Fear The Walking Dead Morgan’s Zombie Immunity Explained

Fear the Walking Dead showrunner Andrew Chambliss explains Morgan's immunity to walkers in the season 6 premiere that showed Morgan's fate.

Fear the Walking Dead showrunner explains Morgan's immunity to walkers. Since his introduction in the first episode of AMC's The Walking Dead, Lennie James' Morgan has had quite the journey. Like most characters in the series, he experienced traumatic events and losses but appeared to severely suffer from PTSD and delusions because of it. Throughout the show, he proved to be a bit of a wild card, going from being on the brink of insanity to living with a peaceful and anti-violence philosophy, only to snap back into a cold-blooded killer. Season 8's final battle led Morgan to step away from the group and go off on his own journey of healing, crossing over to Fear the Walking Dead, the show's first spin-off series.

Morgan has been a recurring character on Fear the Walking Dead since his transition onto the series in season 4. The premiere episode of season 6 aired on AMC Sunday night following a season 5 cliffhanger that questioned Morgan's fate after being shot and left for dead by Virginia (Colby Minifie). The trailer and poster for season 6 showed Morgan with bloodshot eyes, causing fans to speculate what could be wrong with him. The season 6 premiere showed Morgan still alive after being saved and treated by a mysterious medic. His wound bursts open, resulting in a bad smell, which benefits Morgan, who can move along with the walkers without being attacked.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Fear the Walking Dead showrunner, Andrew Chambliss explains that Morgan's walker immunity comes from his near-death scent. Chambliss notes that Morgan's smell has tricked the walkers into believing he is one of them. "He's so close to death, and that wound had been sadly treated by a mystery person, and it really is just kind of emitting the stench of death," said Chambliss. "And that is what kind of gives him almost this super-power where he can walk amongst the dead without being noticed."

Chambliss discussed the moment when Morgan yells at the walkers to get their attention as they continue to pass by without noticing him. "That is really about Morgan just trying to prove to himself that he's not gone yet," said Chambliss. "I think there's something very scary when you're living in this world where every moment of your life is about avoiding these walkers. But then when they start ignoring you, that's really disconcerting. And I think it really, for Morgan, shows just how close he is to death."

In Robert Kirkman's comic books, Morgan died after being bitten by a walker when a herd breached Alexandria's gates, which would have been around season 6 of the show. Morgan's longevity in both Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead is surprising but also feels full-circle since he has been around since the beginning. With so many characters from the early seasons leaving the show in the last few years, like Rick and Michonne, it seems likely that Morgan's time could be up soon. Though the character has received polarizing reactions from fans throughout seasons, it's hard to deny that Morgan is an intriguing character who has had a fascinating story of survival.