Morgan Jones — a character we were introduced to in the first season of The Walking Dead — knows something that we don’t, and he’s not letting on what it is. Jones has run through a gamut of emotions and events that have drastically changed the man who — in the first season — was ecstatic to just be able to enjoy a fresh shower alongside Rick, and his own son.
But, the cold, unforgiving post-apocalyptic world of The Walking Dead was none too kind to Morgan Jones who, by the third season, had lost his child and his mind. In the season three episode, “Clear,” Morgan is a vastly changed man. He’s alone, holed up in a makeshift artillery bunker, surrounded by booby traps and clad in full-body armor. It is only after Rick, Carl and Michonne subdue the unhinged Morgan, that we get a glimpse into the workings of a man on the edge of sanity. Claiming that he “knows no one anymore,” Morgan stabs Rick, then pleads with him to kill him. After speaking for a while, Rick tries to convince Morgan to join him and his group, but Morgan refuses, noting that death will soon claim all of them — Morgan was seemingly a man without conviction and a man without a purpose.
Things change though, when in the Season 5 premiere we are treated to a scene that shows Morgan coming across a sign for Terminus, which Rick edited with the phrase, “No Sanctuary.” Morgan follows the trail, which is marked with ominous tree-etchings:
We’re not privy to Morgan’s entire journey, only witnessing scant scenes in which he is shown traveling by the markers, most notably at the mid-season finale this past weekend in which the tree-markings lead Morgan to the church that was formally occupied by Rick and his people. Does Morgan know what he’s searching for or is he on a quixotic journey towards something that he is not aware of yet? Here are a few theories gathered by myself, other UPROXX contributors, and fans of TWD on internet forums. Nothing is scripture here, just speculation. But, somewhere in these threads of curiosity lies the truth, a truth that will hopefully come to light in February when TWD’s fifth season continues.
1.) Morgan is on a quest to find Rick in hopes of bringing “faith” to him.
In Season 3’s “Clear,” Morgan is clearly a man without faith. He has lost everything. In this powerful scene from that episode, you get a true sense of the despair and emptiness Morgan’s soul is flooded with, when he posits that if Carl isn’t dead yet, “he will be.”
Yet, something has seemingly drastically changed Morgan’s sense of humanity and mortality. In “Coda,” the season 5 mid-season finale, Morgan finds the church, and places three artifacts on the altar: a snack pack, a bullet, and a rabbit’s foot. He also sets the cross upright on the altar and kneels down before it; it seems faith has entered this man’s life again. Perhaps it’s this renewed sense of faith that Morgan wants to share with Rick. He wants to give him the gift of belief that he never had, that perhaps he thinks Rick is void of. It’s a noble quest and theory, but it also has one large gaping hole in it — when Morgan picks up a map, left by Abraham showing Rick the way to D.C. — Morgan seems genuinely surprised, and shocked. If he was looking for Rick, then why is he so confounded with this discovery that he is trailing behind him?
2.) He’s not looking for Rick. He’s looking for the Terminus people.
There are several scenes in The Walking Dead that seem to convey that the Terminus people are the ones who have been leaving the etchings. When Bob is captured by the remaining Terminus group, outside of the church, an etching can be seen on one of the trees nearby. In episode 3 of the current season, Gareth — the evil group’s leader — also mentions to Bob that the group marks their travels in order to leave “breadcrumbs” for navigational use. Could it be these tree-etchings?
As far as we know, all of the Terminus people have been extinguished. Between Carol’s attack on the camp, and the slaughter that took place inside the church, it seems as though that camp has been wiped out. Does Morgan know about the Terminus people and what they have done? Does Morgan understand the significance of it? As a man of renewed faith, perhaps it would behoove him to help rid the dystopian landscape of evil vermin like the “termites.” But, if that is the case, there is an evil that is even far greater than that of the Terminus camp…
3.) Morgan is hunting the remains of the raping, murderous camp that turned the Terminus people into savages.
Remember Gareth’s tale of how Terminus was actually — at one time — a safe haven for people looking to escape the brutality of the outside world? How it was eventually overran by heathens that captured, enslaved, raped, and tortured the inhabitants of the camp, forcing Gareth’s group to fight back, reclaim their territory and implement the very same measures that had almost driven their camp into extinction? Well, what if those people, those original raiders that overtook Terminus, are still out there? There are signs that point to their continued existence. At the Terminus camp, when Rick and his group were fighting to escape, they came across a container that was holding this lunatic in captivity:
Notice that tattoo on the upper left hand corner of the prisoners forehead? It’s the same markings on the trees. This man was described as one of the maniacs that raided the Terminus camp before eventually being overtaken by the original inhabitants. Could this mean that these marauders are the one leaving the etchings, leading Morgan to them? It’s just a theory, but it’s one that seems to hold some weight.
4.) Morgan is leading us to The Walking Dead spin-off series.
There’s no conjecture to this part of the theory: The Walking Dead will definitely have a spin-off series that takes place in the same world in which Rick and Co. are traversing, but new characters will be featured. While it’s being described as a prequel, and the main characters have already been announced, it’s not too far-fetched to believe that whatever mission Morgan is on will tie back into the off-shoot of the popular undead series.
You can check out the casting call here, which is scheduled to begin looking for its key players this December in Pennsylvania. Sure, this theory is a bit more far-fetched and not based in much fact, but we’re looking at all the angles here people! Until The Walking Dead returns in February, theories and speculation is really all we have to go on. But, I have to say, it sure is fun trying to figure out which corpse-crammed road this series will take us down next.
