Morgan Jones is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead, portrayed by Lennie James in the American television series of the same name and its companion series Fear the Walking Dead. In both the comics and television series, he is a devoted father struggling to get over the recent death of his wife. He and his son, Duane, seek refuge in Rick's hometown after the outbreak occurs and are the first survivors that Rick encounters after awakening from his coma. Morgan is characterized by his catchphrase "you know what it is", which he repeats regularly throughout the television series.

In the television series, Morgan saves Rick's life from a zombie and informs him about the outbreak. They part ways with the intention of reuniting in Atlanta but then lose contact. In the season 3 episode "Clear," Morgan is revealed to be alive when Rick encounters him on a supply run. Morgan has become mentally unstable as Duane was killed by Morgan's undead wife, and refuses to rejoin Rick's group. In season 5, Morgan is shown to have recovered from his mental break and learns that Rick is in Virginia. He eventually reunites with his old friend. In season 6 Morgan acts as a pacifist, insisting that the group can resolve threats without the use of violence, which conflicts with Rick's views. Morgan also tries to help Rick regain his humanity. A flashback episode "Here's Not Here" reveals that after encountering Rick the second time, Morgan met a survivor named Eastman who helped him recover from his mental break, teaching him aikido and insisting that he never has to kill people. An ongoing war diminishes Morgan's commitment to peace, and he reverts to killing. By the end of the war, he leaves the area. It was decided to transfer his character to the companion series Fear the Walking Dead, in which he assumes the role of the series' new protagonist, coming to adopt a new daughter, also named Morgan. In the show's final season, Morgan returns to where he had lost his family and finally faces their loss, putting down a zombified Duane and burying Duane and his wife. At last finding a way to accept his losses with Madison Clark's help, Morgan decides to return to Alexandria with his daughter to reunite with the friends that he had left behind, Rick Grimes in particular.

Appearances Comic book series

Morgan's son, Duane, spots Rick wandering around their house and, mistaking him for a walker, knocks him out with a shovel. Morgan quickly comes to the realization that Rick is a living human and aids his recovery. He provides details to Rick of the outbreak and what has been happening within the world the past couple months. Rick later supplies him and his son with guns from the Sheriff's station to ensure their protection, and then departs from them to Atlanta.

Morgan and Duane are later shown still remaining within their house several months afterward, during the winter. In an attempt to preserve old tradition and celebrate Christmas with Duane to lift his spirits, Morgan is able to find a Game Boy from a nearby store and give it to him as a present.The Walking Dead #34 (January 2007)

Sometime within the following months, Duane falls prey to the walkers, specifically his walker-turned mother, and gets turned. Morgan, unable to cope with the death of his son, resorts to locking Duane in the house with chains. As his mental and physical health deteriorates, he begins murdering survivors who pass by so he can feed the boy. Rick, along with his son Carl and new second-in-command Abraham, arrive back to the town with the plan to bring Morgan into the group, which he agrees to after freeing his zombie son.The Walking Dead #58 (February 2009) He quickly develops an intense fixation on Carl, who reminds him of Duane. While in the group, he becomes one of the primary defenders of their campsite, and deepens his bond with Michonne, the two of them both connecting due to their damaged psyches and history of loss.The Walking Dead #64 (August 2009) At the same time, he attempts to deepen his bond with Carl after witnessing first-hand the boy's cold-blooded mentality. He believes himself to be responsible for maintaining Carl's childhood innocence and is determined to make amends for his failure to protect Duane.

Once arriving at the new walled-in community named the Alexandria Safe-Zone, he was assigned by the leader Douglas the role of being a chef. He and the rest of the survivors enjoyed the resources that the community offered, however he was one of the few who found himself frustrated with the fake upbeat attitude of their surroundings. After he and Michonne leave the welcome party hosted by the townspeople, the two finally engage in sex. He deeply regrets his actions the following morning, believing himself to be an adulterer and continuing to cling to the memory of his deceased wife. His burdening of ill-conceived principles and refusal to let go of the past angers Michonne, despite their growing attraction towards one another.

Morgan later apologizes for the hindrance in their relationship and reassures her that he is trying the best he can to get over all that has happened. She accepts and the two are able to reunite as lovers once more. Tension between the two of them develops again however, as Michonne becomes insulted by his egocentric demeanor when he justifies their sexual activities as him deserving to be happy.

While helping fight off zombies with Rick, Morgan is caught off guard and bitten on the arm by a walker. Michonne chops his arm off, and from there he is left bedridden. He confesses to Carl his knowledge of the murder committed by him and pleads for him not to let darkness overcome his morality.The Walking Dead #82 (March 2011) Michonne later tries to make amends with him, only to discover that he has died from blood-loss. He is shortly thereafter put down by her before he has the chance to re-animate.

Television series The Walking Dead Fear the Walking Dead 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 8 colspan="3" colspan="5"

Season 1

In the television series, Rick's hometown - where the Jones' settle - is a small Georgia town called King County. In the series premiere "Days Gone Bye", Morgan examines Rick after his son Duane mistakes Rick for a walker and hits him with a shovel. Rick later wakes up tied to a bed, as Morgan checks Rick for zombie bites or fever, either of which could indicate he is turning into a walker. Morgan initially doubts Rick's status as a living being, going so far as to threaten to shoot him if he does not prove his humanity. After deciding Rick is not a threat, Morgan frees him using a Buck 110 hunting knife and shares what information he has regarding the apocalypse and the walkers.

The following day, Rick tells Morgan that his wife and son are missing and they are most likely alive, since the family photos have been taken from the house. Morgan and Duane tell Rick they may have set off to Atlanta, where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has set up a quarantine zone. Rick takes Morgan and Duane to his former Sheriff's headquarters, where the trio use the emergency generator to power up the station. They take hot showers and clean out the armory. Rick heads to Atlanta, while Morgan and Duane stay behind. Rick gives Morgan a rifle and a walkie-talkie and promises to broadcast every morning at dawn. Morgan goes to the top floor of his house, where he looks through old family photos before shooting several zombies. As he hoped, the noise attracts more walkers, including his dead wife Jenny, but Morgan finds himself unable to shoot her and breaks down in tears.

Though Rick broadcasts messages to Morgan at the appointed time, Morgan never responds. After the decision is made to abandon their camp following a walker attack, Rick leaves behind a message for Morgan and a map of where they are going.

Season 2

At the beginning of "What Lies Ahead," Rick attempts to contact Morgan over the walkie-talkie one final time without success. Rick warns Morgan that Atlanta is not safe and they are being forced to abandon the city in favor of Fort Benning. Rick expresses hope to see Morgan there someday and almost tells Morgan a secret that Doctor Edwin Jenner at the CDC had whispered in his ear, but ultimately chooses to remain silent on the subject.

Season 3

In the episode "Clear", when Rick, Carl, and Michonne go on a run into King County, Morgan holds them at gunpoint from a roof. They have a shootout, and while trying to pursue Rick, Carl ultimately shoots Morgan in the chest. Rick pulls off Morgan's shirt, revealing that he had donned body armor, revealing that he's not actually dead just unconscious. They drag his unconscious-self into his building, avoiding his traps, and lay him down on a bed. For safety measures, his hands are bound by Rick. While Rick is reading the strange writings on the wall, he discovers that Duane had reanimated, and decides to stay and wait for Morgan to wake up.

While Michonne and Carl go on a run, Rick waits for him to wake up, but Morgan grabs a knife that was taped to the side of the bed. He attacks Rick, claiming that he is not familiar with anyone anymore. He stabs Rick in the upper-left chest. Rick knocks the weapon away, pointing his revolver at Morgan's head, and Morgan begs Rick to kill him. Morgan is tied up again and, after patching himself up, Rick finally manages to make him remember that the two know each other. Morgan says that he tried to contact Rick every morning for several weeks, but he never answered the radio, before explaining what happened to Duane.

He is offered the chance to join the group at the prison, but he realizes that Rick is taking a lot of guns, meaning that they are preparing for a war. Morgan claims that Rick, Carl, and his people will die either by bullets or by walkers, and refuses to join them, not wanting to see anyone else die. While clearing out the walkers caught on his traps, Carl approaches Morgan and tells him that he is sorry for shooting him earlier. Morgan remarks to Carl, "Don't ever be sorry." While leaving King County, Rick, Carl, and Michonne watch as Morgan prepares to burn the corpses of the walkers he captured.

Note: Morgan Jones did not appear in The Walking Dead (season 4).

Season 5

After the credits in the episode "No Sanctuary", a masked man is seen approaching a Terminus sign Rick had written "No Sanctuary" on. He turns around and pulls off his mask, revealing himself to be Morgan who finds a cross mark on a tree and begins following a trail of them. Morgan reappears after the credits in the episode "Coda" where he follows the tree markings left by Gareth to the elementary school where he and the Hunters had cannibalized Bob Stookey's leg. Morgan puts down a walker pinned under debris and comes across Fr. Gabriel Stokes's church, where he puts together a makeshift shrine and kneels in front of it, praying for a short time before laughing. Morgan finds the map with a route to Washington, D.C., lying on the ground (the one that Abraham Ford had previously given to Rick in the episode "Four Walls and a Roof") and reads the message Abraham had left on it for Rick. Morgan realizes that his friend is still alive somewhere.