Is Fear The Walking Dead gradually turning Lennie James' Morgan into a villain?! Since Rick Grimes mysteriously disappeared without a trace, no character has enjoyed a longer run in the zombie apocalypse than Morgan Jones, who debuted in The Walking Dead season 1 over a decade ago. Starting out as Rick's trusted ally, Morgan became unpredictable and violent following the death of his son, before finding zen through the art of Aikido. Clashes against the Wolves and Saviors bought out Morgan's darker side once again, but switching to Fear The Walking Dead finally refocused his protagonist virtues - seemingly for good.
Given the current landscape in Fear The Walking Dead season 7, Morgan might just find himself longing for the good old days of Alexandria. He may have found love with Grace and an adopted daughter in Mo, but Morgan failed to prevent Teddy - season 6's crazed cult leader - launching a nuclear strike. Now half of Texas is dripping in fallout, and Morgan's group are barely surviving on a disused submarine. Making matters worse, Fear The Walking Dead's cat-like Victor Strand has landed on his feet, establishing himself as dictator of The Tower. As Strand refuses to share the love, Morgan goes to war against this new nemesis... and might be reconnecting with those ruthless instincts once again.
In Fear The Walking Dead season 7's "Mourning Cloak," Morgan has sent Charlie - a youngster only just turning 13-years-old - alone on a mission to The Tower. She must switch off the settlement's massive roof searchlight, drawing away Victor Strand's protective zombie horde and allowing Morgan's forces to swoop in for a direct assault. In order to infiltrate The Tower, Charlie must first prove her worth and earn Howard's trust, and this means an expedition into zombie-infested territory. Though Charlie finds the elevator parts she's tasked to retrieve, the proximity of nuclear zombies gives her fatal radiation poisoning. On one hand, you could say Morgan respected Charlie's abilities, and looked past her age to let her play an important role in Strand's defeat. On the other, you could say Morgan just sent a 12-year-old child to her death.
And this isn't the first instance of Morgan stupidity we've seen in Fear The Walking Dead season 7. Back when the feud against Victor Strand first started, the pair struck a reasonable bargain - Morgan would keep to himself unless Strand hurt any of their friends. Though Strand hasn't been the most magnanimous leader since then, he did honor that deal, taking in June, Wendell, and John Dorie Sr. without hurting them. Despite Strand proving true to his word, Morgan nonetheless launched an ill-advised poisoning attempt before Fear The Walking Dead season 7's winter break. The assassination went awry, and only succeeded in making Strand an even more dangerous enemy. Now, Morgan has followed up that massive fail by sending Charlie on a solo mission into enemy territory. He perhaps should've assumed The Tower would force its new guest to complete some kind of dangerous initiation before trusting her, but Morgan willfully let Charlie proceed regardless.
Fear The Walking Dead poses a bigger question, then - is Morgan Jones allowing a deep hatred of Victor Strand and a desperate desire to succeed as a leader cloud his judgement? After the backfired murder attempt and Charlie contracting radiation poisoning, Morgan is either losing his strategic coolness, or doesn't care who gets hurt so long as Strand dies in the end. Neither is a great look, and once Morgan's victory is assured, he might begin to feel twinges of guilt over how he won the war.
Fear The Walking Dead continues Sundays on AMC.