In the last season of The Walking Dead, fans received a treat when a long-lost, almost forgotten character from the first season of the series resurfaced. Morales (Juan Gabriel Pareja) — introduced in the first season’s second episode and dismissed three episodes later — returned in “The Damned,” only to be killed off in the very next episode.
It seems, however, that The Walking Dead universe writers always have a few “missing” characters in their back pockets to reintroduce, as necessary. Morgan (Lennie James), after all, disappeared for the better part of four seasons before resurfacing on The Walking Dead and then transferring over to Fear the Walking Dead.
Will any of these three characters one day make a return to The Walking Dead universe?
Dwight
Dwight hasn’t actually been missing long. After narrowly avoiding execution at the end of season 8, Dwight was exiled by Daryl. In exile, Dwight is presumably searching for his ex-wife, Sherry, who is also missing. Will we see Dwight again?
According to The Walking Dead fan mailbag, it’s not out of the question, but it likely won’t happen soon. “Don’t hold your breath on seeing Dwight anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean he won��t show up in another aspect of The Walking Dead universe sometime in the future.”
Given the improbability of two characters traveling from Virginia to Texas and finding each other, a reappearance on Fear the Walking Dead seems unlikely. It’s more likely, in fact, that Dwight shows up (with Sherry) on a second The Walking Dead spin-off. In either respect, I would not expect to see him in Season 9 of the series.
Heath
Heath has been missing since the first half of the seventh season when he disappeared suddenly after an altercation with zombies. He’s not dead, either, and last September, showrunner Scott Gimple told EW that “He will be on the show. He will be within The Walking Dead again.” At this year’s Comic-Con, Gimple seemed to hint that his “definite” return is not on the horizon. “I wouldn’t want to spoil things, like it’s entirely possible that he could be coming back at some point, but we’ll see. We have not forgotten Heath. And everyone will remember that character when he comes back.”
Daniel Salazar
Daniel disappeared after a largely unresolved cliffhanger at the end of season three of Fear the Walking Dead during the explosion of a dam. At the time, Salazar appeared as though he were on his last legs, but it’s not the first time that Salazar has been left for dead (he was also presumed dead after torching an estate in the second season midseason finale). He, somehow, managed to survive that, and while there’s no timetable on his return, he’s not dead, either. “[Daniel] is alive and out there,” Fear showrunner Andrew Chambliss said in May. “The details surrounding that are something that we’re still keeping under wraps.”
Perhaps that second spin-off could find a way to bring back all three characters (plus Sherry), and as I have suggested in the past, a Commonwealth spin-off might be the best way to achieve that (along with bringing Maggie back after she disappears in season 9).
We’ll find out if any of the three make surprising appearances on Fear the Walking Dead when it returns on August 12th or The Walking Dead when it comes back on October 7th.
