The Walking Dead’s Ross Marquand Weighs in on Chances of a New Romance for Aaron

Will Aaron find new love on The Walking Dead? Aaron (Ross Marquand) has been without a boyfriend since the Season 8 death of longtime partner Eric (Jordan Woods-Robinson), a casualty of the war against the Saviors. In Season 9, The Walking Dead flirted with an off-screen romance between Aaron and Jesus (Tom Payne) of Hilltop — both actors agree a fling happened during the mostly unseen six-year time jump preceded by the presumed death of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) — but Aaron has remained unattached since witnessing Jesus’ violent death. Now a single dad to Gracie (Anabelle Holloway), Marquand says Aaron’s priorities include protecting his daughter and ensuring his own survival while fighting on the front lines of the ongoing Whisperer War.

“He came very close with Jesus. We kind of hinted at some sort of relationship in between the six-year jump,” Marquand said when asked about Aaron’s love life during The Walking Dead‘s virtual Comic-Con presentation. “I would love to see that, but I feel like at this point there’s so many threats coming from all angles, love for Aaron or anybody else for that matter is just not of ultimate importance right now. But I would love to see that, of course.”

Marquand then questioned whether Aaron should risk another romantic relationship, adding, “I don’t know if he should have a love interest, because everyone who gets close to him died. Eric died, Jesus died. Maybe he’ll just be fond of someone.”

In the comic books, where Aaron was in a confirmed relationship with Jesus, it was implied the couple were still together after a 25-year time jump revealed in the book’s final issue.

The comic book romance was “kind of alluded to, in points,” Marquand said during a 2019 convention appearance, where the actor said he discussed the relationship with Payne. “We didn’t know how that was going to look, exactly, but we sort of alluded to it. We decided it only made sense, because of their camaraderie, and they’re very similar. They’re both the recruiters for their respective communities, they have a lot in common.”

Watching Jesus be cut down as the first victim of the Whisperers “just destroys him,” Marquand said of Payne’s departure from the show in Season 9 episode “Evolution.” “Because everybody he gets close to, they just end up dying horribly.”

“That’s the show, though,” he added. “You love to watch all these people, ‘Oh, here’s some hope,’ and then [they die].”

In the Season 10 finale, picking up where April’s episode 1015 left off, Aaron fends off attacking Whisperers alongside Alden (Callan McAuliffe) just before they encounter a mysterious new survivor wearing an iron mask.

The Walking Dead Season 10 finale, “A Certain Doom,” premieres Sunday, October 4 on AMC. For all things TWD, follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter.