Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Fear the Walking Dead season 6, episode 15, "USS Pennsylvania."

In the penultimate episode of Fear the Walking Dead season 6, Morgan (Lennie James) made a surprising choice by allowing Teddy (John Glover) and Riley (Nick Stahl) to walk free. The two characters haven’t been on the show for very long, but have emerged as the primary threats to Morgan’s group (and the world as a whole) for season 6.

It had recently reached Morgan’s attention that what Teddy intended for the key he stole was to use the nuclear arsenal of a submarine. In Fear the Walking Dead season 6, episode 15, titled “USS Pennsylvania”, Morgan led a small band of survivors into the submarine to stop Teddy from succeeding in his mission to unleash the missiles. Unfortunately, 10 warheads were released before Morgan and Strand (Colman Domingo) could make it to the weapons room. After having the two villains at his mercy, Morgan elected to let both leave unharmed.

Related: Why Won't Fear TWD Confirm Madison's Death?

Despite the fact that Teddy and Riley may have just doomed them all, Morgan chose not to retaliate, likely because killing them wouldn’t have served a real purpose. They had arrived too late to stop the warheads from being launched. What this means is that if Morgan did kill them, it wouldn’t have been anything more than a revenge killing. Revenge is something he has been willing to partake in before (such as the incident with the Savior named Jared in The Walking Dead season 8) but Morgan has grown a lot as a character since then and doesn’t share the same personal history and hatred for Teddy that he had for the Saviors and other enemies from his past.

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Morgan’s decision fits in well with who he is as a character right now. While it’s true that Morgan went back to killing at the beginning of season 6, it’s important to keep in mind that he was only willing to kill people who stood in the way of what he needed to do for the greater good. So with that being said, Killing Teddy and Riley in that moment really would have been pointless. The time for that had already passed.

Another possible factor that may have entered Morgan’s mind in this scene is Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey). Only Teddy and his people know where she’s being kept. If he had killed them, saving her might have become impossible. But since they’re still alive and presumably on the loose, Morgan and his allies may be able to send someone to discreetly track them in the hopes of finding her current location in the Fear the Walking Dead season 6 finale. Riley being captured in a sneak peek for the episode suggests that this may indeed be what happens. As for what will become of Teddy, that remains to be seen. His expectation was for them all to die, but if everything doesn’t go according to plan, John Glover’s character could evolve into a different kind of villain in season 7. Thus far, Teddy bas been focused and calm, but not getting the results he's after could make him unhinged.

More: Fear TWD Explains How Teddy Is So Different By Confirming Villain Theory