The story Fear the Walking Dead is telling for Victor Strand (Colman Domingo) in season 7 has created the perfect setup for Madison’s long-awaited return to the series. When Madison “died” in the fire at the baseball stadium in season 4, her death was confirmed by the showrunners, but that has since been walked back. Now, it feels like Kim Dickens’ Fear the Walking Dead character could come back at any time.
Over the last few seasons, comments from Fear the Walking Dead co-showrunners Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg have given hope to fans who want Madison back on the show. The two have consistently passed on chances to reaffirm their original position on Madison’s death, opting instead to tease the possibility of her return by pointing out that “we never saw her body”. There may not necessarily be a plan for Madison to suddenly show up and join Morgan’s group, but it does appear to be a plausible scenario at this point. Even though there was once little doubt that she’s dead, Madison reuniting with Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) and the others seems to be on the table for future stories.
While Madison’s return may not occur anytime soon (if at all), Fear the Walking Dead has turned season 7 into an ideal opportunity for such a twist to take place. Based on previous events in the series, a grand entrance from Madison could be the resolution the show is building toward with Strand’s season 7 story. In the season 7 premiere, Strand cold-bloodedly murdered Will to sever his connection with Alicia, thinking that she was the one person who could sway him from his current course. But if Madison really is alive, Alicia may not be the only character capable of reaching him. If she were to return, the strength of Strand’s bond with Madison could play a major factor in how season 7 ends.
Prior to Madison’s death, she was the member of the group that he had the closest relationship with, which is something that Strand acknowledged on more than one occasion. During the early seasons, Strand not giving in to his selfish impulses was owed in large part to Madison’s influence and role in his life. When taking how important Madison was to the now increasingly villain-like Victor Strand into consideration, it makes sense that she too would stand a chance at getting through to Strand. In fact, she’d likely be in a better position to save him from himself than Alicia ever could. Not only did they have a deeper connection, but finding out Madison is still alive would surely have a profound, emotional effect on him that Alicia would be incapable of creating.
The shock of seeing his long-lost friend could be the one thing that can shake Strand’s resolve in Fear the Walking Dead season 7. Thus far, he’s remained committed to embracing his true nature and building his empire, but meeting Madison again could present a significant challenge to that commitment. Now that Alicia has a reason to hate him, Morgan’s group may not boast any characters who can talk Strand down, but Madison’s return might provide a pathway for Strand’s season 7 story to have a peaceful ending.