Fear The Walking Dead Showrunner Reveals What Makes Madison Such A Good Leader

Madison Clark has emerged as a clear cut leader on Fear the Walking Dead in the show’s third season. Part of this is a result of Travis’ shocking sudden death in the Season 3 premiere but it is also a result a certain skill set Madison brings to the apocalypse.

Prior to the collapse of civilization, Madison Clark was a high school guidance counselor. The character had a certain approach which would disarm people in conversation and tap into their personalities, secrets, and other traits better than most could. Such an ability has allowed Madison to conquer Broke Jaw Ranch, according to showrunner Dave Erickson‘s perspective revealed in a chat with ComicBook.com.

“I think specifically, it’s allowed her to really tap into the Ottos,” Erickson said. “I think even going back to the premiere, she could tell, even before she know what Troy was doing with the other folks at the fuel depot, she could tell that he was dangerous. She knew there was something was off, but she was able to read him and start to understand there was a want in him and that for some reason, he was identifying and relating to her, and subsequent to that, the more she was able to piece together what this family was about. In episode three, where she mentions to Otto that Nick is an addict, that’s done purposely. I mean, she wants him to know she understands his addiction, his alcoholism. She understands the loss of his second wife, and it’s a way of hopefully finding some identification, so I think she’s very careful and specific about what she says to Jeremiah and what she says to Troy, because she knows that she can make herself somehow trusted.”

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Beyond Jeremiah, Madison integrated herself to the Broke Jaw Ranch community with a surprising alliance with Troy Otto, an often unpredictable character who appeared to be a threat upon his introduction.

“The big steps she takes in a plot sense is the offer to go on the scout with Troy, which is her story in episode five,” Erickson explained. “And even in that, she shows Jeremiah she’s willing to engage and willing to work with the ranch and for the ranch to earn her place there. And then with Troy while she’s out, she’s willing to risk herself by really, really tearing at an open wound as it pertains to his mother. And I think that her intention is to lock him down and have him under her thumb, and that’s entirely based on the fact that she’s… She can related to this family because, as we come to realize, her father is not too dissimilar from Jeremiah Otto.”

Madison’s dark past was revealed in the mideason 3 finale, as she confessed to her own children that she shot her father to protect her mother. Clearly, Madison is not a character to be messed with and the apocalypse has given her another opportunity to take the gloves off.

MORE WALKING DEAD: FTWD/TWD Crossover Theory Finally Addresssed / Dayton Callie Explains Jeremiah’s Complexity / FTWD Introduces Astronauts, Confirms Worldwide Virus / Mercedes Mason On Ofelia’s Big FTWD Twist / FTWD Showrunner Previews Season 3B / FTWD Voice Over Actor Dies In Skydiving Accident

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Fear the Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on AMC. The Walking Dead will return for its eighth season in October with a trailer coming in July at San Diego Comic Con. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.