Much like the flagship show, Fear The Walking Dead included numerous deaths per season, some more impactful than others. Fear The Walking Dead‘s series finale was more conclusive than the main show, ending with the remaining characters heading off in separate directions to help others. In the spirit of tying up loose ends, Fear The Walking Dead also saw a major antagonist’s death in the penultimate episode, namely Troy Otto’s.
The Walking Dead‘s character deaths that are saddest are often the most sudden or shocking, such as Beth’s death in season 5 and Glenn and Abraham’s in season 7. Fear The Walking Dead also depicted painful deaths like Grace’s in season 8. With that being said, sometimes the most impactful deaths weren’t the saddest. For instance, in the main show, Shane’s death opened space for Rick to fully step up and adjust to leading a group in an apocalypse. Similarly, some of the most notable deaths in each season of Fear The Walking Dead were because of their effect on the story or a character’s individual arc.
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8 Charlie
Season 8, Episode 8, “Iron Tiger”
While Grace’s death was difficult since it forced Morgan and Mo to say goodbye to a loved one, and Troy’s death was tough because there was sympathy for his goal of protecting his daughter Tracy, Charlie’s death was arguably more impactful. Charlie’s story started in season 4 when she was part of the Vultures. After killing Nick, her character development truly started and focused on her finding redemption through doing good deeds and becoming a part of Alicia and Morgan’s group.
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In season 8, Charlie faced her guilt again when Madison found out about what she did to Nick. In the ultimate act of redemption, Charlie enacted a plan. She not only destroyed the hotel Troy was at with an explosive tanker, but also killed herself to preserve PADRE’s location. This showed Madison how Alicia specifically chose forgiveness, which helped Charlie become a better person. Although Madison’s group couldn’t keep PADRE’s location intact, Charlie’s sacrifice allowed them to prevent Troy from seizing it. As Charlie put it, “[PADRE is] what Alicia wanted. And it’s how Nick’s death can mean something,” giving her own death a more emotional aspect.
7 Will
Season 7, Episode 1, “The Beacon”
Will’s time on the show wasn’t long, but his connection to Alicia was crucial. Will was the one who informed Alicia about PADRE, thus setting up the seasons-long arc centered around finding this supposed safe haven. Additionally, Will’s death directly instigated the war between Alicia and Victor Strand in season 7, since Alicia’s knowledge that Strand caused his death was her last straw.
Will not fulfilling Alicia’s wishes to be put down if she showed signs of turning arguably kept her alive long enough to build a positive legacy. His kindness and belief in Alicia’s mission represented a lingering sense of morality and hope. This was revealed in flashbacks of him that Alicia experienced when on the verge of death and ones Victor had when feeling guilty about his actions at the Tower.
6 John Dorie
Season 6, Episode 8, “The Door”
Even though multiple deaths occurred in season 6 – like Dakota’s, Virginia’s, and Grace’s stillborn baby Athena – John Dorie’s was by far the most gut-wrenching because of how it happened and his impact on the show. Interestingly, John’s death came about when he was mentally not in the best place as he was considering suicide. However, Morgan helped prevent this seemingly pointlessly because Dakota shot John in the same episode after he realized she was the one who killed Cameron at Lawton.
This devastated June when she found him as a walker and put him down. Not only was John’s death a disservice to his character, but it altered June’s trajectory since she killed Virginia as a result, using the same weapon Dakota used on John. Even in season 8, the impact of his death was felt as seen in Morgan’s flashes of John’s death. While the obvious grief was difficult for June and John Dorie Sr., who only joined the show after John’s death, its effect extended to story reveals, such as John Dorie Sr.’s closure after June told him John forgave him for his abandonment.
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5 Logan
Season 5, Episode 13, “Leave What You Don’t”
Logan had one of the more shocking antagonist deaths. Although it wasn’t necessarily sad and didn’t have a major emotional impact on the main characters, season 5’s other deaths weren’t as crucial to the plot’s progression. Logan’s character arc was interesting because he went from seemingly a simple antagonist to one whose motivations were rooted in trying to save someone in vain. While this didn’t excuse his villainous behavior, it belatedly gave a reason for it. Then, in the same episode, he’s shot by Virginia.
The timing of this made it impactful. Audiences were given a glimpse at Logan’s attempts to better himself when he tried to put a stop to the violence between his people and the main group. Killing him also concluded the arc with his group, leaving way for a much more devastating antagonist that led to even more deaths, namely Virginia and her rangers. Additionally, removing his character so suddenly right when he was showing signs of a redemptive arc, denied him a more conclusive Fear The Walking Dead story, thus indicating how the significance of deaths could extend to audiences’ expectations just as it could narrative progression.
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4 Nick Clark
Season 4, Episode 3, “Good Out Here”
Nick was the first main character audiences saw in the show in season 1. His character development was arguably one of the more drastic ones up until season 4, since he went from a self-interested drug addict to a truly formidable survivor, being the first character to use the classic Walking Dead guts method to mask his scent from walkers. Nick’s death in season 4 was heartbreaking because it came at a time when his character was finally showing signs of settling as he came to realize being with his family was where he felt he belonged.
Additionally, because his death was Charlie’s reaction to him killing Ennis, it’s even sadder. Nick had grown to care for Charlie prior to this. His death affected almost everyone in the show, from Luciana to Alicia. By season 8, Nick’s absence was reinforced with flashbacks Alicia, Morgan, and Madison experienced at different points. One of Nick’s biggest impacts was on how Alicia’s forgiveness towards Charlie set them both down a path to build a safe place for survivors, making his death have meaning. Even Troy being upset in season 8 when asking Charlie about Nick’s death showcased how long-lasting the effect of Nick’s death was.
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3 Jeremiah Otto
Season 3, Episode 8, “Children of Wrath”
Fear The Walking Dead season 3 included other notable deaths, such as Travis’ and Jake’s, but Jeremiah’s had an extensive impact. Jeremiah was certainly not a beloved character, but his death during the feud with Walker was somewhat of a shock since it was so quick. After Nick shot him in the head, he and Madison made it look like a suicide, even though Nick confessed to Troy in the following episode. As a direct cause, Jeremiah’s death helped end the attacks on Broke Jaw Ranch.
Additionally, both Nick and Madison experienced hallucinations or dreams that showed the death’s lingering effect. For Madison, it’s a dream sequence of those from the ranch at a Christmas dinner with Jeremiah’s head on a platter, and for Nick, it’s a hallucination of Troy where he insisted he saved him by killing his father. Troy’s behavior after Jeremiah’s death and the peace deal with Walker ultimately led to the ranch’s destruction, since he guided the herd there, which influenced Madison supposedly killing him. These latter details crop up again in season 8 when Troy returns, using the after-effects of Jermiah’s death to expand on the final arc of the series.
2 Chris Manawa
Season 2, Episode 14, “Wrath”
Chris was killed off in season 2 of Fear The Walking Dead, which was shown in a flashback. After Liza’s death, Chris exhibited major disregard for the safety of others in his group, like when he almost allowed Madison to die and then threatened Alicia not to tell anyone. This got progressively worse when he and Travis met Brandon, Derek, and James – a small survivor group. This group believed that difficult decisions were the only way to survive, such as killing a farm owner.
Moreover, his antagonistic streak ironically led to his own demise, since he got killed by the new group. This was a crucial turning point in Travis’ arc because he became much more hardened and even brutally killed Chris’ killers. While this new trajectory for Travis was short-lived since he died early in the following season, it highlighted perfectly how much Chris’ death affected him. Travis battled with guilt over letting Chris go and anger over losing his child, which ultimately altered his outlook for the rest of his time on the show.
1 Liza Ortiz
Season 1, Episode 6, “The Good Man”
Liza was one of the first main character deaths in Fear The Walking Dead. Her death started with a walker bite. To avoid turning, Liza opted for suicide, but couldn’t go through with it, so Travis mercy-killed her. This set off a chain reaction because her son Chris was devastated and blamed his father for going through with it. From this point, Chris was much angrier as he navigated through the trauma of losing his mother. This set him down a more isolated path of antagonism. Ultimately, numerous deaths throughout Fear The Walking Dead‘s eight seasons impacted character arcs and narrative progression just like its parent show did.
Fear the Walking Dead
- Release Date
- August 23, 2015
- Cast
- Cliff Curtis , Frank Dillane , mercedes mason , Elizabeth Rodriguez , Kim Dickens , Ruben Blades , lorenzo james henrie , Alycia Debnam-Carey , Colman Domingo
- Genres
- Drama , Horror
- Rating
- TV-MA
- Seasons
- 8
- Season List
- Andrew Chambliss
- Story By
- Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard
- Writers
- Ian Goldberg , Robert Kirkman , dave erickson , Andrew Chambliss
- Network
- AMC
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu , Amazon Prime Video
- Franchise(s)
- The Walking Dead
- Showrunner
- dave erickson , Ian Goldberg , Andrew Chambliss
