Although only a few episodes remain, Fear The Walking Dead teases briefly in episode 9 that one of its best villains may return – and it’s not Troy.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Fear The Walking Dead season 8, episode 9.
Summary
- Fear The Walking Dead season 8, episode 9 teases the return of a major villain, but it’s not Troy.
- Strand, who previously redeemed himself, may be reverting back to his villainous ways in the battle for PADRE.
- Balancing Strand’s character growth and maintaining his relationship with his husband while still fighting for PADRE’s safety will be crucial.
With Fear The Walking Dead rapidly approaching the show’s end, episode 9 teasing a major villain return may be surprising, because it isn’t Daniel Sharman’s Troy. Fear The Walking Dead season 8’s cast has already included numerous shock returns, such as Charlie (Alexa Nisenson) and Troy. Fear The Walking Dead has featured a string of sinister antagonists during its run, ranging from Proctor John – a ruthless leader unfazed by violence – to Virginia, leader of the Pioneers with a tendency for torture.
With Fear The Walking Dead season 8’s focus still heavily on PADRE, Troy’s desire for revenge against Madison after she tried to kill him, and Troy’s search for his missing daughter, this new tease is surprising. There seems to be enough narrative threads to tie up before the spinoff concludes. Unlike Troy, who started as an antagonist and stayed that way, Fear The Walking Dead‘s new teased returning villain has undergone numerous character shifts, adding a layer of complexity that changes the complexion of the final episodes.
Fear The Walking Dead Is Setting Up Strand’s Season 8 Villain Turn
Strand looked to have redeemed himself as “Anton”
Victor Strand (Colman Domingo) exhibited antagonistic traits from early on in Fear The Walking Dead. While he helped Madison (Kim Dickens) and her group at first, he remained tense around them, since his main goal at the time was to reunite with his own partner. Strand remained morally ambiguous thereafter, but by season 7, had taken over The Tower following the Texas nuclear explosion and started a dictatorship, becoming a fully-fledged villain. While his newfound community thrived, his ruthlessness put him at great odds with his friends, and led to the senseless killing of anyone who crossed him.
Since reconciling with Alicia in Fear The Walking Dead season 7’s ending, Strand has atoned by helping others and starting a new life as “Anton.” In Fear The Walking Dead season 8, episode 9, “Sanctuary,” however, a final scene echoes Strand’s actions from his dictatorship days. It is revealed that Strand has captured Troy Otto’s young child, despite being aware that Troy is desperately looking for her, and he tells the frightened Tracy that she is going to help save PADRE, presumably by leveraging her safety for Troy’s surrender. Involving an innocent child in the battle for PADRE hints toward Strand’s “Tower” persona resurfacing once again before Fear The Walking Dead ends.
Why Strand Becoming A FTWD Villain Again Wouldn’t Work
Quite apart from the short amount of time left to juggle Strand and Troy as villains, some things Strand did before Fear The Walking Dead season 8, like reforming after his villain era, mean that a reversion to a ruthless dictatorship would diminish his character growth and risk depriving him of a satisfying closing arc. In Strand’s new community, he emphasizes second chances and facilitating a space for “the dispossessed, the desperate, the weary.” Before, he banished or killed those who opposed his views. Taking child hostages leans more toward the latter, less ethical version of Strand.
With Strand’s focus is on establishing PADRE as the safe haven Alicia believed it to be, going full-villain to achieve this would undermine the remorse shown at the end of season 7. Alicia claimed that she didn’t save Strand from the burning Tower just so that he could fix PADRE, but also because she loved him. Their bittersweet farewell and heartfelt statement of love and appreciation for each other falls flat if Strand becomes a villain again after Alicia pulled him out of despair after his dictatorship collapsed.
How Fear TWD Can Find Balance Between “Strand” & “Anton”
Since “Anton” has a husband and child, his stakes in the battle against Troy are high. Being a dictator-level villain again could jeopardize Strand’s relationship with Frank, his husband, who met him when he was a gentle, caring man. Moreover, Strand previously admitted to Madison, “I could be the person that Alicia thought I could be. But I could only do it as someone else – as Anton.” By finding a balance between the cut-throat tactics of Tower-era Strand and the kind heart of Anton, Victor can properly honor Alicia.
This way, Strand can be the man Frank and Klaus believe him to be, while still striving toward the goal of making PADRE a safe place by showing the occasional ruthless streak surviving a zombie apocalypse requires. By eliminating power plays, senseless violence, and child kidnap, Strand can preserve his development as a person while still fighting for what he believes in. Repeating this already-resolved storyline can be avoided by focusing only on Troy as Fear The Walking Dead‘s final villain instead of bumping Strand to villain status again.
