Fear the Walking Dead: Is Strand a villain or a survivor?

The last two episodes of Fear the Walking Dead’s sixth season were brutal. The body count was high, and so were the viewer’s emotions. Many of the favorites are still around, but some of the scenes in the season were tough to watch.

One character who always comes out on top is Victor Strand (Colman Domingo). That man can even survive a nuclear blast. Since our introduction to Strand, we’ve known what he is about. He is a con man who has crafted his talent into something so smooth you often forget what he really is. Even when he has tried to do something right, his basic instincts take over, and he does whatever he can to come out on top.

In the season six finale, he went off on his own disgusted in himself for almost killing Morgan, and his only motivation for that act was to come out the hero. Unfortunately, that plan backfired, and Morgan, in true Morgan fashion, didn’t retaliate so that he could do his best to save everyone from a nuclear blast. Without Strand’s interference, Morgan would have been able to stop Teddy.

Is Strand going to be the villain in season 7 of Fear the Walking Dead?

When Strand meets newcomer Howard (Omid Abtahi), he tells him that his name is Morgan Jones. He also tells him about himself, which is actually who Morgan is. But, once the bomb goes off and he realizes he is still alive, his true nature takes over once again, and he confesses who he really is. And, he does it with gusto. Not ashamed of his characteristics at all.

Is this setting Strand up to become the man he really is going into season 7? Will Strand become a villain that Morgan and the others will have to face?

By introducing himself to Howard as Morgan, someone who has a moral compass, is Strand admitting he wants to be a better person?

Or, does Strands personality ensure his longevity in an apocalypse? Before the outbreak, Strand was a wealthy and powerful man. However, upon our first introduction to this character, you could see that he had a good sense of judgment but lacked empathy. He was a take-charge kind of man who would help others but only if it didn’t get in the way of his goals. He even told Nick that the only way to survive a mad world was to embrace the madness.

This is the sort of person, who because of his selfishness, thrives in a world of chaos where he can make the rules fit his agenda.

Co-showrunner Ian Goldberg told Entertainment Weekly this about Stran:

"I think we’re going to see a very self-possessed, confident Strand, and a very different tone to him as we’re coming out of this season. It’s a real reinvention. It’s a real beginning coming out of an ending for Victor Strand. Colman absolutely crushed that final speech that he has to Howard. It gave us chills from the moment we saw it in dailies, until the cut. It’s just extraordinary."

Although an official date has yet to be announced, Fear the Walking Dead will return to AMC in the fall of 2021.