How Walking Dead Can Still Use Maggie’s Comic Story Without Dante

Dante (Juan Javier Cardenas) is dead, but The Walking Dead can still use Maggie’s comic book storyline using a different side character: Alden (Callan McAuliffe). In The Walking Dead comics, Dante was a member of Hilltop and a character who had a key role in the Whisperer War. He eventually became one of Maggie’s most trusted allies and her new love interest. During this time, Maggie (Lauren Cohan) struggled with her growing attraction to Dante and her loyalty to her dead husband, Glenn.

After a long wait, the TV version of The Walking Dead finally introduced Dante. The character made his debut in the beginning of season 10 as a doctor at Alexandria and a friend to Siddiq (Avi Nash). A shocking twist revealed that Dante was secretly a spy who infiltrated Alexandria on behalf of Alpha (Samantha Morton). When Siddiq discovered the truth about Dante, Dante killed him but was caught by Rosita (Christian Serratos) and ultimately captured. Later, Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), upset over the fact that he vetted Dante personally and never saw through his facade, came into his cell and murdered him. Dante never even had a chance to meet Maggie, who took a leave of absence in the first half of season 9.

The changes made to Dante seemingly put a stop to The Walking Dead adapting Maggie’s story for the comics, and though it certainly removed Dante from the equation, there remains a way that the series can still tell her comic story. Dante can simply be replaced with a different character. Theoretically, The Walking Dead could accomplish this with a new addition to the cast, but it would be best if the series built on an established relationship that Maggie shares with a character on the show. So with this in mind, the best possible replacement for Dante would be Alden.

Maggie disliked Alden when she first encountered him. At the time, he was one of the Saviors being held captive at Hilltop – during the communities’ war with the Saviors. He acted as a sort of a self-appointed spokesman for the Savior prisoners and dealt with Maggie on numerous occasions. For a while, she remained cold with him, but over time, she discovered that Alden could be trusted. By the end of the season, he became a member of Hilltop.

The idea of a Maggie-Alden romance has been poised before, considering the way their relationship has developed, their chemistry, and the number of scenes they shared in season 8. But some fans have expressed doubt that The Walking Dead will move in this direction, often citing a sizable age difference between the two (Lauren Cohan is 13 years older than McAuliffe). However, what fans tend to overlook is that this age gap only exists between the actors, and not the characters, who are actually fairly close in age. Season 8 indicates that romantic feelings between Maggie and Alden aren’t outside the realm of plausibility, and it remains to be seen if the series will explore this idea upon Maggie’s return in The Walking Dead season 11.

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