‘Fear The Walking Dead’ May Have Hinted at Daniel Salazar’s Return

Fear The Walking Dead series newcomer Althea (Maggie Grace) may have crossed paths with the long-missing Daniel Salazar (Rubén Blades).

Althea, who continues her work as a video journalist, safeguards a cache of tapes documenting the stories of survivors encountered during the apocalypse — including a tape marked ‘Abe / Doctor,’ an easter egg and nod to The Walking Dead‘s Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz) and Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt).

One tape among Althea’s possessions, marked ‘D.S.,’ could contain an interview with Daniel Salazar, who has yet to resurface after he was last seen in Fear‘s season 3 finale, which saw Nick (Frank Dillane) obliterate the Gonzalez Dam with the press of a trigger.

“When Madison is rummaging through Al’s tapes, we see they’re all labeled. And each of those tapes, each of those labels, will tell a story,” co-showrunner Ian Goldberg said on Talking Dead.

“They’re all stories that Al has captured at one point or another in her travels, and if you look closely, some of those names might ring a bell if you’re a fan of the Walking Dead universe, you might get excited about some of the stories that she’s captured.”

In April, The Hollywood Reporter claimed Blades will appear in Fear The Walking Dead season 4, but not as a series regular.

Co-showrunner Andrew Chambliss confirmed the yet-to-return Daniel is “alive and out there,” telling TV Line “there is a very good chance that he will appear in the Walking Dead universe.”

How and when Daniel will reemerge could be explored in the back half of season 4, but “the details surrounding that are something that we’re still keeping under wraps,” Chambliss said.

The former CIA and Salvadoran Junta secret agent has proved hard to kill, already returning to the series after his first apparent death at the Abigail Estate back in season 2.

“I’m just glad also because of the fans. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for the support,” Blades told ComicBook.com last summer after his surprise return during Fear season 3.

“I think the fans are one of the main reasons why Salazar is still around, so I wanted to thank them also. But I’m super happy to be here, working with all these wonderful people in AMC.”

Fear’s season 4 mid-season finale revealed Al came across and interviewed Madison (Kim Dickens) before her death at the Dell baseball stadium, and Daniel was last seen at the Gonzalez Dam in Tijuana, Baja California, far from the survivors’ current location: Texas.

Could a similar reveal be in store for Daniel, appearing among world-traveller Al’s carefully-curated collection of tapes?

Other labels in Al’s collection include ‘St. Luke’s Hospital,’ ‘Slim,’ ‘The Oil Fields,’ ‘Killeen, Texas,’ ‘Dallas,’ ‘Dog Shelter,’ ‘Mrs. Jamison,’ and ‘Bartlett.’

Fear The Walking Dead returns with its mid-season premiere Sunday, August 12 on AMC.