Aaron (TV Series)

This article is about the TV Series character. You may be looking for his Comic Series counterpart or his Road to Survival counterpart, the actor, or the other actor.

Aaron
Actor	Ross Marquand
Gender	Male
Hair	Brown
Age	Early to mid 30s
Occupation	Former Politician (Pre-Apocalypse) NGO Worker (Pre-Apocalypse) Former Recruiter for the Alexandria Safe-Zone (Post-Apocalypse) Member of The Militia (Post-Apocalypse)
Family	Eric Raleigh - Former Boyfriend (Deceased)
Ethnicity	Caucasian-American
Status	Alive
First Appearance	"Them"

“

It's giving everything up, right up until your own life. But either your hearts beating or it isn't. Your loved ones' hearts are beating or they aren't. We take what they give us, so that we can live. ―Aaron to Rick Grimes understanding why he chooses to submit to the The Saviors

”

Aaron is a main character and a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. Aaron was the recruiter for the community of the Alexandria Safe-Zone. His good-natured and charitable personality mixed with his survival skills and good judge of character made him a valuable asset to recruiting new members for the community. He went along with his boyfriend Eric Raleigh, who both met before the apocalypse and fell in love. Aaron was responsible for bringing Rick's group into Alexandria and developed a close bond with Daryl Dixon due to both of them being outsiders, as he and Eric are still victims of homophobia within the community.

Overview

Personality

Aaron is described as "an affable, good-natured, adventurous guy. Despite feeling like a bit of an outsider for most of his life, he's passionate about people and the good they can do. He doesn't think twice about putting himself in danger if he believes something positive can come from it."

Aaron had been mistreated and ostracized most of his life, mostly due to him being openly gay and the reaction of people's homophobia, including abuse from his own mother. Despite this, Aaron consistently saw the good in these people even though they were being offensive. He has a good judge of character and sees the best in everyone. Aaron is very altruistic and always wanted to help people, causing him to join a NGO and give supplies to those living in the Niger River Delta.

Alongside his charitable personality, Aaron also has a sense of humor and optimism. He aims to keep people at ease with him. Sometimes his humor goes over people's heads, but he still aims for people to see the brighter side of things as he does. Aaron was supportive of Daryl's status as an outsider as well as comforting Maggie when Glenn disappeared. One of the things he enjoys doing is photography and collecting memorabilia from the places he had visited. After the apocalypse, he began collecting license plates from each state to create a mural on a wall in his house.

Aaron extremely loves and cares for Eric, his boyfriend. Both had been outsiders, treated with bigotry, and were the only people in the world who understood each other. Both worked together in recruiting outsiders for Alexandria as well as collect license plates for their collection. Aaron is willing to tolerate many things, but one thing he can't tolerate is Eric being threatened or harmed in any way. He would even result to violence, something he is usually against, if it meant defending Eric, including putting himself in danger.

After Aaron brought Rick Grimes's group into Alexandria, he and Eric grew a close-bond to one of the group members, Daryl Dixon. Aaron saw that, like himself and Eric, Daryl was an outsider to both his own group and Alexandria and that people fear him even though they do not know him. Because of Eric's near-death experience, Aaron had him retire and gave the position to Daryl so that Eric could stay safe and that Daryl could get out more and be himself. Aaron's affection gave Daryl purpose and was willing to sacrifice himself for Aaron's safety so that he could be safe if nothing else.

Pre-Apocalypse

Washington, D.C.

Aaron was openly gay and, as a child, was abused by his mother for that and was forced to go through conversion therapy, such as eating foods he did not like to "make [him] more manly", but Aaron described her as a "very confused woman" who tried her hardest to make him tougher. These foods became abuse triggers for him and rendered him unable to eat them as an adult, where he is no longer able to eat applesauce, salmon patties, and onions.

In his adult life, he lived in Washington, D.C., as a politician. He started working in the political circuit but felt that he could do his best work abroad in a hands-on approach that would utilize his skill set. He then joined a charity non-government organization where he was tasked with giving supplies and food to people in need in the Niger River Delta and Liberia and often had to deal with dangerous people in the process. He constantly encountered and had to negotiate with African warlords and violent militias while in his field.

Through working in the NGO, he met Eric Raleigh. Aaron and Eric soon became best friends and worked well together in Africa, with Eric knowing how to handle the nature and terrain due to being raised in the Appalachian region. The two developed a deep-trust and eventually started dating. It wasn't until their fifth date that Aaron admitted his love for Eric, in which he responded "I had a hunch." They became partners and lived together in D.C., but became victims of homophobia by people who, according to Aaron, were well-meaning but otherwise offensive and bigoted.

Post-Apocalypse

Aaron and Eric were living together in Washington, D.C., when the outbreak went global. Due to being in D.C. at the time as well as working in the political circuit, Aaron and Eric were directed by the military to evacuate to a safe-zone in Alexandria, Virginia, a suburban area. Ohio Congresswoman Deanna Monroe and her family had also been evacuated there, being told that the military would return for them. The military, however, never arrived. Aaron and Eric remained with the Monroe family and several others who had elected to remain within the area, as they saw promise with the supposed "safe-zone".

Eventually, walls were built around the area and a community was formed. The community now had Deanna as its established leader. She believed that who people were before their lives had been changed by the outbreak mattered in sustaining the community. Because of Aaron and Eric's work in the NGO, their charitable nature, and ability to travel in dangerous terrain, it made them assets in the recruiting program designed to bring in more survivors. Aaron and Eric were tasked with finding survivors and monitoring them for several days to see if they were eligible for the community. Aaron would then approach the survivors with the news, with Eric being his guard, and bringing the survivors back to the safe-zone for "auditioning" in front of Deanna.

In their spare time, Aaron and Eric began a hobby of collecting license plates from abandoned cars from each state, making a mural of all fifty states in their home, though Aaron lost all of his license plates when he encountered Rick's group. They also collected other vintage items to decorate in their home. In order to convince survivors to join the safe-zone, Aaron took up photography and took pictures of the community as evidence. Back at the safe-zone, despite rescuing a majority of the members there, the community still treated Aaron and Eric as outsiders because of their intolerance towards Aaron being openly gay, causing Aaron to avoid any gatherings and events of the community for fear of public ostracism in front of Deanna.

At one point, Aaron and Eric recruited a man named Davidson, who was the leader of a small group, but the group could not reside peacefully in the community. Deanna exiled them and had Aaron, a supply runner named Nicholas, and her son Aiden drive them out. The recruiting for larger groups was suspended, focusing now on lone survivors. This occurred for several months until Deanna realized that in order for the community and its members to survive, they would need more people who have been out there longer to teach them how to handle the new world. Aaron started to look for larger groups along with Eric. At one point, Aaron encountered two people who sought to kill him, forcing him to kill them. It is unknown if Eric had been there to help him.

Aaron observed Rick Grimes and his group as they traveled to Washington, D.C., in hopes of finding other survivors. Aaron left bottles of water for them on their path as a test, but the group declined to drink from it, fearing it may be poisoned. When a storm emerges, Daryl Dixon informed the group of a barn he'd seen earlier and lead the group there to safety, and this quick-thinking act to keep his people alive convinced Aaron that they needed to be brought back to Alexandria. The following morning, upon seeing that the group had survived the storm and the walker attack, Aaron told Eric to remain nearby and watch in case anything happened to him.

Season 5

"Them"

Aaron saw Sasha Williams and Maggie Greene exit the barn together and go to an open field alone to watch the sunrise. Using this opportunity, Aaron appears from the woods and carefully approaches the women. He comes off as friendly and cautious greeting the pair, though they aim their guns at him, which he understands as "stranger danger", and asks to speak with their leader, knowing his name to be Rick, before informing them that he has good news.

"The Distance"

Aaron revealed to Maggie and Sasha that he has a community not far from their location, and that it's been looking into recruiting surviving outsiders to help maintain their community. Maggie and Sasha bring Aaron to the barn where the rest of their group is. They have taken all his possessions away beforehand. Aaron wants them to come back to his community with him. Rick Grimes, the leader whom Aaron has been monitoring, chooses not to believe him, and tells the group that Aaron has another agenda. Aaron shows them a small set of photographs of his community which he had taken as evidence of its existence. As Aaron is explaining what his community is about and emphasizing on its security, Rick punches him in the face, knocking him out. After he wakes up, Aaron remains positive towards the group, complimenting Rick's strength.

Rick asks Aaron about the number of people waiting for him and his group. Aaron responds saying how it does not matter whether he informed him of how many, as it would not affect whether or not he would trust him any more than he does then informs him that there is only one. Aaron also reveals that he and his accomplice have vehicles that they had tried to bring closer to the barn, but had been blocked by the trees. Rick allows Abraham Ford, Rosita Espinosa, Glenn Rhee, Maggie, and Michonne go check out the vehicles, whilst everyone but Rick, who elects himself to stand guard over Aaron and watches his own daughter, scours the area in groups of two to search for anyone else who might be watching. The groups leave, Rick warns Aaron that if his people do not return in one hour, he would kill him. When Judith starts crying, Aaron offers Rick some of the applesauce in his bag. Rick forcefeeds it to Aaron before Judith to ensure it is not poisoned, then cautiously tries it himself before allowing Judith to have some. When everyone returns with the food from Aaron's vehicles, Aaron again tries to persuade them to leave for his community, which Michonne persuades the others to do. He gives them instructions of a clear route, but Rick decides to take an uncleared route at night to stay hidden from any of Aaron's friends.

Hands tied behind his back, Aaron rides in a car with Michonne, Glenn and Rick to his community. When showing Michonne the pictures from his community, she wonders where the pictures of his people are and grows concerned. She asks him Rick's three questions, in which Aaron reveals he has previously killed a lot of walkers and two people who had tried to kill him first. After the group runs into numerous walkers, the car eventually crashes and stalls due to walker parts in the engine. When a lit flare is seen from afar, Aaron starts to panic, concerned of his partner's safety. He frantically requests for his freedom, but after the group denies him, he starts to become violent, kicking the door open and knocking Michonne over, running off into the forest. The others follow him, with Glenn saving his life when a walker attacks him. Glenn tells him that he can leave if he wants to, but Aaron says that he would prefer if Rick and his group would come with him to safety.

They then save Rick and Michonne from a group of walkers attacking them after Glenn untied Aaron and gave him a weapon to defend himself with. When they arrive at where the flare was fired, they reunite with the rest of the group. Aaron, worried Eric might be injured or even dead, runs inside the garage to find Eric alive but with a broken ankle. The two share an emotional reunion, with Eric surprising Aaron with another license plate, only to have Aaron reveal that he lost them all. Aaron then thanks the rest of the group for saving Eric and tells them they'll leave in the morning. Rick tries to keep him from sleeping next to Eric so that they could not conspire together, but Aaron announces that the only way they would keep him from sleeping alongside Eric was if they were to shoot him.

In the morning, Aaron is in the RV watching over Eric. He tells Noah that at his community, there is a surgeon named Pete who could try to fix his leg. He is then seen exiting the RV when they reach the safe-zone, leading the way in and helping his boyfriend to the infirmary.

"Remember"

Aaron leads the group into Alexandria while carrying Eric inside. After letting Eric go off to the infirmary, he stays at the gate with Nicholas as the group enters. Aaron asks that group comply with Nicholas' orders to turn over their weapons, and that they will need to speak to the leader, Deanna. After she spoke with Rick, Aaron guided Rick and Carl to the two vacant houses in the safe-zone, and that he and Eric will be four houses down if Rick or anyone else needs anything.

"Forget"

From the time Aaron and Eric have been home since recruiting Rick's group, he wished for Eric to be retired considering his injury and near-death experience. As for his replacement, Aaron saw fit that Daryl would make an exceptional recruiter, and had Deanna hold off on giving Daryl a role in the community as he needed to observe him more. As he watched him, Aaron knew that Daryl was an outsider to both the safe-zone as well as his own group, much like Aaron.

Aaron goes out of the safe-zone to follow Daryl on one of his hunts and follows him, under the guise of hunting rabbits. When Daryl spots Aaron, he questions Daryl if he can really tell the difference between a good guy and a bad guy. Aaron then joins Daryl on the hunt, during which they come across a wild horse that children of the community have dubbed "Buttons" and Aaron and Eric have been trying to wrangle for months. When Daryl attempts to get Buttons, they are attacked by walkers and flee the area.

Aaron then reveals that he knows how Daryl feels, like an outsider. He goes on to explain how before and even now back at the safe-zone, he and Eric are seen as outsiders because of people's homophobia. Aaron mentions that people fear what they don't understand and that Daryl should join the safe-zone's welcoming party. Soon after, Aaron is attacked by walkers and Daryl rescues him. They come to find Buttons being devoured by walkers, so both Aaron and Daryl kill the walkers, with Aaron shooting Buttons out of its misery.

Aaron goes back to the safe-zone with Daryl but doesn't attend the party so that he can help mend Eric's broken ankle. When Daryl arrives to the Monroe house but declines to go inside, Aaron invites Daryl over for spaghetti dinner. Aaron and Eric then surprise Daryl with a motorcycle and reveal that Eric is retiring and Daryl is to take his place, as Aaron saw that Daryl could handle himself out there, is in need of a friend who understands him, and that like Aaron and Eric he knows the difference between a good and a bad person. Daryl is grateful and forms a friendship with Aaron and Eric.

"Spend"

Aaron can be seen in his car, behind Daryl. The two of them are going on a mission to find new recruits.

"Try"

Aaron and Daryl are out in the night during their reconnaissance mission when they see something a light off in the distance. They go to investigate it. The next day, while still out in the woods, they find a body ripped apart on the ground and then a walker bound to the trunk of a tree with a 'W' on her forehead. Daryl kills her when she reanimates before they keep moving.

"Conquer"

Aaron and Daryl still continue their recruiting mission. The two are following a man with a poncho, smearing mud all over his face. Aaron asks Daryl what the man is doing and Daryl tells him the man knows how to keep the bugs off his body by using the mud. The two continue following the man until they soon lose track of him and come across a seemingly abandoned building with large trucks on the parking lot. The building is gated. Aaron explains to Daryl that they need more food for the people at Alexandria. The two then begin to kill the walkers that are near the place by drawing them to the gates. Finished, they opened the gate, and Aaron is thrilled to have finally find another plate number he has been searching for many times before. One of the trucks of food is locked, so Daryl opens it up, only to be shocked by a stream of walkers swarming from each of the truck, which each were unlocked by Daryl's opening. The walkers close their attention to the two of them, filling the once-empty parking field as they try to reach both him and Daryl. The two are forced to get into a car. As they are searching for a thing to cover up the windows so that the walkers might lose interest by not being able to see food, Daryl finds a note from someone who was trapped in the car before; the note reads: "Don't Stay, Bad People Coming".

Upon finding the note, Daryl and Aaron engage in conversation. Aaron tells Daryl that he knows that Rick and his group were good people, after he saw Daryl telling his group about the barn the night of the storm he had found when he had been alienating himself from the group. Daryl tells Aaron to stay put while he tries to run to the gate and then make a run for it when it was clear, suggesting he sacrifice himself for Aaron, and Aaron refuses to leave him and insists that he will go with Daryl. Daryl gives him a smile and Aaron smiles back. Just a second before the two open the doors, they are rescued by a mysterious survivor, who beats down the walkers effortlessly with his staff. It is revealed to be Morgan Jones. Outside the gates, Aaron introduces himself and Daryl to Morgan, whom neither of the two knows, and asks him to join Alexandria. Morgan declines the offer, stating that he is heading somewhere, and asks for directions instead. As he gives his map to Daryl, Daryl is surprised that the map that Morgan has been using has Rick's name written on it.

The trio returns to the safe-zone late at night, after the death of Deanna's husband, Reg, and just as Rick executes Pete Anderson, the town's surgeon. Rick and Morgan lock eyes in surprise, and Aaron stands in shock behind Morgan as he watches the scene.

Season 6

"First Time Again"

Aaron soon reunited with Eric after witnessing Pete's execution by Rick. After the events that occurred, he and Daryl are officially retired from the recruitment program by Rick, per what happened to them earlier that day by the Wolves. Aaron and Eric later attend the meeting in Deanna's house led by Rick to discuss the nearby quarry containing a herd that threatens the Safe-Zone. Rick makes a plan to use diversion teams to lead the herd down the road and use a makeshift wall to curve the herd in the other direction. Aaron and Eric go out with the community to dig and build the wall, and later they return to the Safe-Zone.

"JSS"

Shortly after returning to the Alexandria, the Safe-Zone is invaded by the Wolves. One of the residents, Holly, is attacked and stabbed by a member of the Wolves but is rescued by Aaron, Eric, and Rosita. The three bring her into the infirmary to Dr. Denise Cloyd, who has come out of seclusion after the death of Pete. They group begins to formulate a plan, as Aaron tells Eric that he has to go out there but wants him to stay inside with Holly. When Eugene Porter volunteers to stay inside, Aaron disagrees, but Eugene is permitted to stay.

Aaron and Rosita then go out and flank the houses to take out a few members of the Wolves. He manages to successfully kill one of the members of the Wolves. After the attack, Aaron sweeps the area. Upon approaching Deanna's house, he finds a member of the Wolves with his personal bag that he dropped back at the Del Arno Factory. The bag contained photos and information on Alexandria, and Aaron begins to sob as he realizes that it was his fault that the Wolves were led to Alexandria and that he is indirectly responsible for the deaths in the community.

"Now"

In the aftermath of the Wolves attack, Rick returns to the safe-zone with a herd following him which soon surround the walls. Rick gives a speech to reassure the safety of the citizens, with Aaron by Eric's side, looking concerned at each other. When the people of Alexandria criticized Rick, Aaron stepped up and defended Rick, claiming that Rick knew what he was doing and that his plan is working and that the others will return shortly. Aaron then admitted that he was at fault for leading the Wolves to Alexandria by leaving behind his pack.

Soon after, the citizens began to write the names of those who died in the attack on the wall as a memoriam, and Aaron becomes overwhelmed at the loss of life because of his fault. He then sees Maggie prepare to leave, and insists that he help her escape and find Glenn and the others. He shows her a way into the sewers that goes underneath the wall and outside the safe-zone, and rejects Maggie's pleas to stay behind. When they enter the sewer, they find the exit overrun, and Maggie breaks down. She believes Glenn is dead and that reveals that she's pregnant. Aaron then comforts her.

Later that night, Aaron and Maggie were on post during nightshift. Maggie went down to the memoriam to erase Glenn's name, believing he is still alive. Aaron goes over and with Maggie he erases Nicholas's name. He then jokingly suggests Aaron as a name for the baby, and Erin for a girl's name.

"No Way Out"

When the herd invaded the safe-zone, Aaron got separated from Eric and retreated into the infirmary with Heath and Spencer along with the other wounded while Eric retreated back in their house with Olivia. Aaron helped Denise in when she escaped from the Wolf leader. He assured her that all of her patients were fine.

Meanwhile, Carl was shot and Rick and Michonne were fighting the walkers as they were running to the infirmary. Aaron and Denise spotted them and wondered if he was bitten, and Denise concluded that he wasn't and ordered Aaron, Heath, and Spencer to prep for surgery. Rick and Michonne brought in a wounded Carl and Rick went back out to kill the walkers. Aaron concluded that he needed to go out to help Rick and Michonne, and Heath and Spencer joined them.

The defensive then inspired Eric and Olivia to help and soon the rest of the able-bodied community. Aaron and the others continued as Daryl lit the lake on fire and took out the rest of the walkers. Later that morning, Aaron was joined with Eric alongside the rest of the community outside the infirmary, covered in blood.

"Not Tomorrow Yet"

When newcomer Paul Rovia, known as Jesus, brought Rick and members of his group to Paul's settlement, the Hilltop Colony, Aaron helped guard Alexandria alongside Sasha. When Rick returned, he had Aaron and the others go inside the church for a meeting regarding the merger. Rick explained to them the situation of the merger with Hilltop, and their part in the deal being to neutralize the group known as the Saviors and their leader, Negan, who previously attacked Daryl, Abraham, and Sasha. While Morgan suggested a peaceful approach, Aaron stood up and reminded them of the mistakes he made regarding leading the Wolves to Alexandria, and that they couldn't take that chance again. Aaron sided with Rick in killing these Saviors.

The next day, Aaron went out with the battalion. Their plan involved using a walker head double to fool the Saviors into thinking it's Gregory's, the leader of the Hilltop. But Aaron and the others quickly killed the guard outside and began a sneak attack while the Saviors slept. However, an alarm was triggered that resulted in a firefight. Aaron quickly got cornered and was nearly killed by one of the men with a shattered bottle, but he managed to kill him, claiming it would've been him or them. He then regrouped with Rosita as they charged out with the others. Before they headed out, they neutralized a fleeing Savior but soon discovered there were more out there and had Carol and Maggie.

"Last Day on Earth"

Aaron insists on going with the group to the Hilltop, and when Rick says no, Aaron tells him the only way to stop him would be by punching him in the face again, so Rick reluctantly allows him to come.

As they set off for the Hilltop, they repeatedly run into blockades of the Saviors stopping them from getting to the Hilltop. Carl asks Aaron why he came, to which he replies that he owes Maggie.

The group encounter another blockade, this time a large pile of logs. The Saviors' captive from earlier is then thrown over the bridge with a chain around his neck. As the man struggled, Aaron suggested shooting the chain or to at least put him out of his misery, but Rick argued that it wouldn't work and they needed to save the bullets. They are then forced to watch him die.

Realizing the Saviors' were always going to be one step ahead, they decided to bring Maggie to Hilltop on foot while Eugene took the RV back home. As Aaron helped carry Maggie to Hilltop, the group began to hear whistles. They started running, the whistles growing louder until they were surrounded by nearly a hundred men, with Eugene and the RV captured. Aaron was forced to give up his weapons and was put onto his knees alongside the others, as well as the captured Daryl, Glenn, Michonne and Rosita.

Negan finally approached the group and delivered a speech how he doesn't wish to kill them, because he wants Rick's group to work for him, but he states that the group needs to be punished for killing dozens of Negan's men. Negan, using his barbed baseball-bat named "Lucille", decides a victim by "Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo." A victim was decided and Negan beat their head in while the others screamed in horror.

Season 7

"The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be"

During the line-up, Aaron had flashbacks of his happiest moments leading up to this, including: finding Rick's group and recruiting them for Alexandria, befriending Daryl, and reuniting with Eric. Despite his fears of dying, Negan instead chooses Abraham to kill. Aaron is shocked and saddened to see Abraham killed. However, Daryl then attacks Negan for taunting Rosita about his death, which leads to Negan killing Glenn as well, which devastates Aaron and the rest of the group to tears.

After Rick threatens to kill Negan, Negan takes Rick away in the RV, leaving Aaron the rest of the group in the same spot with Abraham and Glenn's bodies still present. After returning, Negan orders his men to put guns up against the back of Aaron's head as well as everyone else in the group, and threatens to open fire unless Rick cuts Carl's hand off. Negan then offers mercy and Rick understands what Negan wants. After the Saviors depart, Aaron comforts Maggie as he helps with Glenn's body as they go to Hilltop.

"Service"

As the Saviors ransack Alexandria, Aaron and Eric watch the commotion from their front porch as Saviors remove a mattress from their house. Later, Anna is among the townspeople present at the church, where she appears anxious when Rick informs them that he is no longer in charge and that all guns need to be turned over to the Saviors in order for Olivia to be released from her captivity. Eric whispers to Aaron and wants to ask Rick about what he will do regarding Negan, but Aaron unsuccessfully tries to stop Eric, telling him it wasn't the appropriate time to bring up that discussion.

"Go Getters"

Aaron is in Rick's house preparing for a run to scavenge supplies for their weekly offering to the Saviors. He heads downstairs to let Rick have a private moment with Michonne before leaving for the run.

"Sing Me a Song"

Aaron and Rick emerge from a box truck having stopped there to rest for the night. “We didn’t see that last night,” Aaron says, looking at something on the road.

Aaron and Rick approach a gate with a sign: “Keep going, only thing here 4 you is trouble.” Feeling the pressure of only having one day left to find supplies, they hop the gate. They soon encounter another warning sign; this time, the writer threatens to shoot anyone who comes for his food, supplies or ammo. They move past the sign and reach a pond filled with walkers. They see a dilapidated houseboat floating in the center of the pond.

"Hearts Still Beating"

At the walker-filled pond, Aaron and Rick find a boat riddled with bullet holes. Rick tells Aaron he doesn’t have to help him, and Aaron tells him he’ll pretend he never said that. They climb in and row the boat towards the canoe in the middle of the pond. As they get closer, a walker pulls Aaron underwater. He escapes and swims to the houseboat.

As they rummage through supplies on the houseboat, Aaron finds a note with a drawing of a middle finger: “Congrats for winning, but you still lose.”

Aaron and Rick get the houseboat to shore and load the cargo truck with supplies. Rick mentions how Michonne feels about their deal with the Saviors – that it isn’t living. Aaron says he knows they’re doing this to stay alive: “Either your heart is beating or it isn’t.” They finish loading the truck and prepare to leave, unaware that someone is watching them from across the pond.

Aaron and Rick arrive at the Alexandria gate and are surprised to be greeted by Saviors, who inspect the goods that they brought back. Laura finds the note that Aaron found previously, and David accuse him of disrespecting them as he tries to explain. He and Gary begin to beat up Aaron as Rick is held at gunpoint by Laura.

Once they are finished, Rick helps Aaron to his feet. “My heart’s still beating, right?” he asks Rick. They hear a gunshot and rush to investigate, where Eric holds Aaron up. As Negan demands to know who made the bullet, Arat points her gun at Aaron until Eugene confesses it was him.

"Rock in the Road"

When the Saviors arrive at Alexandria looking for Daryl, Simon comments on the bare pantry shelves. Aaron explains that they’re having a hard time scavenging.

After the Saviors leave, Rick asks Aaron about the pantry. Aaron and Tobin explain that Gabriel disappeared from his night shift, along with most of their food, weapons and a car. Rick finds a the word "BOAT" left by Gabriel in the inventory notebook and shows it to Aaron.

As Aaron packs a bag to accompany Rick back to the boat, Eric begs him not to go; he knows they’re taking on the Saviors and Aaron is still recovering from when they beat him up. Aaron tells him he has to, for Gabriel and for them.

The group arrive at the boat and follow some footprints, which take them to a junkyard. They are then held at gunpoint and knifepoint by a large group of strangers.

"New Best Friends"

Aaron is seen along with the others as prisoners of Jadis. He remains silent and confused as his captors swarm him and align in a circular formation around the Alexandrians. He does not speak as Rick demands that Gabriel be brought to them before he negotiates. Aaron reacts quickly when a skirmish erupts between Rosita and one of their minders, first trying to break up the fight before receiving a smack to the head by one of the others. He remains still as Gabriel and Rick barter for their lives and their support against the Saviors. When Rick goes with Jadis to be tested for his worth, Aaron is wary of the other group, but allows himself to sit in a wicker chair and be tended to by Gabriel. Aaron, Michonne and Rosita all rush over to the landfill Rick was tossed into and watch as he fights a walker outfitted with metal and spikes.

When he is finally able to defeat the walker, Aaron's weapon is returned to him along with the other weapons taken from his friends. As Rick and Jadis argue over what the terms of their deal would be, a third of the Saviors' supplies and half of Rick's, along with an assortment of firearms and jars. Aaron jokes about not wanting Eric to see his face after the blow he had sustained. He and Michonne are grateful that Rick was able to earn their freedom when he returns to them. Aaron and Rick carry their supplies back to their vehicle, receiving one final warning from their former captors that their deal would expire soon if the terms were not met.

"Something They Need"

Aaron first appears in one of the two rowboats the Alexandrians use to travel across a river, paddling alongside Tobin and Eric for his boat. He and Eric have a brief discussion during their preparation to attack Oceanside. Eric quickly agrees with Aaron over the necessity of their attack, Eric justifying it to himself and Aaron that he wasn't going to allow Aaron to be randomly beaten on any given visit from the Saviors.

Once the raid had concluded and Tara had been saved from Natania, Aaron forms a line with the Alexandrians and the capable Oceanside fighters to take on the horde of walkers that swarms the camp because of the noise from the explosions and gunfire. Aaron and the others successfully defend their front without a single casualty, but Natania refuses to be convinced to join Rick's cause to take on Negan, and allows them to have their weapons. Aaron helps carry out the Oceanside camp's weapons to their vehicles and drives back to Alexandria with them.

"The First Day of the Rest of Your Life"

Following their arrival back to Alexandria from Oceanside, the group discovers Dwight's change of allegiance from the Saviors to Rick and the community to ruin Negan, warning them about an attack by Negan because of a mole alerting him of resistance from Rick and the community. With the Scavengers help, Aaron and the community prepare for the battle with Negan and the Saviors using Oceanside's guns.

Jadis and the Scavengers arrive at Alexandria in a caravan of garbage trucks and bicycles. Rick greets Jadis inside the gate. Daryl, Rosita and Aaron wire explosives in an empty cargo truck outside the Alexandria gate. 

On a truck, Aaron guards the wall of Alexandria with Eric. When Negan and the Saviors arrive, the explosives that Aaron, Daryl and Rosita prepared failed to go off. At that moment, the Scavengers betray Alexandria. One of the Scavengers aim there gun at Aaron and Eric. However, when a reanimated Sasha attacks Negan, Carl leads the attack against the Scavengers and the Saviors during the distraction. Aaron and Eric follow Carl's lead and help against the attack.

Aaron and Eric fight the Scavengers and Saviors, followed by the assistance with the Kingdom and Hilltop residents. After driving out the Scavengers and Saviors, the community prepares for war. Aaron is shown giving Jerry an apple. Aaron can be seen next to Eric, listening to the speech by Rick, Maggie, and Ezekiel.

Season 8

"Mercy"

Aaron along with Eric, helped prepare for battle against the Saviors. At Hilltop, Eric helped arm the cars with sheets of metal. Shortly before the battle, Eric began to pray despite previous non-beliefs. Aaron catches him praying and Eric tells him that he was always meaning to and that it's never too late. He then attended the speech held by Rick about fighting for a better future. Aaron and Eric then traveled with the militia to the Sanctuary and opened fire against the Saviors and then left the Sanctuary with the others as the herd crew summoned the herd of walkers to the gates of Sanctuary.

"The Damned"

Aaron leads a force from the Militia against a Savior outpost. When Eric becomes distressed at the battle, Aaron reminds him that they only need to hold the Saviors off for awhile as their plan is to let the dead Saviors reanimate and turn on their comrades as walkers. As the battle continues, Aaron notices Eric being ambushed by Saviors and runs several over with a car, saving his boyfriend's life. To Aaron's horror, he discovers that Eric has been shot in the abdomen and is seriously wounded. Aaron abandons the battle in favor of getting Eric to medical attention, helping Eric to limp away.

"Monsters"

Aaron and his team continue their assault against the Saviors with gunfire, but the Saviors begin to make their way inside the compound to assist Morales. Meanwhile, Aaron helps Eric away from the gunfire after he sustained a bullet wound the abdomen. Aaron insists they will get him to the Kingdom's doctor. Aaron breaks down and apologizes to Eric, feeling guilty for bringing Eric into the fight, but Eric tells Aaron he will be fine and that the other members of their team need Aaron’s help more than he does. Aaron reluctantly agrees and they kiss goodbye, with Aaron telling Eric he loves him, with Eric responding with, "I always had a hunch," referring back to the first time they admitted their love for each other. Aaron then rejoins the fight.

Aaron is seen rushing to Rick and Daryl's aid in the outpost, killing the remaining Saviors. With the gunfight now over, Aaron goes to retrieve Eric, only to discover he has died and reanimated as a walker, wandering off towards a nearby herd. The sight of his loved one among the undead makes Aaron break down in tears as he tries to get to him, Scott appears and tells him it's not Eric and they have to go.Later, Aaron sits with blood on his hands. He hears a baby cry and sees Rick walk out with Gracie in his arms. Aaron offers to take the baby to Hilltop with him and Rick agrees. 

Killed Victims

This list shows the victims Aaron has killed:

• Buttons (Out of Mercy)
• Holly (Indirectly Caused)
• Shelly Neudermeyer (Indirectly Caused)
• Richards (Indirectly Caused)
• Erin (Indirectly Caused)
• Stacy (Indirectly Caused)
• Michael (Indirectly Caused)
• Natalie Miller (Indirectly Caused)
• Bobby (Indirectly Caused)
• Dinesh (Indirectly Caused)
• Dan (Indirectly Caused)
• Samantha (Indirectly Caused)
• O'Hara (Indirectly Caused)
• Charlyne (Indirectly Caused)
• Jeffrey (Indirectly Caused)
• Park (Indirectly Caused)
• Adrian (Indirectly Caused)
• Dino (Alongside his fellows militians)
• Mara (Caused)
• 2 unnamed people
• 2 unnamed Wolves (1 Alive and 1 Before Reanimation)
• 2 unnamed Alexandria Safe-Zone residents (Zombified)
• At least 6 unnamed Saviors
• 1 unnamed Scavenger
• Numerous counts of zombies

Relationships

Eric Raleigh “ This is your fault, you know? (...) Because I love you. ―Eric to Aaron after the two reunite. ” Aaron loved Eric more than anything in the world and the two had a caring relationship. Eric was Aaron's boyfriend who both met before the apocalypse. Aaron had been working in an NGO based in Washington D.C. that gave supplies and relief to those living in the Niger River Delta, and through working in the NGO he met Eric. The two worked together and then fell in love. Afterwards they lived in D.C. together as partners. However, when they were together, they both were treated with homophobia by people who saw them together. Aaron fiercely loves Eric and does whatever it takes to defend him, even if it means resulting to violence. When the outbreak went global, Aaron and Eric were in D.C. and by the military were directed to the Safe-Zone in the Alexandria community. Led by Deanna Monroe, she gave the role of recruiters to Aaron and Eric due to their experiences in the NGO. While in Alexandria, they have a house together which is decorated with vintage nicknacks and photography. While on their outings, Aaron and Eric would collect license plates together from each state and then create a mural on a wall in their house. Despite the end of the world and being partly responsible for the rescue and safety of a majority of Alexandrian residents, Aaron's relationship with Eric was still met with hostility and being ostracized. Being together outside of the walls during recruitment was one of the few times Aaron and Eric could be together without anyone judging them. The two care for each other deeply, as evidenced by Aaron visually sterned when Rick threatened to kill them both, and again when the chaos starts within the group. Aaron became extremely distraught by the flare being shot by Eric, signaling that he was in danger. Aaron was willing to let himself be in danger just try to get to where Eric was. And again, when the two reunite, the two kiss passionately, as Eric said it's Aaron's fault he got injured, because he loves him. Aaron is also shown to be very protective towards his boyfriend, as shown when Rick didn't allow Aaron to be with Eric since he doesn't trust either of them. Aaron warned Rick that nothing can stop him from being with Eric other than shooting him. Because of Eric's near-death experience, Aaron became too worried for Eric's sake and had him retire with Daryl replacing him. Aaron and Eric often are side-by-side. They were seen together at Deanna's meeting regarding the herd, and were digging the trench together to build the wall and divert the herd. When the Wolves attacked the Safe-Zone, Aaron went to Eric and wanted him safe, and both had a mutual, unspoken understanding about Aaron taking care of the Wolves. During the herd invasion, Aaron and Eric were separated, with Eric hiding in their house with Olivia and Aaron hiding in the infirmary with Spencer, Heath, and the injured. When Rick went out to make a final stand, Aaron joined him and soon did Eric. The two fought side-to-side during the battle of Alexandria and were seen standing together outside the infirmary waiting to get a response from Rick about Carl. Two months later, when Aaron is in the line-up to be beaten to death by Negan with Lucille, the happiest moments of his life flash before his eyes. One of the happiest memories he has was reuniting with Eric following his injury while recruiting Rick's group. Upon Aaron's return to the community, he spent some time with Eric before Negan's arrival to take his share of the supplies he demanded. Eric and Aaron searched the community for the two missing weapons from the charter Olivia kept. Eric later confronted Aaron regarding Rick's desire to attack the Saviors again. He expressed to Aaron that he did not want him to keep going out with Rick when he had just been punished by the Saviors for a misunderstanding over an insulting message. Aaron told Eric that he had to keep them all alive by following Rick and finding the food taken by Gabriel. Eric reluctantly agrees that Rick needed Aaron, and lets him go with the group to track down Gabriel. After Aaron was struck by one of the Scavengers, Aaron dryly remarked to Gabriel about how Eric would not be happy to see him hurt again. Aaron and Eric would spend their final moments together after following Rick in his fight against the Saviors when they attack a Savior outpost. In the ensuing firefight, Aaron rushes to save Eric from a group of Saviors surrounding him but fails to get to him in time when Eric is fatally shot in the stomach. Panicking, Aaron rushes Eric out of the fight to get him medical attention. Resting Eric against a tree, Aaron treats his wound and notices that it is treatable. Eric begs Aaron to leave him, return to the fight and win it for both of them. Aaron refuses to leave him but reluctantly does so after much convincing by Eric who tells Aaron that he loves him. The two kiss and Aaron leaves Eric with a rifle to defend himself. Unfortunately, after the fight is over, Aaron rushes over to where he left Eric only to find him not against the tree and only a trail of blood. Utterly heartbroken and crying profusely, Aaron notices a reanimated Eric walking away in the distance towards the forest. Aaron struggles to make his way to him but is stopped by Scott. Aaron cries to Scott in that he can't leave Eric as a walker however Scott replies that Eric is now gone. Aaron yields and Scott helps him return to the group. Rick Grimes “ Does it matter?... I mean, of course it--it matters how many people are actually out there, but does it matter how many people I tell you are out there? Because I'm pretty sure no matter what number I say--Eight. Thirty-two. Four hundred forty-four. Zero. No matter what I say, you're not going to trust me. ―Aaron to Rick. ” Rick is initially highly suspicious of Aaron, to the point of tying him up and interrogating him. Rick also threatens to kill him even though Aaron has given evidence of his community and how his community is. Nevertheless, Aaron still has a soft spot for Rick and the rest of his group, as shown how he willingly risks his life to talk with Rick and his boyfriend's life to follow Rick several weeks back before the two eventually decide to confront the group. Since then, they have grown respect for each other. When Aaron insists on going with the group to the Hilltop, Rick refuses, concern for his safety, but Aaron tells him the only way to stop him is to punch and tie him again, so Rick reluctantly allows him to come. In "Hearts Still Beating", Aaron goes with Rick to retrieve supplies from a houseboat. During the trip over the pond, the boat is attacked by walkers. When Aaron is dragged underwater, Rick is clearly panicked for a few seconds before he manages to come back to the surface, much to Rick's relief. Once inside the boat, Rick brings up how Michonne doesn't consider working for the Saviors to be "living". Aaron replies how “Either your heart is beating or it isn’t.” reassuring Rick that everything will be okay. Later on, when the Saviors find a note Aaron picked up from the houseboat reading "Congrats for winning, but you still lose.” Thinking the note is directed at them, they proceed to start beating him. When Rick tries to intervene he's stopped at gunpoint. After the ordeal is over, he immediately runs over and helps him up, once again relieved he hasn't come to much harm. Through these actions, it is clear Rick considers Aaron a close friend and actually trusts him, in contrast to their first meeting. Glenn Rhee “ We can make it together, but we can only make it together. You said that. I was listening. ―Aaron to Glenn. ” Aaron and Glenn have a fair relationship. Glenn appears to be distrustful along with his group towards Aaron and what he offers. Glenn does not appear to be in shock when Rick punches him in the face, knocking him out. The distrust that Glenn has towards Aaron elevates when he and some of his members go to where Aaron says where his car is. Glenn tells the group to shoot anyone whom they come across. However, despite the distrust Glenn has, the two reconcile, as shown by when Glenn finds Aaron, still tied up, and puts down by a walker attacking him. Glenn sets him loose and tells him to run off while there's still a chance. Aaron disagrees, saying that they need to stay together, no matter what, because that's the only way they can survive. Aaron was horrified when Glenn was killed by Negan. He later helps carry his body to the RV. Daryl Dixon “ I know you’re feeling like an outsider. It’s not your fault, you know. ―Aaron to Daryl. ” Aaron and Daryl have formed a close-bond with each other and have become good friends. When Aaron and Daryl first met, Daryl treated him as dangerous and had no patience with him. After Aaron brought the group into the Alexandria Safe-Zone, he had Deanna hold out a position for Daryl in the community. Since Eric was almost killed in the last recruitment, Aaron had Eric retire to keep him safe. He followed Daryl out of the safe-zone and revealed that Daryl knows better than Rick when it comes to deciding whether or not people are good. Aaron explained that he understands Daryl because he knows that Daryl's an outsider. Aaron said that he and Eric have been seen as outsiders their whole lives, and even still back at the safe-zone, because of people's homophobia. Aaron invited Daryl to the welcome party being held by Deanna. That night, Daryl arrived but instead declined to join. Aaron stayed at home with Eric and invited Daryl to have dinner with them. Aaron surprised Daryl with his own motorcycle and gave him the position as a fellow recruiter. Aaron and Daryl thus began their friendship. Afterwards, Aaron and Daryl ventured out together to look for new recruits. Along the way, they came across camps that were scavenged and destroyed by the Wolves, including one woman being horrifically murdered. When attempting to recruit a lone survivor, they came across a food plant and looked for supplies, unaware of it being a trap set by the Wolves which involved herds being locked in the trucks and released upon triggering it. When trapped in the car in the lot, Daryl was willing to sacrifice himself to let Aaron get out and back to the Safe-Zone, Aaron argued that they were in this together, and that it was Daryl that made him decide to take his group in when Daryl saved the group by bringing them to the barn. After being saved by Morgan, Aaron and Daryl fought the Walkers and brought him back to Alexandria. Morgan Jones Morgan and Aaron first interact when he rescues him and Daryl when they are trapped in a van surrounded by walkers after falling for a trap set up by the Wolves. Grateful, Aaron tells him of Alexandria and though he refuses at first but upon learning of their connection to Rick, Aaron takes him back. Maggie Greene “ I owe her. ―Aaron to Carl Grimes about Maggie Greene. ” Maggie was one of the first members of the group to meet Aaron. Initially she was suspicious of Aaron but eventually came to trust Aaron, especially after rescuing his boyfriend, Eric. Aaron and Maggie then became close friends after the Wolves attack in Alexandria. While Glenn didn't come back after diverting the Walker herd, Aaron assisted Maggie in trying to escape the safe-zone to find him after the herd surrounded the safe-zone. He brought her to the sewer in Alexandria that leads straight outside - and insisted that he stay with her. While under there, they were attacked by two rotten walkers, with Aaron saving Maggie's life. As the two approached the exit, they saw that the herd was there too, causing Maggie break down. Aaron tried to comfort her and find a way out, but Maggie claimed there was no point, and that Glenn was likely dead. And only then does she reveal to Aaron that she's pregnant, and that she reveals that her staying behind may have caused Glenn to possibly die, leading Aaron to hug and comfort her. Later that night, the two were on the outpost gate on watch during night patrol when Maggie went down and rubbed off Glenn's name from the memoriam. Aaron assisted, and reassured her that Glenn would be coming back. Jokingly, he suggests that when Glenn gets back, they can consider Aaron's name for the baby, and Erin if it's a girl. When Maggie was having pregnancy pains Aaron demanded that he come along for his friend. After Glenn was killed Aaron comforted Maggie and tried to convince her to let them help her. Sasha Williams TBA Michonne TBA Rosita Espinosa TBA Tara Chambler TBA Gabriel Stokes TBA Negan TBA Tobin TBA Scott TBA

Appearances

TV Series Season 5 "Them" "The Distance" "Remember" "Forget" "Spend" (No Lines) "Try" "Conquer" Season 6 "First Time Again" (No Lines) "JSS" "Now" "No Way Out" "Not Tomorrow Yet" "Last Day on Earth" Season 7 "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be" "Service" "Go Getters" "Sing Me a Song" "Hearts Still Beating" "Rock in the Road" "New Best Friends" "Something They Need" "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life" Season 8 "Mercy" "The Damned" "Monsters"

Trivia

• Robert Kirkman hinted on a Talking Dead special in November 2014 that the second half of Season 5 "will contain a very prominent gay character from the comics", likely referring to Aaron. Ross Marquand was later confirmed in January 2015 by TVLine to be playing the character.
• Before Ross Marquand received the role of Aaron, he auditioned for the role of Gareth. Because of his comedic roots, the casting director thought Ross would be better suited for Aaron because of the character's humorous personality and had him return shortly after auditioning for Gareth to audition for Aaron.
  • The casting call for Aaron used the codename Logan.
• Ross Marquand confirmed that Aaron and Eric were in a relationship before the apocalypse: They met through work in their NGO and lived together in D.C., becoming one of the original members of the Safe-Zone.
• Aaron is the first openly male homosexual in the series and the third openly homosexual character, the first being Tara Chambler, followed by Alisha.
• It could be considered that Aaron is the second politician in the show following Deanna Monroe, a former U.S. Congresswoman, considering how he was a politico in D.C., but he left before he had an official title. This was because he believed he could better use his altruistic personality in a hands-on approach in the peace corps rather than becoming a politician.
• Ross Marquand revealed that Aaron is a fan of The Smiths, his favorite song specifically being "Hand in Glove", which in the lyrics alludes to lead singer Morrisey's sexuality and the homophobia that gay couples encounter when being public.
• Aaron was originally planned to appear in the episode "Start to Finish", but his scenes were cut.
• As of "Hearts Still Beating", Aaron, Gabriel and Enid are the only remaining main characters introduced in Season 5.