Fear the Walking Dead exec says Daniel Salazar will return soon

Fear the Walking Dead’s showrunner and co-creator Dave Erickson hints that we might see the return of a fan favorite character in season 3.

As we look toward the season 3 premiere of Fear the Walking Dead, speculation runs rampant about what to expect and how the show will continue to develop as the characters learn how to navigate the new world that they live in. In an interview that appears in the June 2/9 double issue of Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Dave Erickson said that the goal of the third season “was to not give the characters or the audience a chance to breathe.” Not only does he deliver that enticing tidbit, but he also hints at the return of Salazar. No, not Ofelia — Daniel Salazar.

The last time we saw Daniel Salazar (Ruben Blades) he was stuck in a burning room full of the infected at the Abigail compound. Though his fate seemed sealed, we never actually saw him die, and in the Walking Dead Universe, if you don’t see someone die with your own eyes, there’s still hope. It helped Salazar’s cause when the Fear the Walking Dead showrunners said that Salazar wasn’t dead.

Now we learn that he will be returning at some point in season 3. Dave Erickson explains:

"‘We’ve said publicly that he didn’t die in the fire. And I think what was always important is that the characters, specifically Ofelia (Mercedes Mason), thought they had lost him. I think his return is long overdue, and I can promise that Daniel Salazar will rise again over the course of the season.’"

Given how far the cast has traveled since departing the compound, running into Daniel Salazar will be nothing short of a miracle. However, we know that Salazar is a survivor, and it’s not surprising to think of him tracking Ofelia and his friends until he finds them.

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Fear the Walking Dead returns June 4 on AMC.