Did Clay Die In SEAL Team? What Happened to Him, Explained
Fans are looking back to Clay’s ending on SEAL Team and questioning his fate.
As SEAL Team continues its run, fans look back on core character Clay Spenser’s time on the show and ask whether he died.
Originally developed for CBS before a move to Paramount+, SEAL Team follows the Bravo Team, the most elite unit of Navy SEALs in the military. The group is tasked with some of the most dangerous missions known to man, putting them and their families in danger.For six seasons, Max Thieriot portrayed Clay Spenser, a second-generation SEAL who trained to be on the Bravo Team and eventually joined the unit.
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Why Did Clay Leave? What Happened to Him on SEAL Team
In February 2022, Deadline announced that Max Thieriot was cast in the leading role for a CBS drama titled Cal Fire, which was eventually retitled Fire Country. The report also listed him as the co-writer and executive producer after the leading role of Bode Donovan had been lined up for him since development started.
In Fire Country, Thieriot’s Bode Donovan is a convict with a troubled past who volunteers to help fight fires alongside Cal Fire. He is eventually assigned to his hometown in Northern California and works alongside former friends and family.
This casting left one outstanding issue, as he already enjoyed a leading role on SEAL Team as Clay Spenser.
That was rectified in Season 6, Episode 8, when the character was officially killed off for good. This freed up Thieriot to lead his new series, which he had a hand in developing.
This episode debuted in November 2022, shortly after Fire Country’s pilot episode arrived in October 2022. He was initially cast in Fire Country in February 2022, between the releases of Season 5 and Season 6 of SEAL Team.
How Did Clay Die in SEAL Team?
SEAL Team’s Season 5 finale saw Clay make a difficult decision to retire from the Bravo Team following what was said to be a last mission. Part of this was due to his new status as a father after Stella gave birth to their son.
However, this all went downhill once Clay and his team were ambushed on a mission by an RPG strike. In this incident, Clay was gravely injured. Fans even saw him get his leg amputated in early Season 6, effectively ending his days with the Bravo Team as he retires from active duty.
He struggles to get his life back together, although he puts all his effort into his relationship with his wife and baby son. This manifests in his final episode as he stops a veteran from killing himself and vandalizing a recruitment center.
A security guard then finds him holding the veteran’s gun and shoots him in the chest, killing him instantly as he loses his life trying to save somebody else.
Once Thieriot had Fire Country on his schedule, it was only a matter of time before Clay was killed off on SEAL Team. Regardless of whether Fire Country has an extended run, the actor’s time on SEAL Team appears to be definitively over, save for a potential flashback or cameo appearance.
