Ward Cameron is the patriarch of the Cameron family and one of the richest men in the area on Netflix’s Outer Banks. He started the series as a caring, devoted father, a kind neighbor, and someone who gave back to the community because he started out with nothing. But as the series carried on for two seasons (thus far), Ward’s true colors came out.
Just like his daughter, Sarah, and the group of friends that live in The Cut, the Pogues, Ward was also on a mission to find millions of dollars worth of gold from the sunken ship, the Royal Merchant. And as it turned out, he’d kill anyone who came in his path to get the gold. While many fans consider his son Rafe to be the ultimate villain, it’s Ward who’s the mastermind behind it all.
He Blamed John B. For The Murder When It Was Rafe
Ward’s crooked ways began to show when Rafe shot and killed Sherrif Peterkin. Peterkin showed up at the airport to arrest Ward for the murder of John B. Sr. To protect his dad, Rafe shot Peterkin so Ward wouldn’t go to jail.
In return, Ward didn’t resuscitate Peterkin and placed the blame not on his son, but on John B. From there, a mass search for John B. followed throughout the Outer Banks, even though the real murderer was Rafe. Ward was seen as one of the worst Outer Banks characters after this because he pointed the blame on an innocent teenager when his son was the culprit. To not even feel any guilt about ruining John B.’s life’s just gave fans a sign of where his priorities lay.
Ward Tried Killing His Own Daughter When He Realized She Was Turning Her Back On The Family
When John B. was on the run from the police for being the suspected killer of Sherrif Peterkin, Sarah Cameron (Ward’s daughter) went with him. The two were in love and she knew John B. was innocent while her brother and father were to blame. Fans shipped this relationship as they were willing to die together to hide from her family.
The two went out to sea in a storm and were presumed dead after. But when Ward found out that his daughter was actually alive, he was relieved. That was until he realized Sarah was willing to turn her back on her family, point the blame on Rafe, and save her boyfriend. When Ward realized Sarah was going to hand him and Rafe in, he tried killing her. Not only is attempting to murder someone a sign that he was heading down an immoral path but the fact that it was his daughter, who he supposedly loved, made this act even more horrific.
The Altercation With John B. Senior Started His Downfall
Shockingly, Ward’s villainous ways didn’t start when his son killed Sherrif Peterkin – they started almost a year prior when John B.’s dad, John B. Sr., went missing. John B. told cameras that his dad was on a treasure hunt and was lost at sea while doing it. Everyone presumed he was dead, but John B. felt that he was still alive.
The more research John B. did on the gold, he found out that Ward and his dad were actually looking for the gold as a unit. And in a nasty altercation gone bad, Ward and John B. Sr. got into a scuffle, which resulted in John B. Sr. getting a head injury. Ward realized he had “killed him” and tossed him overboard. This was the moment fans realized there was no redeeming Ward; John B. Sr. had been considered a serious yet likable man to the residents of Outer Banks so for Ward to not help him was unforgivable. No matter what they were arguing about, he should have help John B. Sr instead of pushing him overboard.
…And His Altercation With John B. Was Manipulative
After Ward realized how close John B. was to finding the treasure, he became enraged. Ward hated the fact that a teenager was getting closer to the gold before than him. Although Ward tried to strike a deal, John B. realized how manipulative and dangerous Ward was being, he ran away from him.
The two got into a fight and realizing how bad he would look to others, Ward wanted to place the blame on John B. He stabbed himself with a graff hook to point the blame on John B. and make him the bad guy. This was certainly unpredictable and shocking to fans as they didn’t think he was this manipulative and calculating. The fact that he was this determined to frame John B. was quite worrisome.
He Took John B’s. Hard Work And Stole The Gold
The Pogues haven’t always made the wisest decisions on Outer Banks, but their realization that the gold was buried in an old house, inhabited by an elderly woman who could barely see and hear proved they were on to something.
The Pogues broke into the house in the middle of the night and found the gold buried beneath the surface in the basement. However, Ward found out what the Pogues were up to, got into the house afterward, stole the gold (and their hard work), and placed the gold elsewhere. Like on any other tv show, the heroes continuously get thwarted by the villains – which is also replicated here. Ward might have won this time around, but the Pogues weren’t going to go down without a fight.
He Killed Shot And Killed An Innocent Man
Even though the Pogues were teenagers, they were more intelligent than Ward and his dark ways. They eventually found out that there was another witness to Sherriff Peterkin’s murder — the pilot on the tarmac, Gavin.
The Pogues made a mysterious call to Gavin to let him know that they were on to him. This spooked Gavin enough to call Ward and ask for more money for his silence on the murder. When Gavin and Ward met, Gavin admitted he still had the murder weapon (with Rafe’s prints all over it). To cement his place as the villain in the show and shocking fans everywhere, Ward killed Gavin and took the murder weapon.
He Makes It Obvious That Sarah Is His Favorite Child
Ward has three children, Rafe, Sarah, and Wheezie. However, he doesn’t treat Rafe and Wheezie with the same affection and respect as he gives Sarah. Rafe saw the way his dad adored Sarah and became increasingly jealous, which is why he’d kill for his dad’s affection.
Furthermore, Ward barely acknowledged Wheezie and pushed her to the side. By choosing a favorite child, he neglected the needs and feelings of his other children, which could have been the start of Rafe’s demise. It’ll be interesting to see how this dynamic changes in Outer Banks’ season 3.
The Real Reason He Became A Guardian For John B.
When John B. realized he needed to go to Chapel Hill’s history library to gain more information on Denmark Tanny, he asked Sarah to join him because her family donated plenty of artifacts to the school.
Sarah and John B. were getting closer to the gold, so when Ward found out, he wanted to keep his enemies close. With John B. essentially being an orphan, Ward soon became John B.’s legal guardian and moved him into their home. He did this as a way to find out more information on the gold. The tactic of manipulation was twisted because John B. trusted him. Some Outer Banks fans on Reddit theorize that Ward as John B.’s legal guardian will come back to haunt him in season 3.
He Fed Two Men To The Sharks
In season 1, two unidentified villainous men came to the Outer Banks looking for John B. Sr.’s compass. The two wrecked havoc on the town, ruined homes, and were willing to hurt anyone in their path. But suddenly, the two disappeared. Later, the coroner called Sherrif Peterkin and told her that two bodies washed up onshore. It was assumed that the men died at sea because of sharks, but that wasn’t the case.
After identifying the bodies, the coroner saw that they had marks on their bodies that proved they were in a fight. It’s later pointed out that it was Ward who hired the men and then killed them when they became too close to the gold themselves. His increasing greed has certainly led him down a dark path so who knows what he will end up doing in season 3 to get the Pogues off his tale once and for all.