By focusing so much on Morgan (Lennie James) and other characters, Fear the Walking Dead season 7 is completely ignoring a much better rival for Strand (Colman Domingo) – Daniel Salazar (Ruben Blades). Throughout the first half of the season, Morgan has been the biggest obstacle to Strand’s goals. Their ideological differences and the bitter rivalry that exists between them have been integral to FTWD season 7’s story.
Morgan and Strand have always been of different viewpoints when it comes to morality. While there was a period where Strand – much like everyone in the group – had seemingly decided to embrace Morgan’s ways, that time has long since passed. As a result of Strand’s actions on the submarine, season 7 kicked off with the two being on bad terms, but their conflict has progressed to a point where each has tried to kill the other. With the way things are going, open warfare between the two characters appears imminent. Morgan’s shocking decision to poison Strand has caused the villain to go from bad to worse.
Though the conflict brewing between Morgan and Strand has been filled with exciting developments, there’s still a sense that Fear the Walking Dead is missing a huge opportunity with Strand’s story. Thus far, Strand’s original Fear the Walking Dead rival – Daniel – has only appeared in a few scenes and hasn’t had anything meaningful to do in any of the season’s eight released episodes. What makes that so problematic is the history they share. Their dynamic predates Strand’s feud with Morgan by a few years. As the character who has consistently stood up to Strand called him out when he makes mistakes, it would be fitting if Daniel – and not Morgan – was leading the fight against Strand.
Daniel rising up to take on Strand would have been the natural progression of the show’s story. When Strand was trying to redeem himself, Daniel correctly predicted that it wouldn’t last because he knew what kind of person Strand really was. Everything that’s happened in Fear the Walking Dead season 7 has proven that Daniel was right about him from the very beginning. With that in mind, Daniel would have been the perfect character to challenge him and ultimately take him down. How Strand will be defeated still remains to be seen, but the direction the show is taking suggests that the one who beats him won’t be Daniel.
Though it’s possible that the show does have plans to give Daniel Salazar his own episode, it won’t be able to compare with the arcs it’s given characters like Morgan, who have been featured heavily throughout the season. Considering that the show hasn’t even taken the time to reflect on Daniel’s opinion of the situation with Strand, it looks like he won’t be getting the role he deserves in Fear the Walking Dead season 7. Instead, Morgan is poised to continue on as the hero of the story.