Fear The Walking Dead's Season 8 Ending Tease Sparks Speculation of Alicia Recasting

Summary

Fear The Walking Dead must tackle the task of incorporating Alicia Clark into its conclusion, potentially without Alycia Debnam-Carey in the cast. Madison's remark regarding the need to lay zombie Alicia to rest paves the way for a potential resolution in Fear The Walking Dead.

One possible solution to the Alicia Clark problem in Fear The Walking Dead's final episodes is to introduce a zombified Alicia played by a different actress. However, it may be better to exclude the character altogether if Alycia Debnam-Carey cannot return. Following her departure at the end of season 7, Fear The Walking Dead season 8, which has been announced as the show's conclusion, now faces the difficult task of integrating Alicia Clark into its ending without the original actor.

Please note that Alycia Debnam-Carey may potentially have a guest appearance on Fear The Walking Dead before the show concludes. The spinoff would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to have her reprise her role as Alicia Clark. However, it is worth mentioning that Debnam-Carey officially left the show in 2022, and with her involvement in other projects like Saint X and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, there is no assurance of her return to the zombie apocalypse.

Madison Teases Zombie Alicia For Fear The Walking Dead's Ending

In Fear The Walking Dead season 8, episode 8, "Iron Tiger," the revelation that Troy Otto may have killed Alicia Clark leads to an important scene between Madison and Victor Strand. Madison vows to put Alicia to rest if Troy's claim is true, suggesting a potential conclusion for the series. Madison's act of emotionally ending her daughter's zombie existence would provide a poignant moment between original characters and bring closure to Alicia's story. This decision would also give Alicia a role in the spinoff's finale, acknowledging her significant contribution to Fear The Walking Dead as its main protagonist after Madison's death. Given Alicia's importance, it would be unsatisfactory for the series finale to ignore her completely.

Zombie Alicia Would Get Around Alycia Debnam-Carey's Absence

The possibility of introducing a zombie version of Alicia in season 8 of Fear The Walking Dead provides a potential solution for Alycia Debnam-Carey's absence. If Debnam-Carey is unable to return for any reason, featuring an undead Alicia would allow another actress to portray the character. Given that Alicia would have been roaming as a zombie for several months or more, her appearance would not be at its best. Fear The Walking Dead could plausibly cast an actor who bears some resemblance to Debnam-Carey and then use prosthetics and zombie makeup to achieve the desired effect.

This tactic has been employed in The Walking Dead before. For instance, in part 1 of Fear The Walking Dead season 8, Morgan Jones encountered his undead son, Duane, who originally appeared in The Walking Dead season 1. Since the original actor for Duane had obviously aged too much to play a zombie child, Fear The Walking Dead opted to cast someone completely different - stunt performer Lydia Morales - as the character. Thanks to the necro-makeover, the switch between actors for Duane went unnoticed. Employing a similar approach with Alicia is definitely a possibility.

Why Recasting Zombie Alicia In FTWD Season 8 Wouldn't Work

Looking for an alternative actor to portray a zombified Alicia Clark in Fear The Walking Dead season 8 is a possibility, but not necessarily a pursuit the spinoff should undertake. While switching performers is understandable for minor characters or in situations where practicality is a concern, such as with Duane, Alicia Clark's character is strongly linked to Alycia Debnam-Carey, the actor. Including Alicia in the series finale of Fear The Walking Dead holds significant merit, but doing so without the actor whom audiences have invested in for seven seasons would be futile.

As difficult as it may be, a Fear The Walking Dead series finale without Alicia Clark would be preferable to one with a different actor playing her. In certain aspects, changing actors could even be seen as more disrespectful than not featuring the character in the final episodes at all. This predicament of how to honor one of the show's essential characters only accentuates the challenge posed by Alycia Debnam-Carey's departure coinciding with the show's conclusion. The only apparent solution to this predicament relies solely on Debnam-Carey.

Fear The Walking Dead continues Sunday on AMC.