'The Walking Dead' Brings Rick to 'Fear' in Wild Crossover Theory

The Walking Dead losing Rick Grimes could be the result of Fear the Walking Dead's characters taking flight, if a new theory is any indication. Could the characters from Fear the Walking Dead be responsible for Rick's helicopter escape?

At a glance, the theory seems tremendously outlandish. How can it be possible for the characters from Fear the Walking Dead to have made their way to Alexandria and picked up Rick Grimes? Directly or indirectly, they may have been involved. The speculation follows.

Fear the Walking Dead is still set at least one year behind the point in time which saw Jadis lift off with Rick in Andrew Lincoln's final episode of The Walking Dead. It's an unlikely scenario but the characters on Fear the Walking Dead recently set up shop near Austin, Texas and decided they have an interest in rebuilding the world and recruiting survivors. Could their linking up with others have lead them to Rick Grimes or, by association, had them involved with his takeoff?

The hole in the theory comes from the fact that Morgan Jones was still in the Alexandria area before he head over to Texas where he met Alycia, Strand, and the Fear gang. So, it is all but impossible for the characters to have been involved with Jadis and her group from the beginning as Fear the Walking Dead has shown no signs of communication with the trash heap or another community which can make use of a helicopter.

However, with the pilot of the helicopter escorting Rick remaining unseen in Episode 9x05, it's at least possible the Fear the Walking Dead gang linked up with the group responsible for Jadis' escape from the trash heap somewhere down the line. If they are not the ones flying the helicopter (and, honestly, which one of them has piloting skills, anyway?) then it's possible Morgan and the group already arrived wherever Jadis wanted to go.

After all, Maggie Grace's Althea has a slew of tapes in her bag with people from all around the country (including Abraham and Eugene), so she may have encountered a well-off group and then stepped away from them to continue her journey. Digging deeper into the conspiracy aspect of it all, could Althea secretly be reporting back to the mysterious group which Jadis is hailing from and searching for "A" or "B" candidates? Someone out there is trying to rebuild the world, the Fear the Walking Dead characters are trying to rebuild the world, and a crossover between all of the established characters seems inevitable.

While it's an unlikely theory to be brought to fruition, it's a fun notion that the characters from Fear the Walking Dead who don't know Rick Grimes could somehow have been involved in his rescue. As a trilogy of films is set to tell the story of Rick Grimes, the answers will come along, eventually.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm ET. Fear the Walking Dead will return for its fifth season in 2019. For complete coverage and insider info all year long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter and watch ComicBook.com's After The Dead each Sunday night following new episodes.