| “ | A great man once said that if you're born poor, that's not your fault, but if you die poor, well, that's on you. | ” |
— Ward in The Bonfire
| ||
Ward Cameron was one of the main characters and one of the two main antagonists (along side Rafe Cameron) in Outer Banks. He is portrayed by Charles Esten.
Ward was a wealthy businessman and portrays himself as a kind individual and a good father. However, beneath the surface, he was manipulative, conniving, and a murderer. He was secretly looking for the Royal Merchant in order to claim the gold for himself. He played a central role in the criminal activities on the island. He was also the arch-enemy of John B Routledge.
Early Life[]
History[]
Biography[]
Ward Cameron grew up on The Cut part of Outer Banks, and was entirely self-made according to his daughter Sarah. He is a third-generation alumni of UNC-Chapel Hill, but otherwise came from humble beginnings. He went on to become a multimillionaire real estate developer via his company Cameron Development, thanks in part to the Limbrey family funding his first development project[1]. Ward had three children Rafe, Sarah, and Wheezie with his first wife, and was later remarried to Rose Cameron (she and Ward began dating when Rafe was still very young)[2].
Prior to the first episode, he almost killed Big John trying to figure out the mystery that is the Royal Merchant. He gradually became more and more obsessed with it and is desperate to find the gold that was rumoured to have been on the ship when it sank.
Throughout the Series[]
Season 1[]
Initially, Ward seems like a nice, stand-up guy in the beginning of Season 1. He is very protective of his daughter, Sarah, but does not seem to care as much about his other kids, Rafe and Wheezie. It is shown eventuallythat he is very close to his son Rafe, although his neglect is seen when he finds out Rafe is spending his money on drugs. He kicks Rafe out of the house, and has little to no interaction with his daughter Wheezie.
To “save“ John B from DCS, Ward adopts him into his family. Secretly, he does this because he knows John B knows something about the Royal Merchant gold and he wants to find out more. He is herein revealed as a psychopath, manipulator and killer. Ward kills two men who were also hunting for the gold, and uses their bodies as chum for sharks hoping that they wont be found. Ward takes John B on a fishing trip to find out more but ends up threatening him and getting into a physical fight with him. John B escapes, and Ward purposefully stabs himself as a cover up for his attack.
After overhearing John B and Sarah’s conversation about retrieving the gold, and seeing his wife’s listing on Crain manor, Ward finds out that the gold is hidden underneath the house. He seizes the gold and commissions a private jet to take it to his home in the Bahamas, but John B manages to stop the plane.
When Sheriff Peterkin arrives to the airport tarmac, she attempts to arrest Ward because she found out that he was responsible for Big John's death. While arresting Ward, Rafe intervenes and shoots her, to ‘save’ his dad, in the hopes that he would now receive his fathers love and affection. Ward sends Rafe home with Sarah, and delays calling for an ambulance, making little or no effort to put pressure on the wound or aid in CPR properly.
To protect his son and himself, Ward lies, saying that John B murdered her. He manipulates the police force to go on a manhunt for John B, solving his problem. John B escapes, along with Ward's daughter Sarah, but they are presumed dead as they drove straight into a storm. Before radio silence occurs, John B exposes Ward for murdering his father.
Season 2[]
At the end of the first season, after watching John B and Sarah ride into the storm, Ward believes that they are dead. However, in season 2, he learns that someone has tried to break into his Nassau property. Things have started to get worse for Ward at that point. He kills his pilot Gavin after the latter threatens to expose his son as Peterkin’s real killer. Ward flies to the Bahamas with Rafe and discovers that both Sarah and John are still alive, and they are the ones who are trying to take the gold from him with the help of some locals. Ultimately, Rafe tries to shoot John and ends up hitting Sarah. Ward subsequently gets his gold back, and he and his son return to the US.
After Sarah and John also get back to Outer Banks, Ward tries and fails to bring his family together. Meanwhile, John gets the proof he needs to show that he is innocent. Following Rafe’s arrest, Ward takes responsibility for Peterkin’s murder and seemingly kills himself by blowing his yacht. However, it is revealed in the final episode that Ward is still alive. He escaped from his exploding boat by using scuba gear. Ward once again tries to convince Sarah to come back to her family. But by this point, his daughter has become completely disillusioned with him.
After Rafe takes the cross and has the entire family on a cargo ship with the help of Rose kidnapping Sarah it is revealed to Sarah that Ward is still alive after trying to convince Sarah to be a part of the family again. Too many failed attempts set Ward off and he tries to kill her but John B comes to the rescue and fights with Ward. At the end of the fight John pushes Ward and his head hits a sharp edge of the ship and John B yells at Ward “is this how you killed my father”. John B is faced with a decision to either kill Ward or to spare him, Sarah shakes her head in approval to kill him but John B decides not to and jumps off the edge of the ship with Sarah to a refugee boat where they will gather the Pogues and head for a stranded island. Later that day Rafe goes to see Ward helpless in a medical bed, Rafe promises Ward that he will make it right and get Sarah back and bring the family back together.
Season 3[]
Ward is in a coma. Eventually, he starts to get better and wakes up from the coma. Ward asks Rafe to go back to the Outer Banks to sell off their home and businesses. He wants to set up his family for the future.
Rose and Ward are considering giving their goods to a museum to make up for all their wrongdoings. Ward confronts Rafe about the stolen cross. Rafe declares he is the head of the family now. Ward decides to go back to the Outer Banks to clear things up. Ward returns to the Outer Banks. He finds Rafe and asks him about what he’s doing with the cross. Rafe tells him he melted it down for gold and is selling it. He tells Ward he doesn’t need him anymore and has a plan of his own.
Ward tells Rafe he signed papers leaving everything in Rose’s name instead of his. He cuts of Rafe and sells Tanneyhill. Rafe warns Ward he will go to the police and tell them he’s alive. Ward threatens him back claiming he will tell the police Rafe killed Peterkin. Rafe points a gun at Ward but doesn’t shoot.
Rafe tells Ward to leave town. Barry's hired hitman stabs Ward in the leg. Someone rows by in the ocean and recognizes Ward. Rafe brings Ward to the airstrip to get him away. However, from the tip off, the police go to find Ward. Wards gets on the plane and flies to South America with the Pogues. They set off to find the dig site and the treasure. When they arrive at the mountain, Ward decides to stay back because he can’t move easily with his injured leg. He promises to send a flare if Carlos and his men arrive. After they leave, he sends his location to someone.
Carlos and his men arrive after getting a tip off from Ward. Big John refuses to tell them the gnomon translation so Carlos points his gun at them. Ward worries that Sarah is in danger so he shoots one of the men. They run away. Ward begs Sarah to come with him but she refuses. One of Carlos’ men tries to shoot Sarah but Ward jumps in front of her and gets shot in the chest. As he falls, he tackles one of Carlos’ men and they fall off a cliff.
Death[]
In Secret of the Gnomon, Ward gets shot three times in the chest and belly in his last attempt to save his daughter Sarah Cameron. He was shot by Rayan, who seemed to be the head of security under Carlos Singh. Rayan held the Pogues, Ward and Big John at gunpoint, his motives were either about the gold or revenge for the murder of Carlos Singh. Ward's sacrifice led to the Pogues surviving the incident, as Rayan, the shooter, got pushed off the cliff with Ward.
Though, it seems like the gunshots were the cause of his death, he still showed signs of life (Facial expressions and movement) after getting shot. The real reason for his death is likely the fall off the cliff.
Relationships[]
- Rose Cameron - Wife
- Rafe Cameron - Son
- Sarah Cameron - Daughter
- Wheezie Cameron - Daughter
Family[]
Physical Appearance[]
Ward is tall and stocky built with dark brown hair and a handsome scruffy beard. He has steady blue eyes which hide his cunning and masterful intelligence. He is also very sexy.
Appearances[]
Season 1[] |
Season 2[] |
Season 3[] |
Quotes[]
Trivia[]
- Ward's various cars include an Aston Martin DB11 Volante, a Land Rover Range Rover, and a Dodge Ram work truck.
- His birthday was revealed in The Phantom to be february 15.
- He has an old office that he no longer uses in Wilmington, on Market street. [3]
- After he faked his death in My Druthers, a funeral was held for him. [4]
Gallery[]
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