Madison Clark’s (Kim Dickens) death in Season 4 of AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead should have given fans a decisive finish to the character. After all, she locked herself inside the Dell Stadium with an ungodly amount of walkers and was never seen again.
But, as with a lot of TV shows and movies, if you haven’t seen the body, it’s open season for them to return at some point down the track.
And, it is exactly this that keeps the fans hoping that Madison will show up.
Since Season 4, the series showrunners have swung between confirming that Madison died at the stadium and giving more ambiguous answers that seem to confirm she is still alive somewhere within the Fear the Walking Dead universe.
Once again, this is the case after the series co-showrunner, Ian Goldberg, discussed the character during a recent interview.
Madison’s legacy continues in Fear the Walking Dead
According to Comic Book, in an interview with TWDUniverse on Twitch, Goldberg spoke out about Madison’s legacy living on since Season 4 of Fear the Walking Dead.
“Madison has never not been a presence on this show, even after her exit in the middle of Season 4 after her sacrifice for her family,” Goldberg explained. “Her legacy has continued to live on, and we saw that this season through Alicia, and that will certainly continue as well.”
Goldberg is likely talking more specifically about a recent Season 6 episode in which Madison’s daughter, Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey), met up with survivors from the Dell Stadium. Alicia had assumed that they had perished at the stadium or soon after, but it turned out that these people, headed by Cole (Sebastian Sozzi), had survived and were now attacking random survivors that they came across on the road.
During the episode, Madison’s legacy was discussed in great detail between Alicia and Cole and, by the close of the episode, Alicia was still convinced her mother had been doing the right thing by helping people, even though Cole’s group had turned into adversaries.
Also, because the title had been called “Mother” and the reveal of Cole’s inclusion released ahead of the first airdate, many viewers were hoping for a return of Madison then, but that turned out not to be the case. By the End of Season 6, Madison had still not shown up, leaving fans questioning — once again — if she ever would.
Could Madison return in Season 7?
Potentially, Madison could show up in the next season of Fear the Walking Dead and Goldberg even hinted at this when he spoke further about the character.
“What we have planned beyond that, we’ll see. That’s pretty much as much as I can really say about it,” he stated.
Once more, this has left viewers wondering if Madison is still alive or if the showrunners are just messing with them. Unfortunately, until Season 7 airs, the question remains.
Fear the Walking Dead has been renewed by AMC for a seventh season but, as yet, no release date has officially been announced.