Months of speculation came to an end last Sunday as it was revealed which one of AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’’s many beloved, beleaguered characters would be transplanted to spinoff/prequel series ‘Fear the Walking Dead’. ‘Yeah, it’s me’, confessed Lennie James, who plays Morgan on the show, to ‘Talking Dead’ host Chris Hardwick. Despite Morgan’s on-again, off-again presence over the ‘TWD’’s eight seasons, he’s a staple character, having first been introduced to audiences all the way back in the zombie hit’s 2010 pilot.

Rumours of a potential crossover began swirling in October, when Robert Kirkman – the creator of ‘The Walking Dead’ comic book on which the series is based – told the New York Comic-Con crowd, ‘There are two ‘Walking Dead’ shows. One character is going to go from one show that I will not name and appear on another show I will not name’. Fans, in addition to the cast members themselves, took the bait.

James admitted even he was caught off guard by the decision to have Morgan be the one to make the jump, but said he’s ‘really looking forward to exploring Morgan in a whole different world, with different characters, in a different place’. Soon after the news was announced, some of James’ fellow ‘TWD’ cast members took to Twitter to express how much they would miss him on set, including Khary Payton (Ezekiel) and Seth Gilliam (Father Gabriel).

Those saddened by the prospect of Morgan’s exit from ‘TWD’ can take comfort in the knowledge that his arc is not over yet. Showrunner Scott M. Gimple said in a statement that ‘Even though Morgan is going to be featured on ‘Fear’, he has a lot of story left on ‘The Walking Dead’.