What Happened to Morgan and Duane Jones in The Walking Dead Comics?

[Warning: This story contains spoilers from Fear the Walking Dead’s “King County” episode.] “You were supposed to. You know what it is.” Those words have haunted Morgan Jones (Lennie James) on both The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead. But what do they mean? After reuniting with Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) in the “Clear” episode of The Walking Dead‘s season 3, Morgan explained what he was “supposed” to do: kill his walker wife Jenny (Keisha Tillis) in the “Days Gone Bye” pilot episode. But as Morgan told Rick, he couldn’t bring himself to do what he was supposed to do… so the undead Jenny bit and turned their son Duane (Adrian Kali Turner). 

“We were always looking for food. You know, it always came down to food. I was checking out a cellar, and I didn’t want Duane to come down there with me. And then when I came up… she was standing there right in front of him, and he had his gun up, and he couldn’t do it,” Morgan told Rick in “Clear.” “So I called to him, and he turned. And then she was just on him. And I see red. I see red. Everything is red. Everything I see is red. And I do it. Finally. Finally was too late. I was supposed to. I was selfish. I was weak. You gave me the gun.”

Twelve years after Jenny and Duane’s deaths, Morgan returned to the neighborhood where his wife and son died in Sunday’s “King County” episode of Fear the Walking Dead. As Grace (Karen David) and Mo (Zoey Merchant) found out, Morgan is “supposed to” put his zombified boy to rest and bury Duane after leaving him chained up as a walker. Morgan spent the episode struggling with what he knew had to be done — only to finally fire Rick’s gun and kill zombie Duane to save Mo.

What Happened to Duane Jones in The Walking Dead Comics?

In the comics, Rick returned to the Grimes family home in The Walking Dead #58 and discovered Morgan still living in a nearby house with an undead Duane. Morgan revealed that Duane was bit and reanimated, and he’d been feeding marauders and dogs to his zombified boy. Rick gave Morgan a gun and told the grieving father to “let him rest” — but Morgan couldn’t put his son down, leaving Duane to roam as a walker.

What Happened to Morgan in The Walking Dead Comics?

Morgan accepted Rick’s invitation to join his group of survivors who eventually settled at the Alexandria Safe-Zone. He became romantically involved with Michonne, who told him of those they’ve lost: “They’re dead and we’re not. We’re alive… so we live. At a certain point you just have to move on.”

After a zombie herd breached the community’s walls, Morgan was bit helping Rick clear walkers. Michonne’s katana severed Morgan’s arm before the fatal infection could spread, but he succumbed to blood loss and died in The Walking Dead #82. Michonne destroyed Morgan’s brain before he could reanimate. 

New episodes of Fear the Walking Dead premiere Thursdays on AMC+ and Sundays on AMC. Stay tuned to ComicBook/TWD and follow @CameronBonomolo and @NewsOfTheDead on Twitter for more TWD Universe coverage.