When it comes to television franchises, few have been more formidable than that of the TWD Universe. The Walking Dead was one of the most talked-about - and most-watched - shows in the world during the height of its popularity and it continued to remain in the public consciousness throughout the back half of its run, too. During that time, it launched multiple spinoffs to showcase what other areas and times of this post-apocalyptic world looked like and it made for an incredibly immersive shared universe.
With the show having concluded its run in 2022, AMC launched more spinoffs focused on some of TWD's most popular characters. This meant that the stories told in that original series could carry on while some of the most beloved, original characters we all loved to watch survive and thrive on a weekly basis got to do it all over again in a new environment. Heck, they even pulled off the returns we were all waiting for in Rick Grimes and Michonne.
That said, there was one original character who couldn't get involved in these spinoffs - partially due to his involvement in another - and it unfortunately seems like that won't be changing anytime soon.
Lennie James hasn't heard anything about a potential Walking Dead return
It doesn't sound like TWD fans should expect to see Morgan Jones in the TWD Universe again anytime soon. Actor Lennie James recently chatted to Screen Rant about whether he could potentially return to the franchise in one of the spinoffs and he revealed that he hadn't heard anything, saying:
"I haven't heard anything. That's the truth of the situation. But also, the truth of the situation is, if I had heard anything, I wouldn't tell you. But, in all honesty, I haven't heard anything. I do get asked that question on a regular basis, but as things stand, as of today, I've heard nothing."
James has been a big part of the TWD Universe since the very beginning, appearing in the very first episode of The Walking Dead. Although Morgan wouldn't become a regular part of the show until its sixth season (when James joined the cast full time), he recurred throughout those early seasons in what was undoubtedly one of the show's most exciting long-running arcs. His reunion with Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes in season 3 was a powerful moment and it set the stage for the character's eventual return as fans got excited at the prospect of Morgan finally joining up with Rick's group of survivors.
Morgan would become a regular part of the show for its sixth, seventh, and eighth seasons before he joined spinoff Fear The Walking Dead as one of its new leads in the fourth season. He would stay with the show until halfway through its eighth and final season, but his run on that one wasn't anywhere near as well-received as fans weren't happy at the creative choice to replace the show's main characters with a TWD regular instead. And the spinoff often focused on some of Morgan's more repetitive, less interesting characteristics, which had fans questioning the decision to bring him into the spinoff - which had carved out its own path extremely well, particularly in its third season.
The character's most recent appearance came in the eighth season of Fear The Walking Dead. With original lead Madison Clarke (Kim Dickens) back, Morgan decided that it was time to return to Alexandria and catch up with his friends from The Walking Dead. His emotional departure was a major moment for the franchise but we didn't exactly get to see him catching up on what life was like for everyone there after Rick's exit, Negan's redemption, and the battles with the Whisperers, Reapers, and the Commonwealth. Maybe it's time to see that.
Realistically, James' comments simply mean that there is nothing in the works for Morgan's return at the moment and that's okay. The only ongoing TWD shows are Dead City, which focuses on Maggie and Negan's adventures in New York, and Daryl Dixon, which reunites Daryl and Carol in Europe. Unless those shows reach their final seasons and bring all of those characters home to Alexandria, there is no way of feasibly having him appear on either one of them.
Meanwhile, the Rick and Michonne-led spinoff The Ones Who Live would have been the idea place for a cameo of his (since he had a strong friendship with Rick), that never came to fruition in its first and only season (that show is a miniseries. And that's a shame because it would be great to see him catch up with both of those characters.
Fans are hoping for one more TWD spinoff that would act as a crossover between all three of those new shows, ultimately wrapping up the story of those franchise once and for all. If that eventually happens, that would be the perfect one to feature Morgan in.
But we doubt we've seen the last of Morgan Jones. One way or another, he will likely return at some point.
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