‘Fear The Walking Dead’ EP Talks Madison’s Similarities, Differences From Rick Of ‘The Walking Dead’

Although Robert Kirkman finds both “Fear the Waking Dead’s” Madison (Kim Dickens) and “The Walking Dead’s” Rick (Andrew Lincoln) “reluctant leaders,” the executive producer of both shows said that the two characters are very different from one another as figures of authority.

“I think they’re both reluctant leaders to a certain extent,” Kirkman said in a recent interview with Forbes. “I don’t think either of them really stepped up and said ‘I’m taking charge, this is what we’re doing now’ but I think that Madison — you know, we’ve always done our best to try and portray her as being much more capable, much better prepared, and much more well suited for these conflicts and for these things that are happening. We see Rick Grimes falter and crumble and make more mistakes than we’ve seen Madison making.”

READ: Kim Dickens talks Cliff Curtis’ departure from “Fear the Walking Dead”

Kirkman added that Rick draws his strength from the people who are rallying behind him, whereas Madison has no one to support her except for her children, Nick (Frank Dillane) and Alicia (Alicia Debnam-Carey). “He’s somebody that, I think, succeeds based on the strength of everybody around him and the team that he’s been able to put together,” Kirkman said of Rick. “Madison [one the other hand] doesn’t really have that luxury. You know, there hasn’t really been this large group that has really gotten onto her side very early. She’s kind of had to struggle on her own and so I think she’s had a much more difficult road to travel.”

But because Madison is a woman, Kirkman said that she’s inherently “much more capable, and much stronger.”

Although Madison has been a tough cookie from the very beginning of “Fear the Walking Dead,” Dickens said in a separate interview with Forbes that the death of Madison’s fiancé, Travis (Cliff Curtis), brought out the fierce warrior in her. Travis was killed off at the beginning of Season 3, episode 2. Since then, Madison — with the help of Nick and Alicia — has started a bold plan to take over the leadership role at Broke Jaw Ranch.

“Fear the Walking Dead” will resume its Season 3-run on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 9 p.m. EDT on AMC, while “The Walking Dead” will return in the fall for Season 8.