J is gay on 'The Walkg Dead.' Here’s why that matters.

THE WALKG DEAD’S FIRST GAY MAN: MEET AARON, A MYSTER NEW MEMBER OF ZOMBIEVILLEMAJOR TWISTAMC’S ZOMBIE DRAMA TRODUCED A MYSTER NEW CHARACTER ON SUNDAY. DO HIS ENTRANCE MEAN BAD TIM AHEAD FOR RICK’S FAY? [WARNG: TV AND IC SPOILERS AHEAD!]MELISSA LEONUPDATED JUL. 12, 2017 2:59PM EDT / PUBLISHED FEB. 15, 2015 10:00PM EST AMCTWO BELOVED WALKG DEAD CHARACTERS MET VLENT ATHS TWO NSECUTIVE EPISOS THIS SEASON, WH BETH TAKG A BULLET TO THE BRA THE MIDSEASON FALE AND TYREE GETTG B THE SHOW’S MIDSEASON RETURN. SO FOR THE SAKE OF 15 LN-PL VIEWERS’ LLECTIVE BLOOD PRSURE, SUNDAY’S EPISO “THEM” DIALED THGS BACK. WAY, WAY BACK.THE GROUP SEARCH FOR FOOD AND WATER. DARYL EATS A WORM. MAGGIE FALLY GETS A DAMN MUTE TO MOURN HER AD SISTER ONSCREEN AND SASHA GO ON A RAGE-FUELED, WALKER-KILLG RAMPAGE. FATHER GABRIEL NTU SWEATG HIS GUILTY CHRISTIAN HEART OUT AND, AT ONE POT, THE GROUP FDS SELF TRAPPED A BARN UNR SIEGE BY WAV OF THE UNAD—THOUGH GOOD OL’ DIVE TERVENTN SOLV THAT PROBLEM WHEN A MONSTER STORM RIPS THROUGH EVERY ZOMBIE (AND HALF THE TRE NEARBY), MIRACULOLY MISSG THE BARN.IT’S ALL LOOKG PRETTY HUMDM WHEN, THE FAL MUTE OR TWO OF THE EPISO, A NEW FACE POPS UP: AARON, A CHARACTER STRAIGHT OUT OF ROBERT KIRKMAN’S WALKG DEAD ICS AND THE BT SIGN YET THAT THE ALEXANDRIA SAFE-ZONE, THE SHOW’S MOST ANTICIPATED STORY LOTN, IS ON THE IMMEDIATE HORIZON. REJOICE!AARON SHOWS UP THE AFTERMATH OF THE VASTATG STORM LIKE SOME KD OF WIZARD, LOOKG WELL-FED, DRY, AND EXPLIBLY CHIPPER. HE MUMBL SOMETHG ABOUT “STRANGER DANGER” BUT ASSUR MAGGIE AND SASHA—BOTH STANDG READY TO SHOOT HIS BRAS OUT—THAT HE AS A IEND WH “GOOD NEWS.” HE ASKS TO SPEAK TO RICK, WHOM HE (ALARMGLY!) KNOWS BY NAME. AND MAGGIE’S MIC BOX, WHICH HAD STOPPED WORKG AGA, STRIK UP A TUNE ONCE AARON STOPS TALKG. DPE THE CREEPY, ETHAN-OM-LOST-TYPE VIB, HOWEVER, AARON IS ACTUALLY A GOOD GUY—AT LEAST AS FAR AS KIRKMAN’S WALKG DEAD ICS GO. IN THE SHOW’S SOURCE MATERIAL, AARON AND HIS PARTNER ERIC (AS A FEW HAVE POTED OUT, AARON WOULD BE THE SHOW’S FIRST GAY MALE CHARACTER) WERE RECERS FOR THE ALEXANDRIA SAFE-ZONE, A WALLED-OFF MUNY THAT OUR SURVIVORS HAVE LLED HOME FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW. HE SUTS POTENTIAL NEW GROUPS OF SURVIVORS, WATCH THEM FOR SOME TIME, THEN V THEM BACK TO ALEXANDRIA IF HE EMS THEM WORTHY. THIS IS EXCG ENOUGH SELF, BUT AARON’S ARRIVAL IS ALSO REMR OF A DARKER TURN THE STORY ULD TAKE, ONE WHICH THE SHOW HTED AT HEAVILY THE LAST EPISO. (WALKG DEAD IC BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD!) RICK AND THE GROUP’S ARRIVAL AT THE ALEXANDRIA SAFE-ZONE ULD MEAN THAT NEGAN, THE SADISTIC LEAR OF A VLENT GROUP OF SURVIVORS LLED THE SAVRS, IS NOT FAR BEHD. WH NEGAN HIS WEAPON OF CHOICE, A BASEBALL BAT WRAPPED BARBED WIRE AFFECTNATELY NICKNAMED “LUCILLE.” IN ONE PARTICULARLY TRMATIC SCENE, NEGAN LUCILLE TO BASH GLENN’S HEAD, KILLG HIM ONT OF MAGGIE AND HIS IENDS.IN LAST WEEK’S EPISO, “WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT’S GOG ON,” GLENN FOUND AND PICKED UP A BASEBALL BAT OUTSI A HOE NOAH’S OLD GATED MUNY, SHIREWILT ESTAT. WE UGHT BRIEF GLIMPS OF BLUE SPRAY-PATED SLOGANS THE BACKGROUND A FEW TIM, WHICH WARNED, “WOLV NOT FAR”—AN OMO SIGN NSIRG THE OBVLY HUMAN-ED VASTATN SHIREWILT, THE GAPG HOLE NOAH’S MOTHER’S HEAD, AND THE DISMEMBERED ZOMBI WH RVED “W”S ON THEIR FOREHEADS. OBSERVANT FANS ARE ALREADY WONRG: ARE THE “WOLV” THE TV SERI’ VERSN OF THE SAVRS? AND WHEN THEY EVABLY SHOW UP, IS GLENN DOOMED?OF URSE, THE HTS ULD ALL BE RED HERRGS SIGNED TO PIQUE IC REARS’ TERT. KIRKMAN HIMSELF TOSSED OUT “NEGAN KILLS GLENN” AS A “FAKE SPOILER” DURG A RECENT APPEARANCE ON COMEDY CENTRAL’S @MIDNIGHT, SO MAYBE GLENN IS SAFE AFTER ALL. (OR MAYBE KIRKMAN IS PLAYG OFF A TECHNILY, LIKE A NAME CHANGE FOR NEGAN, OR ANOTHER CHARACTER’S CRANIUM BEG CSHED GLENN’S PLACE.)IN OTHER NEWS, AARON’S ARRIVAL WAS THE SEND BIG MOMENT STRAIGHT OUT OF THE ICS “THEM.” EARLIER, RICK FALLY LIVERS THE INIC LE, “WE ARE THE WALKG AD,” AN EMOTNAL SPEECH ABOUT HIS GRANDFATHER, WHO FOUGHT AGAST THE GERMANS WORLD WAR II.“EVERY DAY HE WOKE UP, TOLD HIMSELF, ‘RT PEACE, NOW GET UP AND GO TO WAR,’” RICK EXPLAS TO HIS SOGGY, DOWNTRODN GROUP SI THE BARN. “THEN AFTER A FEW YEARS OF PRETENDG HE WAS AD, HE MA OUT ALIVE. THAT’S THE TRICK OF , I THK. WE DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO AND THEN WE GET TO LIVE. BUT NO MATTER WHAT WE FD D.C. I KNOW WE’LL BE OKAY. BEE THIS IS HOW WE SURVIVE. WE TELL OURSELV THAT WE ARE THE WALKG AD.”LET’S HOPE THAT DON’T TRANSLATE TO “AD MAN WALKG” FOR GLENN. MELISSA LEON
IS ‘THE WALKG DEAD’ IN DARYL DIXON GAY?
J IS GAY ON 'THE WALKG DEAD.' HERE’S WHY THAT MATTERS.

THE WALKG DEAD’S FIRST GAY MAN: MEET AARON, A MYSTER NEW MEMBER OF ZOMBIEVILLEMAJOR TWISTAMC’S ZOMBIE DRAMA TRODUCED A MYSTER NEW CHARACTER ON SUNDAY. DO HIS ENTRANCE MEAN BAD TIM AHEAD FOR RICK’S FAY? [WARNG: TV AND IC SPOILERS AHEAD!]MELISSA LEONUPDATED JUL. 12, 2017 2:59PM EDT / PUBLISHED FEB. 15, 2015 10:00PM EST AMCTWO BELOVED WALKG DEAD CHARACTERS MET VLENT ATHS TWO NSECUTIVE EPISOS THIS SEASON, WH BETH TAKG A BULLET TO THE BRA THE MIDSEASON FALE AND TYREE GETTG B THE SHOW’S MIDSEASON RETURN. SO FOR THE SAKE OF 15 LN-PL VIEWERS’ LLECTIVE BLOOD PRSURE, SUNDAY’S EPISO “THEM” DIALED THGS BACK. WAY, WAY BACK.THE GROUP SEARCH FOR FOOD AND WATER. DARYL EATS A WORM. MAGGIE FALLY GETS A DAMN MUTE TO MOURN HER AD SISTER ONSCREEN AND SASHA GO ON A RAGE-FUELED, WALKER-KILLG RAMPAGE. FATHER GABRIEL NTU SWEATG HIS GUILTY CHRISTIAN HEART OUT AND, AT ONE POT, THE GROUP FDS SELF TRAPPED A BARN UNR SIEGE BY WAV OF THE UNAD—THOUGH GOOD OL’ DIVE TERVENTN SOLV THAT PROBLEM WHEN A MONSTER STORM RIPS THROUGH EVERY ZOMBIE (AND HALF THE TRE NEARBY), MIRACULOLY MISSG THE BARN.IT’S ALL LOOKG PRETTY HUMDM WHEN, THE FAL MUTE OR TWO OF THE EPISO, A NEW FACE POPS UP: AARON, A CHARACTER STRAIGHT OUT OF ROBERT KIRKMAN’S WALKG DEAD ICS AND THE BT SIGN YET THAT THE ALEXANDRIA SAFE-ZONE, THE SHOW’S MOST ANTICIPATED STORY LOTN, IS ON THE IMMEDIATE HORIZON. REJOICE!AARON SHOWS UP THE AFTERMATH OF THE VASTATG STORM LIKE SOME KD OF WIZARD, LOOKG WELL-FED, DRY, AND EXPLIBLY CHIPPER. HE MUMBL SOMETHG ABOUT “STRANGER DANGER” BUT ASSUR MAGGIE AND SASHA—BOTH STANDG READY TO SHOOT HIS BRAS OUT—THAT HE AS A IEND WH “GOOD NEWS.” HE ASKS TO SPEAK TO RICK, WHOM HE (ALARMGLY!) KNOWS BY NAME. AND MAGGIE’S MIC BOX, WHICH HAD STOPPED WORKG AGA, STRIK UP A TUNE ONCE AARON STOPS TALKG. DPE THE CREEPY, ETHAN-OM-LOST-TYPE VIB, HOWEVER, AARON IS ACTUALLY A GOOD GUY—AT LEAST AS FAR AS KIRKMAN’S WALKG DEAD ICS GO. IN THE SHOW’S SOURCE MATERIAL, AARON AND HIS PARTNER ERIC (AS A FEW HAVE POTED OUT, AARON WOULD BE THE SHOW’S FIRST GAY MALE CHARACTER) WERE RECERS FOR THE ALEXANDRIA SAFE-ZONE, A WALLED-OFF MUNY THAT OUR SURVIVORS HAVE LLED HOME FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW. HE SUTS POTENTIAL NEW GROUPS OF SURVIVORS, WATCH THEM FOR SOME TIME, THEN V THEM BACK TO ALEXANDRIA IF HE EMS THEM WORTHY. THIS IS EXCG ENOUGH SELF, BUT AARON’S ARRIVAL IS ALSO REMR OF A DARKER TURN THE STORY ULD TAKE, ONE WHICH THE SHOW HTED AT HEAVILY THE LAST EPISO. (WALKG DEAD IC BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD!) RICK AND THE GROUP’S ARRIVAL AT THE ALEXANDRIA SAFE-ZONE ULD MEAN THAT NEGAN, THE SADISTIC LEAR OF A VLENT GROUP OF SURVIVORS LLED THE SAVRS, IS NOT FAR BEHD. WH NEGAN HIS WEAPON OF CHOICE, A BASEBALL BAT WRAPPED BARBED WIRE AFFECTNATELY NICKNAMED “LUCILLE.” IN ONE PARTICULARLY TRMATIC SCENE, NEGAN LUCILLE TO BASH GLENN’S HEAD, KILLG HIM ONT OF MAGGIE AND HIS IENDS.IN LAST WEEK’S EPISO, “WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT’S GOG ON,” GLENN FOUND AND PICKED UP A BASEBALL BAT OUTSI A HOE NOAH’S OLD GATED MUNY, SHIREWILT ESTAT. WE UGHT BRIEF GLIMPS OF BLUE SPRAY-PATED SLOGANS THE BACKGROUND A FEW TIM, WHICH WARNED, “WOLV NOT FAR”—AN OMO SIGN NSIRG THE OBVLY HUMAN-ED VASTATN SHIREWILT, THE GAPG HOLE NOAH’S MOTHER’S HEAD, AND THE DISMEMBERED ZOMBI WH RVED “W”S ON THEIR FOREHEADS. OBSERVANT FANS ARE ALREADY WONRG: ARE THE “WOLV” THE TV SERI’ VERSN OF THE SAVRS? AND WHEN THEY EVABLY SHOW UP, IS GLENN DOOMED?OF URSE, THE HTS ULD ALL BE RED HERRGS SIGNED TO PIQUE IC REARS’ TERT. KIRKMAN HIMSELF TOSSED OUT “NEGAN KILLS GLENN” AS A “FAKE SPOILER” DURG A RECENT APPEARANCE ON COMEDY CENTRAL’S @MIDNIGHT, SO MAYBE GLENN IS SAFE AFTER ALL. (OR MAYBE KIRKMAN IS PLAYG OFF A TECHNILY, LIKE A NAME CHANGE FOR NEGAN, OR ANOTHER CHARACTER’S CRANIUM BEG CSHED GLENN’S PLACE.)IN OTHER NEWS, AARON’S ARRIVAL WAS THE SEND BIG MOMENT STRAIGHT OUT OF THE ICS “THEM.” EARLIER, RICK FALLY LIVERS THE INIC LE, “WE ARE THE WALKG AD,” AN EMOTNAL SPEECH ABOUT HIS GRANDFATHER, WHO FOUGHT AGAST THE GERMANS WORLD WAR II.“EVERY DAY HE WOKE UP, TOLD HIMSELF, ‘RT PEACE, NOW GET UP AND GO TO WAR,’” RICK EXPLAS TO HIS SOGGY, DOWNTRODN GROUP SI THE BARN. “THEN AFTER A FEW YEARS OF PRETENDG HE WAS AD, HE MA OUT ALIVE. THAT’S THE TRICK OF , I THK. WE DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO AND THEN WE GET TO LIVE. BUT NO MATTER WHAT WE FD D.C. I KNOW WE’LL BE OKAY. BEE THIS IS HOW WE SURVIVE. WE TELL OURSELV THAT WE ARE THE WALKG AD.”LET’S HOPE THAT DON’T TRANSLATE TO “AD MAN WALKG” FOR GLENN. MELISSA LEON

In the show’s source material, Aaron and his partner Eric (as a few have poted out, Aaron would be the show’s first gay male character) were recers for the Alexandria Safe-Zone, a walled-off muny that our survivors have lled home for several years now. As a rult, many viewers have scratched their heads for years and wonred if Daryl is gay — spe a strong majory of the fanbase suggtg that Daryl and Carol (Melissa McBri) should bee an em.

IS ‘THE WALKG DEAD’ IN DARYL DIXON GAY?

In fact, Kirkman tailed that the origal plans were for Dixon to be gay, but simply never happened. On that same note, Res simultaneoly exprsed that he “isn’t aaid” to portray Daryl as a gay character and that he would happily work wh whatever material the wrers gave him.

So while Dixon isn’t currently gay nonilly, that don’t mean that plans won’t soon change down the le as the character’s story ntu to expand the latt pulse-poundg seri. In The Walkg Dead ics, he's gay. He's a badass, and he happens to be gay.

"While he isn't the first gay character to be featured on the AMC seri, J beg gay is still a big al for televisn 2017.