Summary

• The Travis Fear the Walking Dead death was a shocking moment in the franchise, but it pushed the show in intriguing new directions.
• Viewers may have seen Travis' death coming due to actor Cliff Curtis joining the Avatar sequels, but it still had a significant impact on the show.
• Killing off Travis allowed other characters to have the spotlight and drove the story forward, making it the fitting end for Fear the Walking Dead season 3.

The Travis Fear The Walking Dead death was one of the most shocking in a franchise filled with those moments. Few predicted the runaway success of AMC’s The Walking Dead series when it was first announced. Based on the cult graphic novel by Robert Kirkman, the show follows a group of survivors as they adjust to a world turned upside down by a zombie outbreak. While the show weathered some behind-the-scene issues during its first few seasons — such as the firing of original showrunner Frank Darabont — the great Walking Dead cast of characters, soap opera plotlines, and intense gore kept fans hooked week after week.

However, like the comic, The Walking Dead series wasn’t afraid to kill off major characters with little warning either. The show's continued success led to a prequel series called Fear The Walking Dead, with the first season airing in 2015. Fear The Walking Dead introduced new lead characters, Travis Manawa and Madison Clark (Kim Dickens), a couple who tried to keep their family together in the early days of the zombie outbreak. Much like Rick Grimes, Travis was Fear The Walking Dead's moral compass, but he gradually adjusted to the harshness of the new world. This makes the Travis death in Fear the Walking Dead even more confusing.

Travis' Fear The Walking Dead Death Explained

The Travis Fear the Walking Dead death scene is quite abrupt. In the episode “The New Frontier,” Travis is shot in the neck while he and Madison’s daughter Alicia escape in a helicopter. Travis – who was secretly bitten before in Fear the Walking Dead – decides to jump out of the helicopter rather than put the other survivors in danger. Travis’s death was a turning point for Fear The Walking Dead and proved the show wasn’t afraid to take risks. His demise later empowered Madison to take charge and do what she felt necessary to survive in the new world.

Those following the career of Cliff Curtis offscreen probably foresaw the Travis Fear the Walking Dead death scene coming, however. It was announced in 2017 that the actor was joining the cast of James Cameron’s Avatar sequels as Tonowari, leader of Pandora’s Reef people. Curtis wouldn’t have been able to split his time between filming the Avatar sequels and Travis on Fear The Walking Dead, and a significant role in a blockbuster movie franchise would always be the more tempting offer. Travis is missed by Fear The Walking Dead viewers, but his loss helped push the show in intriguing new directions.

Other Shocking Character Deaths On Fear The Walking Dead

The Travis Fear the Walking Dead death scene isn't the only shocking demise in the series. While season 6 featured some of the most unexpected character deaths, there are more surprising fatalities peppered throughout the show. Particularly tragic is the scene during which Travis' son Chris dies in Fear the Walking Dead season 2. No one could've predicted his death at the hands of two murderers. Chris' dramatic coming-of-age moments added a lot of down-to-earth beats sprinkled into the gory series, so it remained sad to see him go. Travis' son dies after Brandon and Derek shoot him in the head in the wake of his car accident.

How Jeremiah Otto Sr. died was totally unexpected. While he and Madison argue, a gun is dropped on the table. Mid-sentence, Nick picks up the gun and shoots Jeremiah in the head. This was highly unexpected, as previous episodes showed that Jeremiah was mentoring Nick, proving an allegiance between the two. In addition, Virginia's Fear the Walking Dead season 6 death came through unforeseen means. She was a formidable antagonist throughout season 6 but was eventually captured by Morgan and given a deal that she and her daughter should be evicted to the wasteland. Before that deal could go through, June assassinated her in cold blood.

Why Travis Was Killed Off On Fear The Walking Dead

Fear The Walking Dead showrunner Dave Erickson admitted that Travis was supposed to last longer on the series, but his early exit allowed other characters to have the spotlight (via Looper). In fact, many viewers would argue that Fear the Walking Dead actually improved in quality following the major character's death. Here is what Erickson had to say about the death:

"His attitude was, had I protected my son, had I refused to let my son go, he would be alive right now. So enough of morality, enough of this sort of ethical barometer that I've been following. He's going to do for the surrogate son what he failed to do for his biological son. I think what it came down to was — and this is what it always comes down to when there's a death of a character — is what is the impact that death has on the surroundings? What impact would Travis' death have on Madison, have on Alicia and have on Nick, and how does that drive a story?"

While killing off Travis was clearly prompted by Curtis earning bigger roles in Hollywood movies, Erickson clearly lays out how it was the best way for the story to progress too. While many viewers think that Travis' death came out of nowhere, it was the perfect way to end Travis' redemption story. The character sacrifices himself to save Nick, which was the most important thing Travis could have done, and it's something that Travis didn't do for his own son. In that respect, even though Erickson admitted that there were other story ideas where Travis didn't die, the character's death was ultimately the fitting end for Fear the Walking Dead season 3.