Does Ward die in Outer Banks season 3?

The Pogues are back, Outer Banks fans! The beloved Netflix teen series has returned for its third season, and you can expect more action and drama this time around. First premiering on the streamer in April 2020, Outer Banks has become a staple for many and one of the most popular Netflix shows. We cannot wait to see all the reactions for season 3!

The last time we saw the Pogues, they were living out in Poguelandia on their own, away from all their troubles back at the OBX. Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline) just had a terrible confrontation with her father Ward (Charles Esten), who attempted to strangle her. The whole friend group had reason to run away, but now that some time has passed, they must go back home.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Outer Banks season 3.

A big plot point in Outer Banks season 3 is John B (Chase Stokes) finally finding and reuniting with his father, Big John (Charles Halford). But meanwhile, Sarah is going through a lot and John B doesn’t really recognize that. When the Pogues return to the OBX, Sarah has nowhere to live. She can’t go back to Tanneyhill for fear that her dad, brother Rafe (Drew Starkey), or stepmother Rose (Caroline Arapoglou) might be there, and John B is too distracted with his dad.

It’s an extremely complicated season for Sarah, who doesn’t feel like she belongs with the Pogues or the Kooks. This even leads to her spending the night with her ex-boyfriend Topper (Austin North) and kissing him. Though she and John B end up together in the end, it’s not an easy journey.

And by the end of Outer Banks season 3, things get even more difficult when Ward dies.

Sarah loses her father Ward in Outer Banks

Let’s face it; Ward is a huge villain throughout all seasons of Outer Banks. But that doesn’t mean Sarah wanted him dead. Unfortunately, Ward does end up dying — for real this time — in the finale of season 3.

By the last episode, the Pogues are able to get out to South America to go find Big John (and maybe even the treasure.) Sarah goes along with John B and Big John on a daunting hike to find the gold, and along the way, they realize others had been following them. That includes Carlos Singh (Andy McQueen), the new villain of season 3, and his men, along with Ward.

Ward maintains he’s there just to keep Sarah safe, but she doesn’t want him involved. At one point, he reveals he made a deal with Carlos just to make sure she didn’t get hurt. But after Carlos dies in an explosion at the treasure cave, his man Ryan is still after the group. He appears and points his gun at the Pogues, which leads Ward to make a very big decision. He sacrifices his own life to save Sarah, lurching toward Ryan and getting shot multiple times while doing so.

Ward and Ryan fall back off an overhang on the hill, and they both die.

Ward has a few near-death experiences in Outer Banks season 3, and at one point earlier in the season, Rafe and Barry (Nicholas Cirillo) even pay someone to kill him. But after Rafe contemplates his decision more, he realizes he doesn’t want his dad dead. It’s not right. So he shows up in the nick of time when the hitman has already attacked Ward, and he’s able to save him.

What Ward’s death means for the future of Outer Banks

Although Ward is not a main character in the Netflix Original, the impact of his death will still be felt for the additional seasons to come. He’s Sarah’s father, of course, and she’s been through so much trauma already since the start of the show. At first, she thought her dad died when he blew up his boat in the second season, and she struggled to grieve when John B very obviously hated him. Now, she has to mourn his loss all over again, and it’s almost like he died twice. It’s incredibly sad and will likely affect Sarah negatively forever.

Outer Banks season 4 will likely see Sarah try to grapple with the loss of her father again, but this time John B will also be dealing with the loss of his father, too. It’ll create an interesting dynamic, I’m sure, as their relationship is clouded by loss.

We’re sure just like Sarah, Rafe is also heartbroken over Ward’s death. Neither kid had a good relationship with their father, but the ending of his story is incredibly tragic. Perhaps the fourth season could see Sarah and Rafe reconciling and bonding over their loss. Rafe is very unpredictable, of course, but we hope he’s able to lean on his sister, as well as Wheezie, in this difficult time.

Outer Banks season 4 is currently in the works, but no release date has been set amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.