‘Dark Winds’: Will A Martinez Return as Gordo? Boss John Wirth Teases Season 5 Plan

A Martinez in 'Dark Winds'

Spoiler Alert

Michael Moriatis / AMC
What To Know

Dark Winds took a surprising turn when the Season 4 finale killed off one of its recurring characters in the closing minutes of the episode, setting up Season 5’s mystery. Fair warning: There are spoilers for the Dark Winds Season 4 finale ahead!

Dark Winds': Will A Martinez Return as Gordo? Boss John Wirth Teases Season 5 Plan - IMDb

Gordo Sena (A Martinez) was supposedly murdered, leaving Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) to try to put the pieces of this confounding puzzle together. Entering the series in Season 2, Gordo has been a bit of a mainstay in the AMC drama, making his death even more shocking as we look ahead to Season 5.

The question is: What will happen next as Leaphorn, Chee (Kiowa Gordon), and Manuelito (Jessica Matten) attempt to unravel the mystery behind Gordo’s murder? Will Martinez be back to reprise his role? “He has a significant role in Season 5,” teases showrunner John Wirth, who notes, “in a world where not a lot of shows go five seasons anymore, it really feels good to be on a show where we’ve told such a long story.”

Part of that story has been the bond between Leaphorn and Gordo, as Wirth explains, “The more I saw them together, the more I just wanted to write about that relationship.” As for saying goodbye to the character, Wirth adds, “It’s tough to move beyond a character like Gordo Sena. It happens a lot in sort of marquee television shows; they will kill off people that you absolutely don’t think you can live without in the series, and I think Gordo Sena is one of those characters.”

Linda Hamilton and A Martinez in 'Dark Winds' Season 4

“He will be missed,” Wirth adds, and while Martinez is slated to return to the screen in Season 5, having to tell the actor that his character was being killed off wasn’t too exciting for the showrunner. “That was not a fun phone call to make, but A is such a gentleman and such a pro. He’s seen it all. He was surprised, but he rolled with the punches, and I think all in all it’s going to be a good outcome.”

As for where the story will begin in Season 5, Wirth teases, “In the case of Season 5, given what you know about Season 4, it picks up immediately after.” In other words, there won’t be any major time jumps, but with the inclusion of Gordo, we certainly anticipate some potential flashbacks.

Stay tuned to see what’s next for Dark Winds following that shocking twist as we await Season 5’s arrival, and let us know what you’d like to see next in the comments section below.