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SEAL Team has returned for its seventh and final season, and as the members of Bravo Team try to settle back into their regular lives, the absence of Max Thieriot’s Clay Spenser looms large. But how did Clay Spenser in SEAL Team and how have the members of Bravo Team coped with his death?
How Did Clay Spenser Die in SEAL Team?
Once Fire Country was greenlit, it was obvious Clay Spenser’s days were numbered. That show, after all, not only starred but was executive produced by Max Thieriot, who originated the character of Clay Spenser on SEAL Team. Thieriot might be good, but he cannot be in two places at once. Something had to give, and that something was always going to be Spenser’s character.
In the Season 5 finale of SEAL Team, Clay’s fate was unknown after his team was ambushed in a war zone. Fans thought for sure that was it. But no, Clay survived. And yet, he wouldn’t survive the next brush with death, in Season 6, Episode 8, “Aces and Eights.” In the tragic scene, he saves Ben (Joey Pollari) from killing himself, but a security guard shoots Spenser and kills him.
SEAL Team Showrunner Spencer Hudnut told TVLine about the decision: “Yes, it is shocking and it’s horrible and it’s an accident, but it was really important to me that Clay, in my mind, died a hero. He saves Ben from making a horrible decision, he saves Ben from taking his own life, and he comes full circle from the Swanny storyline in Season 2, but here he’s able to succeed.”
The show is Paramount+’s military drama series created by Benjamin Cavell. It follows an elite unit of United States Navy SEALs called the Bravo Team, who undertakes the most dangerous missions worldwide. The show, which was formerly on CBS for four seasons, has just started its seventh and final season. The cast includes David Boreanaz, Jessica Paré, Neil Brown Jr., A. J. Buckley, Toni Trucks, and formerly Max Thieriot.
Thieriot played the role of Clay Spenser, Navy SEAL and Special Warfare Operator First Class of Bravo Team. Spenser followed in the footsteps of his father, Ash Spencer, a former member of SEAL Team 3. He portrayed Spenser from the first season of SEAL Team, which premiered in September 2017, until his last appearance in Season 6, Episode 8, “Aces and Eights.”
In Season 7, we see the team still dealing with the aftermath of Clay’s death. This is especially showcased by Sonny making a statement on Ben’s behalf during his judgment hearing in a way that honors Clay’s memory. He told the judge that Clay would have never blamed Ben for his death, asking the judge to give Ben “a second chance at having a good life,” as that is what Clay would have wanted. It’s the show’s way of keeping Clay alive, which feels fitting, as Thieriot was, in many ways, part of the soul of this show from the beginning. Gone, but never forgotten.
