Fear The Walking Dead may be off to a slow, staggering start, but it is giving us what I think is an honest look at how in denial civilians would be at the start of the apocalypse. The show is also giving us "sexy walkers," meaning zombies that aren't quite as decayed and look much more human, which is definitely a big difference between the prequel and The Walking Dead. All of that aside, who is going to die on Fear The Walking Dead ? Surely, while Season 1 only has six episodes, some of these main characters are going to eat some West Coast dust, right? They aren't as hardened as Rick, Carol, Michonne, and Daryl — but those walkers are just as unforgiving. We might as well start speculating, because there's no way these folks are going to all survive.
There are a few minor characters on the AMC spinoff we've met whose fates are already up in the air. From the promo for Sunday's new episode, (slight spoiler) it looks like Principal Art is really a walker now — despite the fake out in the pilot. There's also Matt, Alicia's boyfriend who ghosted on her at the end of the pilot episode. She texted him "did you die" — which you should NEVER DO ANYWAY, but especially at the start of the zombie apocalypse. Truth be told, that small detail screams "red herring" to me and leads to me to believe that he's alive, but we'll see. There's also a guy named "Strand" who we haven't met yet, so he has to at least live long enough for an introduction. However, when it comes to the main cast of characters, here are my predictions for who will survive Fear The Walking Dead.
Madison Clark
Death Likelihood: 3/10
As a guidance counselor, I think Madison is a step ahead of her peers. She understands people, which is a key skill in the apocalypse. She's probably gonna make it.
Nick Clark
Death Likelihood: 5/10
After the pilot, I made the prediction that Nick, which is both his name and short for Not-Rick (I imagine), was already infected with the virus. However, Frank Dillane did play teenage Lord Voldemort, so maybe he has some horcruxes stashed in that church that will help him out. It could go either way!
Alicia Clark
Death Likelihood: 7/10
As I mentioned above, I am already judging Madison's daughter for jinxing her boyfriend via text. I don't think she has what it takes.
Travis Manawa
Death Likelihood: 1/10
Travis is the glue that holds the major families in Fear The Walking Dead together. Killing him off would be a real Ned Stark move and I'm not feeling it.
Liza Ortiz
Death Likelihood: 4/10
Not to get all inside baseball, but the fact that Elizabeth Rodriguez also plays Daya's mom Aleida on Orange Is The New Black does not bode well for her survival. However, AMC and Netflix don't have traditional filming schedules and both of those shows air during the summer, so it's possible that she can make it work and do both full-time.
Chris Manawa
Death Likelihood: 6/10
Besides not wanting to hang out with his dad, we don't know a lot about Chris. His relationship with Travis is just the emotional button this show needs to push before killing him off.
Ofelia Salazar
Death Likelihood: 4/10
We haven't met the Salazar family yet on Fear The Walking Dead, but I'm looking forward to it, and not only because I'm hoping their daughter's name is inspired by Ophelia from Hamlet. Unfortunately, by that logic (spoiler alert for Hamlet) she's going to die, but I have a feeling that's not the case yet. Something tells me she's going to become a love interest for Not-Rick, as they're about the same age.
Daniel Salazar
Death Likelihood: 2/10
The Salazar family are political refugees from El Salvador, which makes their patriarch one of the most interesting characters on the show already. While Daniel is old, I think he's important and his backstory isn't something the writers would gift themselves with only to throw away.
Griselda Salazar
Death Likelihood: 9/10
Actress Patricia Reyes Spíndola is listed for fewer episodes on IMDb than any of the other main characters, but I had a feeling she was most likely to die before then. Someone from each family should suffer a loss, as sad as it is, so expect a lot of heartache throughout the first season of Fear The Walking Dead.
Images: Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC (10)
