SEAL Team Season 7 has premiered and the final chapter focuses on Jason Hayes and the Bravo Team Company walking into unfamiliar territory. Now, they must understand the new era of warfare fighting new rivals. As Season 7 is sparking discussions, viewers are still not over the exit of Max Thieriot’s Clay Spenser in the previous installment. So, how did Clay die in SEAL Team, and will Thieriot return to the show?
Here is everything you need to know about Clay Spenser’s character arc and his potential comeback in the seventh and final season of SEAL Team.
When and how did Max Thieriot’s Clay Spenser die on SEAL Team?
Played by Max Thieriot, Clay Spenser was shot dead in Season 6 Episode 8 while rescuing a veteran.
In his final moments, Clay is seen helping a veteran named Ben. He tries to prevent the latter from killing himself and destroying a recruitment center. Although Clay saves Ben, a security guard finds him holding his gun and shoots him in the chest. His death becomes even more tragic, given his wish to spend time with his family after quitting his job.
However, actor Max Thieriot’s unavailability was another reason behind his character getting killed. He was also shooting for another show, Fire Country, where he is also the executive producer and co-creator. In an interview with Collider, Thieriot revealed how it was hard to imagine working on the new show as he was fully involved with the SEAL Team. Additionally, Spencer Hudnut, the showrunner of SEAL Team, spoke to TV Line about Clay Spenser being written off in the sixth season.
Hudnut said, ”There were some questions about whether Max would be back for Season 6, so the Season 5 cliffhanger [in Mali] was a bit dictated by that. And as Fire Country kept passing each development checkmark, it got clearer and clearer that there was a real possibility that we’d be losing Max at some point … Everyone had talked about how he could do both shows, but it was very clear that that wasn’t the case.”
Apart from that, the shooting locations were different for SEAL TEAM and Fire Country. So, the makers choosing to end Max Thieriot’s character’s storyline in Season 6 made sense.
Will Max Thieriot return as Clay Spenser in SEAL Team Season 7?
No, Max Thieriot will not be returning in SEAL Team Season 7 as his character died in the previous season.
Although there were rumors of Thieriot’s comeback, his casting was never officially confirmed. Moreover, through Clay’s journey on the how, the makers wanted to highlight the sacrifices of army officers. Meanwhile, Season 7 will see the character of Omar Hamza played by Raffi Barsoumian, a foxtrot transfer replacing Clay’s character.
Following Clay’s death, SEAL Team will unfold a new journey of the army officials in its concluding season. The star cast includes J. Buckley, David Boreanaz, Dylan Wash, Neil Brown Jr, and Beau Knapp.
Viewers can watch new episodes of SEAL Team Season 7 on Paramount Plus dropping every Sunday.
