Of all the characters in Apple TV+’s acclaimed alternative history science fiction show For All Mankind, few are more divisive than Danny Stevens. Played primarily by Casey W. Edwards, Danny’s fate takes an ominous start at the start of the fourth season.
Here is how Danny Stevens shapes the overarching For All Mankind story, why the character is such a contentious figure in the show, and what we know so far about Danny’s final fate as the hit show returns to Apple TV+.
Who Is Danny Stevens?
Danny is the son of famous astronauts Tracy and Gordo Stevens, with Gordo among the astronauts training to land on the Moon as part of the Apollo Space Program. By the ’80s, Danny had followed in his father’s footsteps, joining the U.S. Navy and graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy with the intention of becoming a NASA astronaut as the Space Race against the Soviet Union continued in this timeline. His determination intensified after Gordo and Tracy heroically sacrificed their lives on the Moon to prevent the nuclear reactor powering the lunar base from exploding.
However, Danny’s personal life took a controversial turn when he engaged in an extramarital affair with Karen Baldwin, a friend of Gordo and Tracy’s, the wife of astronaut Ed Baldwin, and a woman old enough to be his mother. Though Karen immediately regretted this indiscretion, Danny became deeply infatuated with her. Over a decade later, Danny continues to harbor his unhealthy interest in Karen, even as he marries and starts a family of his own.
Where Did We Last See Danny?
Between Karen’s rejection of him, the unresolved trauma of very publicly losing his parents, and the unhappiness of working directly for Karen’s ex-husband Ed on Mars, Danny became an extreme liability during NASA’s mission to Mars. After injuring himself in a drilling accident, Danny became addicted to painkillers, which severely affected his work performance and mental health. Noticing this, Ed removes Danny from the drilling operations, causing Danny to retaliate by cutting off communications between the Mars base and drilling team.
This communications blackout causes an even more serious drilling accident, resulting in the deaths of several astronauts and cosmonauts. Guilt-stricken by the death and destruction he caused, Danny admits to Ed that the drilling accident was his fault. Upon this confession, the base personnel exile Danny to a nearby crashed North Korean escape pod where he lives alone and isolated on provided rations.
What the For All Mankind Season 4 Premiere Reveals About Danny
There is no direct reference given to what became of Danny after his exile in 1995, as For All Mankind picks up for its fourth season premiere episode eight years later in 2003. However, eagle-eyed viewers can see in the opening montage that Danny was not listed among the astronauts who returned to Earth after the completion of the Mars mission. This ominous distinction continues as veteran astronaut and NASA administrator Danielle Poole refers to something bad happening to Danny during the mission as cause for her own reluctance to travel to Mars.
Though Danielle does not divulge details at that time, an earlier visit to Danny’s wife Amber has the two women share a moment to commiserate over losing their respective spouses. From this, it can be inferred that something horrible happened to Danny while he was on Mars that led to his probable (though currently unspecified) demise. And unlike his parents, Danny’s spacefaring end appears to be more of a cautionary tale than a selflessly heroic one.
