Fear the Walking Dead has never been afraid to try new and unexpected things. The show has killed off core characters, crossed over with the original show’s characters, and had Alicia fight off zombies in a water park. During their New York Comic Con panel, which featured a sneak peek of the season six premiere, we got confirmation that the show is trying a new format… and bringing in a frightening new character.
(Spoilers through season five of Fear the Walking Dead.)
Last season followed Morgan (Lennie James), Alicia (Alicia Debmam-Carey), and the rest of the crew as they tried to spread goodness in the world. Their efforts were brought to a screeching halt when they crossed paths with Colby Minifie’s Virginia and her Pioneer group. After a big disagreement, Virginia forces the group to split up before shooting Morgan and leaving him for dead.
While previous trailers for the season have confirmed that Morgan survived somehow, we don’t get confirmation of his fate in the first few minutes. Starting just a minute into the panel, the opening of the episode focused on somebody completely new.
The last time Fear the Walking Dead opened with the image of a mysterious person at a campfire, we met the extremely lovable and kind cowboy John Dory (Garrett Dillahunt). But the bounty hunter we’re introduced to during this preview appears to be much more ruthless and cruel. As he sits down to enjoy some beans with Tabasco sauce, something trips his proximity alarm. Upon closer inspection, it’s a disheveled man.
The bounty hunter invites the man to sit down and enjoy some delicious beans—but before the man can get the secret recipe, a dog appears. While the man is distracted, the bounty hunter names the dog and removes the man’s head from his body. As he places the undead head in a box, Virginia’s voice crackles through the radio. She requests that the bounty hunter find Morgan… and discover if he’s alive or dead.
While Fear the Walking Dead season five was more of a linear story, the cast and crew told us that season six would be an anthology show. We’ll follow different characters having individual adventures that may or may not tie together right away.
The new story format and bounty hunter character will definitely inject more life into this undead spinoff. Luckily we don’t have to wait too long to see how everything plays out. Fear the Walking Dead premieres on October 11th.
