Aaron comes into contact with Rick's group shortly after they exterminated the Hunters and had been observing them with his fellow recruiter and boyfriend Eric to determine if they were suitable for the community.

The leader of Alexandria, Douglas Monroe, is hesitant about the prospect of the group staying, but Aaron defends them, believing they are genuinely good people.

A recruiter named Paul "Jesus" Monroe finds Alexandria and offers an alliance with the nearby community of the Hilltop Colony.

They later participate in the war against the Saviors and form the Militia, an army consisting of many members from Alexandria, Hilltop Colony, and another community called The Kingdom.

Twenty-five years later, Aaron and Jesus continue to be in a relationship and live on a riverside farm where an adult Carl, his wife Sophia, and their daughter, Andrea, visit frequently.

Aaron, Aiden and Nicholas were forced to escort Davidson's group out, taking all their weapons and leaving them only a few days worth of supplies.

In the episode "Them", Aaron (Ross Marquand) introduces himself, first, to Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan) and Sasha Williams (Sonequa Martin-Green), stating his name and that he wishes to speak to the leader, which he already knows is Rick.

Aaron asks that group comply with Nicholas' orders to turn over their weapons, and that they will need to speak to the leader, Deanna Monroe (Tovah Feldshuh).

In the episode "Try", Daryl spots a light some miles away, but when he and Aaron investigate, they find a group of mutilated walkers and their human victim; the latter has a "w" carved into her forehead.

Aaron tells Daryl about a group of survivors he recruited led by a man named Davidson who were ultimately exiled from Alexandria, and he personally had to escort them out without their weapons.

Daryl, Aaron, and Morgan arrive back at Alexandria in time to witness Rick executing Pete Anderson (Cory Brill), a traitorous community member who had murdered Deanna's husband Reg (Steve Coulter).

The group realize they are being lured into a trap, and Aaron points out that one of the many walkers left by the Saviors as a diversion on a road had strands of Michonne's hair stuck to it.

In the season finale, Aaron returns to the Hilltop with the women of Oceanside in time to ambush a group of attacking Saviors, killing them all with firebombs.

After the Whisperers' leader, Alpha (Samantha Morton), murders several members of all three communities as punishment for her daughter Lydia's (Cassady McClincy) defection, Aaron accompanies Michonne and the remaining Alexandrians to help the Kingdom residents travel safely and move to the Hilltop.

Aaron and the others decide to cross Alpha's border to put out a fire caused by a crashed satellite in order to keep it from spreading to Oceanside.

When Carol tells him not to blame himself, he reveals that he has been talking with a Whisperer and she has told him the location of Alpha's horde, explaining she just wants to see her nephew Adam.

Aaron, along with Alden, Maggie, and her escort, arrive at the Tower just in time to kill the invading Whisperers and save Gabriel's life.

Due to his comedic roots, the casting director thought Marquand was better suited to play Aaron, who has a more humorous personality, and so he returned to audition for the role.

[4][5] Laura Prudom for Variety commented on his appearance at the end of the episode, as "a stranger called Aaron (Ross Marquand), the 'friend' who delivered their suspicious water supply, who may hold the key to their continued survival.

[7] Matt Fowler of IGN noted that Aaron appears "in the final scene - a character comic fans will know well - off to lead our survivors into their next major arc.

Aaron's super preppy and way too clean for this world, so we can guess he's doing something evil even if the internet says that's not how it played out in the original graphic novel series.

"[9] Although Aaron and Eric are boyfriends in the comic series, many viewers were still surprised due to the same-sex kiss the two shared in the episode "The Distance".

"[11] Matt Fowler of IGN reviewed "Forget" and commented that "Aaron, despite his short time on the series, has already leapt out as a really engaging character.

Club in a review of the episode "Try" commented of the Alexandrians that "these people are absolute shit at going on runs outside the fence, unless it's Aaron on a recruiting trip".

Comic book Eric also didn't have to reanimate, and it may be hard for Aaron to get closure knowing his beloved is out wandering around as just yet another Walker in a herd of corpses.

", Aaron was revealed to be a member of the council of Alexandria, with Erik Kain of Forbes describing him as "sporting his cool beard and a metal arm".

[23] In a review of the next episode "Adaptation", Kirsten Acuna for Insider said that "we see that Aaron is among those characters who's deeply affected by his friend's death, apologizing to Michonne on the mid-season premiere for not listening to her when it came to leaving their own community.

Noetta Harjo of Geek Girl Authority reviewed the episode, writing "Aaron is dragging an injured Luke (Dan Fogler) on a makeshift stretcher.

Gabriel's faith in the possibility of maintaining a safe home for them wavers, while Aaron occasionally loses sight of what it takes to keep their family alive and well.

"[27] Writing for TV Fanatic, Paul Daily said that "The character development for them both is excellent, but Aaron is too much of an optimist, and I hope the altercation with Maes will veer him away from trusting people blindly.