Alden (The Walking Dead)

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Alden
The Walking Dead character
Alden, as portrayed by Callan McAuliffe in the television series
First appearance	"The Damned" (2017)
Created by	Scott M. Gimple Matthew Negrete Channing Powell
Portrayed by	Callan McAuliffe
In-universe information
Occupation	Worker for the Saviors Member of the Militia Construction Foreman for the Hilltop Colony Blacksmith Hilltop Council Member
Family	Unnamed older brother Adam Sutton (adoptive son)
Significant other	Enid

Alden is a fictional character from AMC's post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. He first appeared in the eighth season as a recurring character and was promoted to series regular, beginning with the ninth season.^[1][2][3]

Appearances[]

Season 8[]

In "The Damned", while in a battle, Alden is one of the Saviors attempting to flee the satellite outpost, but is forced to surrender to the Militia remarking that "living sounds good" after being surrounded. He then encourages his fellow Saviors to surrender as well. In the following episode, "Monsters", he is chained with several other Saviors, who are being transported to the Hilltop Colony. However, on their way, a walker attack occurs. His fellow Saviors, who are chained together with him, attempt to flee in the panic, but Alden refuses and reminds them that the Militia has guns; they remain in their positions. After successfully being brought to the Hilltop in "The King, the Widow, and Rick", he asks Jesus what the colonists of the Hilltop are building inside. Alden is then imprisoned with the other Saviors and Gregory. He soon stops Jared, a Savior who has tried to flee several times before, from escaping because he doesn't want any more trouble. In the mid-season finale, "How It's Gotta Be", he begs to Maggie to spare Dean, a fellow inmate. Shortly after, Alden, in horror, witnesses Maggie execute Dean in cold blood.

In "Dead or Alive Or", he suggests an agreement to Maggie that the prisoners be allowed to alternately go out supervised for a short period of time. At first she refuses, but eventually agrees. In "Do Not Send Us Astray", Maggie threatens to kill all of the prisoners if Simon, the de facto leader of the Saviors, doesn't stop an attack on the Hilltop. However, Simon starts the attack without thinking about the welfare of the prisoners. Alden asks if he can help, but Maggie sends him back to the others inside. After the battle Alden buries the corpses of the fallen Saviors, stating that he doesn't think about them as his people anymore. On the following night, Henry arrives at the prison and threatens to kill all of the prisoners if the murderer of his brother doesn't show himself. Alden tries to talk Henry down and reveals that he also had a brother who has been killed, explaining through his own experiences that revenge won't help him. While they're talking, a wounded prisoner reanimates and kills two others, making Henry open the gate. In the panic, Jared is able to overpower Henry and escapes with some of the prisoners. Alden and several other prisoners however stay and try to close the main gate against a walker herd drawn by the gunfire. Alden then saves Siddiq from a walker, killing it with a shovel. Maggie and others arrive and hold Alden at gunpoint, asking him what happened. Alden explains that he and the other remaining prisoners don't know where the escapees went, but that they will stay and help despite the fact that they no longer have any strategic value to the Militia; Maggie appears to accept his explanation.

Following the attack, Alden and the other former Savior prisoners are set free. However, they are not fully trusted and not allowed to join the Militia. In "Still Gotta Mean Something", Rick approaches Alden for anything he knows about where the escaped prisoners may have gone. Alden suggests an old dive bar located between the Hilltop and the Sanctuary that Alden once scouted out for the Saviors as a potential outpost. Alden asks Rick to only kill who he needs to kill and to give the other Saviors, who Alden believes are just scared, a chance to join up with them as Alden's group did. When Rick returns with Morgan, Alden is sitting by the fire with Dianne and realizes that Rick killed all of the Saviors despite his request.

In "Wrath", Alden and the other defected Savior prisoners volunteer for a mission to lead the walker herd that was drawn by the battle (shown in "Do Not Send Us Astray") away from the Hilltop, an offer that is accepted. After they return, Alden is briefly accosted by Morgan who was unaware of his mission. During the evacuation of the Hilltop, Alden chooses to stay behind with Tara to face the attacking Saviors with Tara alongside the other defectors, making it clear that even if Tara isn't with them, they are with her. Tara agrees to arm the defectors, but Aaron shows up with the women of Oceanside to firebomb the Savior attackers before a battle can break out. After the war is over, Alden approaches Maggie to ask her to remain at the Hilltop despite the other Savior defectors returning to the Sanctuary. Having read Georgie's book—"A Key to the Future"—Alden suggests that he can put his talents to better use making the book a reality and he has never truly felt at home in the Sanctuary. After a brief contemplation, Maggie agrees to allow Alden to join the community.

Season 9[]

In "A New Beginning", Alden travels with the group to a museum to gather supplies; he talks with Ken and Marco on the way back. After Ken's sudden death, Alden sings at his funeral. When Maggie decides to hang Gregory, Alden watches in discomfort along with the others. In "The Bridge", Alden comes to Rick to warn him that the Saviors are going to turn against him if he keeps going on the way he is, even comparing Rick's actions to that of Negan's. In "Warning Signs", Alden is present when the Saviors are causing an uproar and directly confronts Jed when trying to calm the situation. In "The Obliged", Jed reveals that he ambushed Alden and stole his gun, leaving Alden's status unknown.

Though he does not appear, Alden is mentioned in "Stradivarius" where he is revealed to be alive and one of the Hilltop's construction foremen six years after Rick's apparent death. Alden reappears in "Evolution" where he is shown working as a blacksmith alongside Earl Sutton and to be in a relationship with Carl's old girlfriend Enid.

In "Adaptation", Alden and Luke go looking for Daryl and company because they take a long time to return. Along the way, they both talk about what they like, but stop conversing when they spot an arrow in a tree. Luke gets off his horse and pulls the arrow out of the tree, but a walker attacks him. Luckily, Alden saves Luke from certain death, killing the walker. They follow the arrows, knowing that a herd of walkers is nearby and keep their distance. However, the arrows draw them directly into a dense part of a forest where humans in walker masks—the Whisperers—surround them. The leader of the Whisperers, Alpha, reveals the arrow trail was set up by them; she brandishes a sawed-off shotgun at them and proclaims: "Trail ends here."

In "Bounty", Alpha and a group of Whisperers arrive at the Hilltop. She encounters and offers Daryl an exchange—Alden and Luke for her daughter Lydia. While waiting, the Whisperer's baby starts crying, which attracts the walkers. Alpha shrugs at the mother, indicating she should leave the baby to die. The mother takes the sling off of her shoulder and lays the baby on the ground. Alden and Luke try to scream for them not to; Alpha explains that it's natural selection. Henry escorts Lydia to a more secured location outside of the Hilltop, but fortunately Lydia returns voluntarily since her mother will cause harm towards the community if she doesn't return; the exchange is successful. Reunited, Alden and Enid embrace, and make promises to each other. At night, the two sleep together in their room.

Alden is mentioned in "Chokepoint" by Tara, who says she has to clear the roads for Alden's convoy to pass safely. In "The Calm Before", Alden goes to the Kingdom for the community fair and participates in fair events. While walking with Enid and Luke, the latter asks Alden to sing with him on stage; Alden accepts. A few hours later, while singing with Luke, Alden looks for Enid in the audience, but does not spot her; Alden worries. The next day, Daryl, Michonne, Carol, Yumiko and Siddiq arrive at the Kingdom. The latter delivers an emotional speech and informs everyone that the missing have been killed by Alpha; Alden is devastated for Enid and the others victims.

In "The Storm", it has been several months since Alpha marked the border of the communities. Alden goes to the Kingdom to escort the survivors and take them to the Hilltop. Along the way they see some walkers and Alden asks Lydia if those walkers are from her old group, Alden blames Lydia for what happened in the previous episode and Daryl tells Alden to leave her alone. Due to the heavy snowstorm, Alden and the group take refuge in the abandoned Sanctuary. Once there, Alden overhears the plan to return to the Hilltop; this plan also includes crossing Alpha's lands. Alden and the rest enter the territory of the Whisperers and find a frozen lake, Alden and Aaron help cross the people, walkers suddenly approach them and Alden asks Michonne if they are the Whisperers to what this he answers no. The next day the group arrives at the Hilltop and Alden opens the community doors for them and helps them settle down.

Season 10[]

In "Lines We Cross", Alden is in Oceanside training with the rest of the group of survivors. Later, as a result of Judith and R.J. finding a Whisperer mask in Oceanside, Alden is riding along with Michonne, Aaron, Magna, Yumiko and Luke to inspect the surroundings of the community. The group decides to separate to find more clues; Alden goes with Luke and after a while they both come to the call of Yumiko who, together with Magna, has found some dead campers. Everything indicates that they are Whisperers and the group returns to Oceanside to report what happened to the rest of the survivors. Near the end of the day, a satellite falls right into the forest next to Oceanside; Alden and the rest of the survivors begin to put out the fire. As Alden and Earl are trying to put out the fire, Earl tells Alden that it is going to be a "long night", due to the noise and uproar that has formed after the satellite. Walkers suddenly arrive to the impact site; Alden helps to end them. In the end, they all manage to put out the fire and kill all the walkers.

In "Silence the Whisperers", Alden is alerted when he hears a tree fall on the Hilltop causing nine injuries and the destruction of part of the Hilltop wall. The group debates whether they believe the Whisperers are responsible, Alden believes that they are, since previously the Whisperers crossed the border of the communities to hunt. Then help the wounded trapped in the rubble. The following night because part of the wall is destroyed, the walkers enter the community, Alden and the other residents kill the incoming walkers with the help of the last minute Alexandria convoy. The following morning Michonne informs the residents of the Hilltop that she is going to Oceanside because having received a distress call in the face of the possible presence of the Whisperers, Alden helps load the supplies into the cart for the survivors who are leaving for Oceanside; he watches them leave the community.

In "What It Always Is", Alden helps the entire community after the recent attack and informs Yumiko that Eugene has devised a plan to save the fallen tree and use it to fix the wall. Then he suggests that they should build their defenses but she says not yet. Later, Alden comforts a worried Yumiko, tells her to stop being so, and to have security in the group that is in the forest looking for Kelly. When she leaves, Earl approaches and tells Alden that the Whisperers will return, Alden claims that he has not forgotten what they have lost because of the Whisperers.

In "Morning Star", Alden is riding the catapults next to Earl in the walls of the Hilltop, Alden observes in the distance that members of Alexandria approach the Hilltop, when not seeing it well Alden takes some binoculars and sees an unknown, Alden He gives the binoculars to Earl in case he knows who she is, Earl tells him that he doesn't know who she is, Alden says that if Alexandria had rescued her to take her to the Hilltop and that nothing happens because they have done it before, but Earl tells him that Alexandria no longer picks up new people. A Whisperer approaches the community and it is revealed that it is Mary (Gamma) who tries to see Alex and is stopped by Alden, reprimanding her for her perceived role in the beheading of Enid and others at the fair, she deserted from the ranks of the Whispering and wanting to help them, she reveals to be the aunt of Earl's adopted son Adam, who does not want her to see her son because they abandoned him to die, Earl leaves furious but Alden tries to calm him down. When Daryl arrives with Lydia, the latter warns that her mother is already looming with the horde, during a debate some members of the community want to flee to Oceaneside and others want to fight for their home. Alden is in the battle in the front line, they are killing the approaching walkers, the Whisperers shoot tree sage that is flammable and start firing incendiary arrows right where they have shot the sage, Alden and the rest realize, the walkers have the lead and the Whisperers shoot them with arrows, Alden and the rest are going to get into the Hilltop but the Whisperers again throw the sage but this time at the gates of the Hilltop and then when shooting the arrows he sets himself on fire leaving Alden and the rest of the warriors outside caught between the fire and the horde.

In "Walk with Us", Alden runs away with Kelly, Mary, and Adam Sutton after the failed attempt to defend the Hilltop. Mary wants to join them and Alden reluctantly accepts her, Alden angrily rejects her help with Adam despite his own problems in calming the baby. Mary finally manages to get Alden to accept his advice and help, takes the baby and successfully calms him down. Seeing Mary's obvious affection for Adam, Alden finally softens his attitude towards her and asks about her sister, Adam's mother. When a herd arrives, Mary takes Alden, Kelly, and Adam to an abandoned van, but refuses to join them, instead leading to the walkers, where Mary is brutally killed by Beta, who allows her to revive, but she is suddenly shot down by Alden with an arrow to the head this event forces Beta to take the retreat.

In "The Tower", Alden and Aaron watch over Beta from above. Alden communicates with Aaron through signs. Beta almost sees Alden, but manages to hide quickly. From a distance, Alden and Aaron spy on the horde and radio their observations to Gabriel, signaling that they are heading towards Oceanside as expected. Aaron tells him that they will continue to follow the horde and notify Gabriel if anything changes. Shading the horde, Alden and Aaron notice that they change direction, so they try to contact Gabriel. Not receiving a signal, they decide to retreat, but before they can, they are surrounded by a group of Whisperers, one of whom holds them at gunpoint. However, in the following episode, they are saved by a hooded, masked warrior in the company of Maggie, who has returned after reading a letter from Carol informing her about the Whisperers.

Development and reception[]

The casting name for this character was Dillon. Before his first appearance, he was compared to other characters from the show like Spencer Monroe and Nicholas.^[1] Alden's actual name wasn't revealed until "How It's Gotta Be" when fellow Savior Dean calls him Alden instead of Dillon.

References[]