Alden (The Walking Dead)

Alden is a fictional character from AMC's horror drama series The Walking Dead, who first appeared in the eighth season as a recurring character. He is described as a sexy, blue-collar twentysomething whose survival skills include sarcasm.

Season 8
In the episode "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 encourages his fellow Saviors to surrender as well. He is chained with several other Saviors in the episode "Monsters" and being transported to the Hilltop Colony. On their way a walker attack occurred. His fellow Saviors who are chained together with him attempt to flee in the panic, but he refuses and reminds them that the Militia has guns handy they don't. After successfully being brought to the Hilltop in the episode "The King, the Widow, and Rick", he asks Jesus what the colonists of the Hilltop are building inside. He is then imprisoned with the other Saviors and Gregory. He then stops Jared, a Savior who has tried to flee several times before, from escaping because he doesn't want any trouble. In the mid-season finale, "How It's Gotta Be", he begs to Maggie that she would spare Dean, a fellow inmate. Shortly after, Alden, in horror, witnesses Maggie execute Dean in cold blood.

In the episode "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 the episode "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 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 Alden's explanation.

Following the attack, Alden and the other former Savior prisoners are set free though they are not fully trusted and are 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 Alden's 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 in "Do Not Send Us Astray" away from the Hilltop, an offer that is accepted. After they return, Alden is briefly accosted by Morgan Jones 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 Hilltop Colony.

Season 9
In  "A New Beginning," Alden travels with the group to the Museum to gather supplies; and 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 ultimate fate 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 Grimes' 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.

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. Alden's actual name wasn't revealed until "How It's Gotta Be" when fellow Savior Dean calls him Alden instead of Dillon.