Fear the Walking Dead: The evolution of Travis

Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) and Travis Manawa (Cliff Curtis)Photo by Michael Desmond/AMC Fear The Walking Dead
Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) and Travis Manawa (Cliff Curtis)Photo by Michael Desmond/AMC Fear The Walking Dead /
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Travis Manawa has evolved over the course of Fear the Walking Dead’s first two seasons. Where will he go in season 3?

While Fear the Walking Dead is not a prequel to The Walking Dead, Fear allows us to watch as civilization breaks down at the start of the zombie apocalypse. That has also given fans the chance to watch people adapt to the situation, or, in some cases, try to deny that anything is happening even though it’s right in front of them.

Travis Manawa has always been an interesting character in Fear the Walking Dead as we watch him navigate the changing terrain of the zombie apocalypse. Travis was initially suspicious that anything bad was happening, and then he became the peacekeeper. He protected his son when his son was a threat to Madison and Alicia, and that led to him leaving them to be with his son. Now, with Chris dead, Travis is untethered. Where does he go from here?

Madison and Alicia had a very good thing going in the resort before Travis arrived. Madison wasn’t going to allow more people into the resort, but she broke her own rule to allow Travis inside. Then, once he was inside the resort, he attacked the boys who killed Chris, and in the process he inadvertently killed the resort’s doctor. Since Madison had already proclaimed that killers could not reside within the resort, Travis was cast out and Madison went with him. Alicia dutifully followed her mother even though she was really finding her place within the resort community.

Now that the Clark-Manawas are out on their own looking for Nick, there’s really no telling what will happen to Travis now that he has been broken.

It’s possible that the burden of everything that has happened up until this point could snap Travis in reality. We might finally see him step up and become the man that fans believe he can be. Gone will be the timid negotiator, and in his place will be someone willing to fight for his family. The reality is that Madison and Alicia are all he has now, and he won’t be able to lose them, too.

On the other hand, seeing that Madison has Alicia, and knowing that she might reunite with Nick even though she has lost him so many times, might push him over the edge. Here’s a man who has lost his ex-wife and his son in a short period of time. Will he rally, or will he fall apart?

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Travis is a very polarizing character. Some fans don’t understand why he hasn’t stepped up and risen to the occasion yet. It shouldn’t have taken two whole seasons to get here. But after losing his son, will Travis finally rise up?

Fear the Walking Dead returns June 4 on AMC.