Who died on the Fear the Walking Dead season finale

The Fear The Walking Dead season 4 finale ended on a hopeful note, but left us wondering the fate of the group’s future after one particular character death.

Fear The Walking Dead had a compelling, yet slow fourth season. We lost old characters and gained new ones, including Morgan crossing over into the series. While the season was spent introducing and getting the characters acquainted with one another, it was also setting up Morgan’s redemption arc.

He was a day one character on The Walking Dead and has been through quite the journey as he went from never killing to joining the rest of the world in doing what was necessary. In the season 4 finale, a fairly new character died that seems to have an effect on Morgan and his plans for the group’s future.

Who died on Fear the Walking Dead season 4 finale?

Martha, aka The Filthy Woman, met her demise in the season 4 finale after being shot by Wendell in a previous episode. The wound was deep and guaranteed her minutes were numbered. During the Fear The Walking Dead season 4 finale, Morgan sets out to save Martha and splits from the group.

Tonya Pinkins as Filthy Woman – Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 4, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Ryan Green/AMC

Despite John urging Morgan to leave her be (considering the horrible things she’s done), Morgan makes the decision to save her and bring her along with the group to Alexandria. This is pretty much his plan throughout the entire episode, and he even tells John, “She thinks the only way to be strong is to die and turn. She’s stuck. Whatever happened to her, she thinks killing is the only way.”

He hopes that by saving her he can represent the idea that there is good in this world, and people do help. In fact, Morgan sees a lot of himself in her and wants to do whatever he can to convey that empathy and understanding.

He was once stuck in a cycle of killing and was only brought back from the darkness because of the friends he had around him. If he can find his way out, he believes she can as well. Upon finding Martha, she agrees to let him help but inevitably tries to screw him over by causing the car to crash.

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This moment definitely screwed with Morgan’s head a little because now he had a moral decision to make, one that may go against his original intentions. Furthermore, Martha reveals that she has been bitten so it’s not only the wound that will take her life–she’s basically done for.

The back half of the season 4 finale is Martha telling Morgan that either he kills her or she will kill him. Of course, Morgan isn’t on board with killing her but this decision takes a drastic turn after Morgan learns the entire group has been poisoned due to antifreeze Martha put into the water.

He ends up handcuffing her to the car and walks away leaving Martha behind to die on her own. He doesn’t want to be the one that kills her but also doesn’t want her to kill anyone after she turns. After saving the group, Morgan returns to see Martha is not handcuffed to the car anymore but has now turned and is walking around without one of her arms–and then he proceeds to end her days as a walker on the spot.

The death of Martha sets up Morgan’s decision to not go to Alexandria, and instead stay behind in a denim factory where the group can start over, and begin to help others in need. It’s an ambitious idea and thought, and while the group isn’t entirely sure, it seems like they are going to try and make it work.

With the help of Al’s recorded interviews, they hope to seek out those that are in dire need of help and bring them in. Could this be the start of a whole new community that hasn’t really been an aspect of this series? Maybe, just maybe.

Martha’s death and unethical behavior ultimately set up the future days for the group on Fear The Walking Dead and while it did take away that hope we were all clinging onto for some sort of epic crossover with The Walking Dead, it sure seems like Martha managed to do some good following her death.

Fear The Walking Dead will return in 2019 for a fifth season.