Who killed Morgans wife in The Walking Dead?

This article is about the TV Series character. You may be looking for his Comic Series or Road to Survival counterparts. For other pages with the same name, see: Duane

"I was checking out a cellar and I didn't want Duane to come down there with me. And then when I came up she was standing there right in front of him and he had his gun up and he couldn't do it. So I called to him and he turned. And then she was just-- just on him. And I see red. I see red. Everything is red. Everything I see is red. And I do it! Finally. Finally was too late. I was supposed to. I was selfish. I was weak."—Morgan explains to Rick about what happened to Duane.[src]

Duane Jones is a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. He is the son of Morgan and Jenny Jones.

Overview

Duane is a kind, respectful, and humorous boy. He is shown to be very mature and obedient for his age, always listening to his father. He is very polite when talking with Rick, referring to him as "sir." He remains optimistic when Rick believes his family is alive, saying they could be at Atlanta. He's also quite light-hearted, such as singing and dancing in the shower.

Duane's mother had died in the early stages of the outbreak and is greatly saddened by her death. At some point after Rick and Morgan go their separate ways, Duane is confronted by a zombified Jenny and is unable to put her down. Morgan finally puts down Jenny, but not before Duane is bitten and eventually turns. Duane's death ends up haunting Morgan for the rest of his life, with his death being the main cause of his descent into madness. Years after his death, Morgan still thinks about Duane and mentions him on a few occasions.

Pre-Apocalypse

Location Unknown

Nothing is known about Duane's life prior to or as the outbreak began, except he was born in 2000 to Jenny and Morgan Jones, and presumably attended middle school.

Post-Apocalypse

During the onset of the outbreak, Duane and his family evacuated from their home, upon where they witnessed several broadcasts informing other survivors to travel towards a supposed safe-zone in Atlanta. However, due to the chaos and horrendous events which transpired around them, the family was reluctantly forced to take refuge and heavily barricade themselves within a nearby house.

At an unknown point, Jenny was bitten and succumbed to the infection. Morgan was unable to put her down and released her into the outside. Following this tragic event, Duane was firmly overprotected by Morgan who created a sense of normalcy for Duane including correcting his grammar as well as engaging in mealtime prayers.

Season 1

"Days Gone Bye"

Outside his house, Rick Grimes sits on the steps. He spots a man stumbling down the road and waves his hand to try and get his attention. As he is doing this, Duane creeps up from behind and hits him with a shovel. "Carl, I found you", Rick mutters. "Daddy I got this sumbitch! I'm gonna smack him dead!" Duane screams. Morgan approaches the stumbling man Rick was waving to and shoots him in the head. He then proceeds to walk towards Rick and points a revolver in his face. "What's that bandage for? You tell me, or I will kill you," Morgan asks him, cocking the gun at his face. Before he can answer, Rick passes out.

Later that night, Rick wakes up with his arms and legs tied to a bed. The young boy, Duane, stands guard with a baseball bat. "Did you get bit?" Morgan asks Rick stiffly, having changed his bandages though Rick's gunshot wound that has mostly healed. "Just shot, as far as I know," Rick says. Morgan checks his forehead and says if he had "the fever" it would have killed him by now, so he sets him free of the bedposts with a switchblade, but not before telling him that if he tries anything, he will not hesitate to kill him. He then offers him a seat at their dinner table.

Morgan tells Rick not to look out the window because they will see the light. He then begins to explain the story of the outbreak and the following days to a confused and disoriented Rick. "I never should have fired that gun today. The sound draws 'em. Now they're all over the street." Rick accuses Morgan of shooting a man in cold blood. "It was a walker," Morgan corrects. He adds that they get more active after dark sometimes.

Before they begin eating dinner, Duane insists that his father give a blessing. "Lord, please watch over us in these crazy days," Morgan says, and proceeds to explain to Rick that the man he shot would have tried to eat them. "One thing I do know, don't you get bit. Bites kill. The fever burns you out. But then after a while... You come back." Morgan explains."Seen it happen," Duane adds solemnly.

After dinner, the trio talk about Rick's son, Carl, and Rick satisfies a lingering curiosity shared by Duane and Morgan as to what line of work would put someone in a position to be shot at. "Sheriff's deputy," Rick remarks. Morgan smiles and says, "Duane thought you were a bank robber." Suddenly, a car alarm starts to go off outside and the trio turns off the lights.

Morgan and Rick peer out to the street through heavy covered windows and boarded up doors. The street is filled with walkers, drawn by the noise of the alarm. As the zombified Jenny walks up to the front door of the house, Duane runs away crying. Morgan comforts his son while Rick stares at her through the peephole at the front door. "She died in the other room on that bed. I should have put her down. I just didn't have it in me. She's the mother of my child." Morgan confesses with sorrow.

The next morning, Rick walks outside in a face shield, carrying a baseball bat. "We're sure they're dead? I have to ask," says Rick, approaching a walker sitting near the stoop. "They're dead. Except for something in the brain. That's why it's gotta be the head," Morgan assures him, exiting the house with Duane.

Rick approaches the walker and swings the bat repeatedly at his head, beating it down until it stops moving. He quickly becomes fatigued, most likely from his still-healing gunshot wound.

Back at the house, Rick tells Morgan he thinks his wife and son are still alive. He explains he found empty drawers in the bedrooms and the family pictures and photo albums were gone. "Photo albums. My wife, same thing. There I am packing survival gear; she's grabbing photo albums," Morgan laughs, getting emotional over the memory. Duane suggests to Rick that they could be in Atlanta. Morgan explains that the government was telling people to head to a refugee center there with military protection and food, before the broadcasts stopped. He also explains that the C.D.C. is rumored to be working on a cure.

Duane, Morgan and Rick head to the King County Sheriff's Department, where they luxuriate in hot showers thanks to a separate propane heating system. Afterward, Rick packs a duffel bag with guns and changes into his sheriff's uniform and hat. He hands Morgan a rifle and some ammunition.

They head outside and start loading the weapons into the trunk of his cruiser. Rick prepares to set off for Atlanta, while Morgan says he'll follow in a few days, once Duane has learned to shoot. Rick hands Morgan a walkie-talkie and he tells him to turn it on every day at dawn to make contact. Before leaving, Morgan gives Rick a warning: "They may not seem like much one at a time. But in a group, all riled up and hungry? Man, you watch your ass." However, the farewell is interrupted when Rick spots a reanimated Leon who claws at the chain link fence separating them. Rick admits he didn't think much of the young officer, but he won't leave him like this. He shoots him in the forehead with his revolver, putting him down. Then, he and Morgan drive away from the sheriff's department in opposite directions.

Back home, Duane is covering the windows before dark. Morgan heads up to the attic carrying Rick's rifle he left him. He looks at old photo albums and pictures of his wife. Tearfully, he positions the rifle facing the street and begins shooting walkers. He commands Duane to stay downstairs when his son gets startled by the gunshots. "Come on, baby," he says, hoping the noise will draw his wife into view. But when she appears, he breaks down, still unable to shoot her.

Season 3

"Clear"

While Rick is reading the chalkboard, a message catches his eye that reads "Duane Turned". Later, Morgan tells Rick that he left Duane alone while he searched a basement. When he returned, he saw that Duane had his gun pointed at Jenny, but he couldn't do it, so Jenny attacked Duane. Morgan then tells Rick that he shot Jenny himself, but it was too late and Duane was bitten. It is unknown whether Morgan put down Duane or left him to roam as a zombie.

Season 7

"Bury Me Here"

Duane briefly appears in a flashback as Morgan breaks down over Benjamin's death.

Death

• Jenny Jones (Infected, Alive)

While Morgan is in a basement looking for supplies, a zombified Jenny approaches Duane, who is unable to kill his mother. Morgan, returns and yells for him, but as Duane turns towards him, Jenny pounces and bites him.

It is unknown if he was put down by Morgan after he turned or if he let him roam off.

Killed Victims

This list shows the victims Duane has killed:

• Numerous counts of zombies

Relationships

Morgan Jones

"I was checking out a cellar, and I didn't want Duane to come down with me and when I came up.... she was standing there right in front of him and he had his gun up and he couldn't do it. So I called to him, and he turned. And she was just-- just on him. And I see red, I see red. Everything is red, everything I see is red and I do it!"—Morgan tells Rick how Duane died[src]

Duane loves his father very much and Morgan comforts Duane when he is sad. When an undead Jenny Jones is spotted by Duane, he cries since it was his mother and Morgan hugs him. During the episode, "Days Gone Bye", Morgan corrects Duane's grammar. Also, during dinner, Morgan and Duane hold hands and pray. Morgan also does not trust his son with a firearm since he cannot shoot. After Duane's death, Morgan suffers a mental breakdown and decides to kill every survivor he comes across.

After reclaiming his sanity, Morgan very rarely mentions Duane, possibly trying not to think of his son to avoid letting his grief overwhelm him. However, after Benjamin's death and his own killing of Richard, who caused Benjamin's death, Morgan refers to Benjamin as 'Duane' before almost breaking down. This shows that despite the time that has passed since his son's death, Morgan still deeply misses him and continues to grieve for him.

A couple of years after his death, Morgan mentions his wife and son to Alicia Clark. Though Morgan obviously misses his family, the grief over Jenny and Duane's loss no longer consumes him completely. Instead, Morgan is able to understand where Max and his family are coming from due to his own actions with Jenny and Duane. Morgan explains how Jenny turned near the start of everything and Duane got turned when neither he nor Morgan could bring themselves to put her down until it was too late.

Jenny Jones

Duane loved his mother, Jenny, very much. Every time Duane or Morgan sees her undead self, he breaks down in tears. This suggests that Duane misses his mother a lot. It is revealed that Jenny attacks Duane, and he turns because he does not shoot her before he is infected.

Rick Grimes

"That's right. It's not a toy. You pull the trigger, you have to mean it. Always remember that, Duane."—Rick to Duane over the safety of firearms[src]

Though Rick and Duane do not interact much, Duane knocked out Rick assuming he was a walker. After being tied down and explained what is going on with the world, Rick takes Morgan and Duane to the police station. While there, Rick gives Morgan weapons and a hot shower. Rick hands Duane a pistol and Morgan takes it away swiftly. Rick then tells Duane to take care of Morgan and Duane replies with "yes sir".

Later on, when he is looking throughout Morgan's house months after, he eventually finds out Duane turned as of what was written on the wall. Rick seemed saddened afterwards.

Appearances

TV Series

Season 1

• "Days Gone Bye"

Season 7

• "Bury Me Here" (Flashback)

Trivia

• The character's name is a reference to the 1968 film, Night of the Living Dead, which starred Duane Jones, an African-American actor who portrayed the lead character in the film, Ben.
• Duane is the second member of his family to die and turn into a walker.
• In Fear the Walking Dead's "Skidmark", Morgan tells Alicia Clark that his wife "was" Jenny and that his son "is" Duane, suggesting that Morgan never put him down.
• Jenny and Duane are mentioned by Morgan in "Alaska" as he chats with Rachel about staying healthy as a new mother. He mentions that Jenny had trouble keeping on weight to feed Duane, no matter how much Chinese food takeout Morgan brought home for them to eat.
• In "One More", Gabriel and Aaron drink the "Duane Jones Bourbon" sold for $2000 a bottle, similar to the real Pappy Van Winkle's.
  • The name could also be a reference to him or the real life actor he was named after.

International Dubbers

References

1. ↑ [1]

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