Does Alden Die in 'The Walking Dead'? The Character's Future Is up in the Air (SPOILERS)
Published Sept. 12 2021, 4:21 p.m. ET
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Season 11 of The Walking Dead.
When we last left the group on The Walking Dead, the future was grim for Maggie's survivors. Out of ammunition, food, and the strength to fight more Reapers, the group was attacked in the final moments of Season 11 Episode 3. One of the group members, Alden, was hurt pretty badly, but does that mean he's going to die? Here's what we know about Alden's future in The Walking Dead.
So, does Alden die in 'The Walking Dead'? Things aren't looking good for him.
In Episode 3 of the final season of The Walking Dead, Alden is wounded during a fight in a department store. At this point, the Reapers have killed Roy and Cole, wounded Negan and Gabriel, and Duncan is fatally wounded, only to die later. Daryll and Elijah are captured, leaving Maggie, Alden, and Agatha unscathed for a moment.
Before Alden can be rescued, he sustains two deep cuts to the stomach. Maggie and Negan manage to get Alden to an old church, but he refers to himself as a "dead man walking" and is determined to sacrifice himself rather than slow his friends down. Maggie agrees that they will return for him, but fans aren't sure she will get the chance.
One Reddit theory pays close attention to the symbolism in and around the church, with a burnt walker tied to a tree and the word "Judas" over its head. Alden did betray Negan, so perhaps the Reapers will find him and give him the same treatment. Bustle suggests that because Alden isn't a character in The Walking Dead comics, he is replacing Dante's comics iteration.
In the comics, Dante's personality seems to match up with Alden's from the show. There was a Dante in the show, but he was a Whisperer spy. Comics-Dante matches up better with Alden's personality, as they both share an emotional connection with Maggie. In Episode 3, Alden outright tells Maggie she was the reason he left the Saviors. "I trust you to do the right thing, no matter how hard it is or how much it costs you," he confesses.
Maggie also seems more torn up about Alden's predicament than she did about losing other characters on the show. Hopefully, those morbid Reddit theories aren't true, and Alden lives to see her and Negan return. Unfortunately, it seems like The Walking Dead has a pattern of killing off characters who are well-beloved of the group in gruesome ways (Glenn, anyone?), so fans will have to keep their fingers crossed.
New episodes of The Walking Dead air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC, or can be watched ahead of time on AMC+.