morgan was once again restless. He ended up going to the Heaps, and when Jadis left to join Rick Grimes's community, Morgan chose not to follow. His next appearance was in the Fear the Walking Dead season 4 premiere as the first Walking Dead crossover character. Lennie James was a main Fear the Walking Dead cast member until Morgan left midway through season 8 with his daughter Mo to find Rick Grimes.
Of all The Walking Dead characters to appear in Fear The Walking Dead, Morgan was easily the most well-received. His appearance was beneficial for both shows, too. Morgan has always been a fan-favorite TWD character, and one with a complex story that required no shortage of screen-time to satisfyingly explore. Moving him over to Fear The Walking Dead provided the narrative opportunity to do this. Since Fear had less main characters than TWD, it meant Morgan's complex personality and backstory could be showcased in the depth it deserved. Plus, the presence of such a beloved character helped pull in many perhaps-skeptical Walking Dead fans to the spinoff.
Rick Grimes Visited In Season 4
Season 4, Episode 1: "What's Your Story?"
Before Morgan fully transitioned from TWD to one of the main Fear the Walking Dead cast members, season 4's premiere began with Morgan at the junkyard formerly occupied by Jadis, where Morgan had been residing since the war with Negan's Saviors. While there, Morgan was visited by Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln).
Rick was the main protagonist in The Walking Dead series until he left in season 9. Rick's only purpose in Fear the Walking Dead was to visit Morgan and ask him to come back to Alexandria, but Morgan refused the request. Rick did say they were "connected" and that led to Morgan's final decision to find Rick when he left Fear the Walking Dead.
Whether the Rick Grimes cameo in Fear the Walking Dead was beneficial or necessary is debatable. While it was certainly a surprise to see Rick in Fear the Walking Dead, and it did help the spin-off feal more connected to the wider world of the franchise, it ultimately had little significance for the plot of either show. Perhaps if it had been timed a little differently, with Rick tracking down Morgan at a point in the narrative that meant Andrew Lincoln's TWD character interacted with some of the other characters in Fear, it would have felt more impactful.
Carol Pelletier Visited In Season 4
Season 4, Episode 1: "What's Your Story?"
Carol Pelletier (Melissa McBride) was another Fear The Walking Dead crossover character who made a cameo in the fourth season to increase the connections between the spinoff and parent show. Carol also came to visit Morgan at the junkyard to convince him to come back to their group of survivors and the community they'd built. Morgan refused her, just as he did Rick.
Carol is a domestic abuse survivor who went on to become one of the strongest characters in The Walking Dead .
Carol is a domestic abuse survivor who went on to become one of the strongest characters in The Walking Dead. She was also one of the few who debuted in the first season and survived to the end. Carol didn't make another appearance in Fear the Walking Dead, but she will be in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2, which has the working title of The Book of Carol.
Much like Rick Grimes, the brief Carol cameo in Fear the Walking Dead was a nice nod to TWD, though it ultimately didn't matter for the wider narrative of either show. For the same reasons as Rick, there's definitely an argument about timing. Having Carol appear in Fear the Walking Dead at a point when she could interact with some of the spinoff characters would certainly have felt more satisfying, though there's also admittedly little narrative justification for this to have happened.
Jesus Visited In Season 4
Season 4, Episode 1: "What's Your Story?"
The final Walking Dead character who appeared in Fear the Walking Dead season 4 was Jesus (Tom Payne). Jesus also shows up with Rick and Carol to attempt to convince Morgan to return with him. The reason for this is that Rick represented Alexandria, Carol was with The Kingdom, and Jesus spoke for the Hilltop.
It was not much of a surprise that Morgan rejected Jesus, as he was closer to Rick and Carol and told both of them no. Jesus joined The Walking Dead in season 6, but didn't live to the end, dying when the Whisperers attacked. He didn't make a second appearance on Fear the Walking Dead before his death in the main show.
Of all The Walking Dead cameos in Fear the Walking Dead, the appearance of Jesus felt like the most inconsequential. While it made sense for Rick and Carol to track down Morgan given their history, including Jesus did feel a little like an excuse to have another tacked-on TWD character in Fear. Yes, it may technically be because the three communities each wanted a representative, but even this justification felt a little like an excuse, since nobody would have batted an eyelid if Hilltop hadn't sent somebody to look for Morgan.
Dwight Joined The Cast In Season 5
Season 5, Episode 3: "Hambug's Gulch"
Dwight (Austin Amelio) was a villain in The Walking Dead, and he even killed one of the survivors when he put an arrow into the head of Denise. He served under Negan, but was constantly pushed around and even lost his wife Sherry thanks to the Saviors leader. Dwight ended up helping Rick Grimes' survivors beat Negan and stop the threat. However, because of his past actions, Daryl Dixon allowed him to live but banished him. Dwight left to find Sherry and ended up on Fear the Walking Dead.
Dwight first showed up as a Fear the Walking Dead crossover character in season 5 of the spinoff, when he attacked John Dorie (Garret Dillahunt) and June (Jenna Elfman), delirious and still searching for Sherry. After appearing on Fear the Walking Dead he became a major part of that cast, which allowed him to finally wrap up his story by finding Sherry after their long separation. Sadly, Dwight and Sherry ended their marriage again after the death of their son.
Like Morgan, Dwight was a great The Walking Dead cast member to include as a main character in Fear the Walking Dead. The spin-off elevated him from a relatively minor character to a fully-fleshed out presence in the TWD universe, and one with an incredibly engaging backstory to boot. Not only did it increase the connectivity between the two shows, but it enhanced rewatching the episodes of The Walking Dead in which Dwight made an appearance.
Sherry Arrived In Season 6
Season 6, Episode 3: "Alaska"
When Dwight's wife Sherry (Christine Evangelista) was in The Walking Dead, she and Dwight were part of the Saviors under Negan — who was allowed to take any bride he wanted. He demanded that Sherry become one of his brides and even scarred Dwight's face with a hot iron. This led to Sherry not only running away from Negan but leaving Dwight as well.
When Dwight showed up on Fear the Walking Dead he was searching for his wife and found Sherry in season 6. This reunion led to some shocking moments, including the birth and tragic death of their son, working for PADRE, and the end of Dwight and Sherry's marriage. For the same reasons as Dwight, Sherry was a worthwhile crossover character from TWD to add to the Fear the Walking Dead roster.
Duane Jones Made A Surprising Return In Season 8
Season 8, Episode 4: "King County"
One of the most shocking Fear the Walking Dead crossover characters was Duane Jones (Adrian Kali Turner). Duane was Morgan's son who debuted in the first season of The Walking Dead. However, by the time Morgan and Rick reunited later in the main show, it was revealed that Duane had died and Morgan had set out on his own. However, there was one thing that Morgan never admitted — he'd left his reanimated son in their family home. In the Fear the Walking Dead episode "King County," Morgan returns home after explaining to Grace and Mo that the zombie Duane was still there.
Morgan explained he couldn't kill his son after he reanimated, and wanted help ensuring Duane could finally rest. When Mo went into the attic, the zombie child Duane was there and attacked. Morgan had to shoot his son in the head with the gun Rick gave him in the first season. It gave Morgan a chance to finally lay his son to rest and move on from that part of his past.
Having Duane appear in Fear the Walking Dead was certainly surprising, but in many ways, he was one of the most effective uses of a The Walking Dead character in the spinoff. It allowed Morgan's character arc to come full-circle, and added a degree of consequence and continuity to the wider TWD timeline. While Duane wasn't the most long-term Fear the Walking Dead crossover character, his appearance was certainly one of the most emotional of all returning The Walking Dead characters in the spinoff.
