Fear The Walking Dead Morgan Crossover Photos Hint At Timeline

Morgan is officially a part of Fear The Walking Dead. AMC has released the first images of Lennie James in character, navigating an unknown location with walkers around every corner. Basically just another day in The Walking Dead universe. But there’s a key item in the photo that offers an important clue about when Morgan’s story takes place.

Looking through old photos of Morgan from The Walking Dead, tells us a few things. The first is he stayed in Georgia, in Rick’s old neighborhood, waiting for his call. The last time Rick saw Morgan he was with his son Dwight, who would have been about Carl’s age had he survived. When Rick returns, he see finds Morgan in this state:

The above photo comes from The Walking Dead Season 3 episode 12, “Clear,” where we learn Morgan’s son was killed by his mother in walker form. Morgan is angry with Rick because he never contacted him via walkie talkie as promised. All Morgan wants to do now is “clear” the walkers from the neighborhood. He’s set elaborate traps to catch as many walkers as he can. Morgan stacks their bodies and burns them. He’s not the same man Rick met back in Season 1 and Michonne -- who tags along for the trip -- doesn’t trust him. She steals one of Morgan’s candy bars and encourages Rick to leave.

There’s a gap of time where we don’t see Morgan from The Walking Dead Season 3 to Season 5. We see Morgan following the cookie crumbs Rick left for him in case he ever decided to leave Georgia. Morgan finds a map with a note from Rick in the church they squatted in The Walking Dead Season 4. By the time Morgan finds the note, Rick’s group was already in Alexandria. But we see Morgan in the first episode of The Walking Dead Season 5 dressed like this:

That trench coat look familiar? It’s the same coat and backpack Morgan was wearing when he reunites with Rick in The Walking Dead Season 5. This was likely done on purpose. Technically, The Walking Dead began six months before of the events in Fear The Walking Dead . The show released six seasons by the time Fear The Walking Dead premiered, whose events start right as the zombie apocalypse is unfolding. Fear The Walking Dead is now in its fourth season while The Walking Dead is midway through its eighth season. So it’s likely Fear The Walking Dead is at least a year behind the events of Fear The Walking Dead .

We know that’s confusing and hard to follow. Originally, the point of keeping The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead universes separate was to avoid crossover. The same thinking applies to the location for Fear The Walking Dead, which was set in California and Mexico. There’s no reason for Maddison and Rick to run into each other. But that gap in Morgan’s timeline on the show leaves room for him to wander.

It’ll be interesting to see how Morgan’s story ties in to Fear The Walking Dead . We know Morgan didn’t leave Georgia, he stayed near his family home but eventually made his way to D.C. We know Morgan did some Jedi training with Eastman before making his way to Rick. Fear The Walking Dead doesn’t have that much time to work with. This leads us to another theory. Remember this moment in The Walking Dead Season 8?

What if Morgan kept his jacket and backpack from The Walking Dead Season 5? What if he leaves the area only to find this helicopter? It might be the link to Fear The Walking Dead that provides the perfect segue into Morgan’s new story. This would mean Fear The Walking Dead caught up to The Walking Dead ’s timeline in four seasons. It’s plausible, since The Walking Dead storyline moves slowly. After all, Maggie’s been pregnant forever and still doesn’t have a baby bump.

Do you think the jacket and backpack mean we’re seeing Morgan’s past? Let us know in the comments below. The Walking Dead Season 8 returns Feb. 25. AMC has yet to confirm the Fear The Walking Dead Season 4 premiere date.