A theory postulates that the President of the United States is the real villain of Fear the Walking Dead season 8. The nature of the threat facing the main characters in the show’s final season is far from a secret, however, the series has yet to put a face to its central antagonist. For now, the identity of PADRE’s leader remains a mystery.
The Fear the Walking Dead season 8 premiere indicates that PADRE is a power unlike anything else Morgan’s group has dealt with. PADRE is gearing up to outdo all of the show’s previous villains. Apparently, it’s been seven years since the conflict with PADRE started. And for a reason that the show has yet to fully explore, Morgan eventually gave up on fighting them, which speaks volumes about how just how powerful they are. Based on this element of the story, their leader must be an extremely resourceful and devious individual. As for who that person might be, it’s possible that it’s none other than the United States president.
The President’s Fate Is Unknown Is The Walking Dead
It’s interesting to note that in spite of this person’s importance, the fate of the president is unknown in The Walking Dead franchise. It’s not clear who the president was when the zombie apocalypse happened, but whoever he or she was, there’s no word on their survival. Considering that the government fell apart, it’s easy to assume that they died, but that may not necessarily be the case. The president would naturally have had plenty of security via the Secret Service, so it’s not impossible that they survived the initial fallout and went into hiding. If the Secret Service or the military succeeded in securing him – and maintaining his safety for more than a decade – then it’s certainly feasible that the president still lives.
Fear TWD S7 Confirmed PADRE Was A US Government Plan
The survival of the president could be directly linked to what the show has already revealed about PADRE. The characters discovered during season 7 that PADRE is a secret government program put in place before the zombie virus outbreak. As it turns out, the United States government was not totally unprepared for an apocalyptic scenario. Politicians – one of which being Elias Vasquez – had knowledge of a top-secret location they could go to if and when the safety of the people was compromised. Classified as PADRE, this island was intended to be a safe haven for people like Vasquez.
If the base was built to ensure the preservation of the government, it’s not surprising that they would make efforts to keep prominent political figures alive. Plus, this is an incredibly ambitious project, so it stands to reason that it took a powerful politician to make it all happen to begin with. There are multiple offices that might have been capable of pulling that off, but none would be in a better position to kickstart an operation on the scale of PADRE than the United States president. They could have arranged everything and may be continuing to pull the strings even now.
Fear The Walking Dead Is Hiding PADRE’s Identity
Apart from the details about PADRE’s origins, what’s largely driving the notion that the president is behind PADRE is the show’s ambiguous approach to their leadership. PADRE is the source of the conflict, of course, but Fear the Walking Dead hasn’t identified any major season 8 villains. The closest thing the show has to an authority figure so far is the voice on the intercom. And even the identity of that person is a mystery. Fear the Walking Dead opting to keep the curtain closed with its PADRE story raises all sorts of suspicions about PADRE’s leadership.
Not having a singular character as an enemy goes well with the mysterious element of the show’s PADRE approach, but it could be more than that. There may be a special reason why Fear the Walking Dead is taking this course with PADRE. It could be that FTWD is purposely hiding this character because their identity is a shocking twist. One way that could be the case is if the head of PADRE is somehow viewers already know, but there aren’t any clear candidates for this role. Alternatively, it may be that PADRE’s leader is the President of the United States, which would be a massive development that doesn’t rely on any connection to an existing character.
What The President As FTWD’s Final Villain Would Mean
It goes without saying that PADRE standing revealed as the U.S. president would come with significant implications. The president’s power would be drastically weaker in the zombie apocalypse, but they could still hold a great deal of authority. If this character was the president at the time of the outbreak, he or she would be someone people could look to for hope. It’s understandable that PADRE would want a recognizable, perhaps trusted figure to lead its organization – even if their goal is to make the country better, not simply restore things to what they were.
If this is true, that would make the PADRE leader’s allies an army of resourceful and well-trained minions. If the character is the president, that would imply that their primary subordinates are surviving members of the military branches and perhaps the Secret Service. Possessing experience that predates the apocalypse, these people would be well-equipped to safeguard the president and navigate through threats presented by Morgan’s group and anyone else who tries to invade PADRE’s headquarters in The Walking Dead’s universe. This would help explain why Morgan’s group has been unable to beat them.
In a sense, going up against the upper echelon of the government would be a twist that brings the show’s story full circle, as it shouldn’t be forgotten that the American military was season 1’s villain. And, it would justify PADRE being the ultimate test for the main characters and the final obstacle for them to overcome. They’ve prevailed against overwhelming numbers in the past, such as the time they went up against the Pioneers, yet they’ve always managed to come out on top. With that in mind, it was worth wondering why beating PADRE has taken so long. But if they have the most powerful person in the country on their side, that would shed light on why PADRE is so hard to bring down.