‘Fear the Walking Dead’: Kim Dickens Discusses Madison’s Villainous Character Arc

Fear the Walking Dead has already aired the first episode of its final season, signaling the imminent end of another chapter in The Walking Dead saga. As the acclaimed series’ conclusion gets closer, the Season 8 premiere, “Remember What They Took From You,” has introduced an unexpected turn of events, including Madison Clark’s (played by Kim Dickens) shocking character arc, turning her into a villain with a heartbreaking backstory.

In the eighth episode of Season 4, Madison died by sacrificing herself in order for her to save her children, Nick (Frank Dillane) and Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey), from the approaching zombies; she locked herself into the baseball stadium to buy others time to escape. However, the Season 7 finale revealed that Madison had been alive all along. But what happened to her after all those years when everyone believed she was dead? In an interview with ComicBook, the actress revealed that her character had lost everything, including her children and the seven years of her life, eventually leading her to do some bad things.

“There are some pretty amazing crimes she’s committed in season 7 that go against her whole theme of motherhood. She’s going to have to reconcile that somehow. I think there are some ghosts to reconcile with as well from her childhood, what she did with her father, [and] decisions she made early on in the apocalypse.”

RELATED: ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Season 8 Review: Lennie James and Kim Dickens Carry a Promising Yet Perilous Final Chapter

The Season 8 premiere picked up where the Season 7 finale left off, showing Madison helping Morgan Jones (Lennie James) escape the PADRE-ruled island with baby Mo, whom she kidnapped herself in Season 7, as ordered by the PADRE, who recruited her to become a “Collector.” There has been a lot to unpack about what happened to Madison after three seasons, and the actress shared that she agrees with Dave Erickson, the show’s co-creator, about Madison’s character arc. She also told ComicBook:

“He wasn’t telling me anything specifically, but I kind of thought she was torpedoing towards being a villain. I think she has been a villain. Whether or not she can come back from that, I think that’s part of the journey that this season offers for her arc. She’s got that moral compass out again, and it’s just spinning around haywire,” she said, adding: “I don’t know. I think she’s going to have her moments.”

The Walking Dead Saga is Far from Over

Fear the Walking Dead paved the way for a slew of spinoffs from The Walking Dead in the years ahead. While the critically acclaimed series is about to end, fans can expect more The Walking Dead content in the future, including The Walking Dead: Dead City, which will premiere on June 18, as well as The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. The Walking Dead: Summit, on the other hand, will premiere in 2024.

Fear the Walking Dead‘s new episodes air on Thursdays on AMC+ and Sundays on AMC. You can watch the Season 8 premiere clip below.