And since we know Lauren Cohan is confirmed to return after those testy contract negotiations, it’s possible that Alden is meant to represent the comic’s Dante, who becomes a loose post-Glenn love interest for Maggie.
Alden doesn’t have a direct comic book iteration, so there aren’t any straightforward ways to guess what will happen.
However, he and Maggie look like they may share a special connection that goes beyond the leader/prisoner dynamic they had before.
Granted, Dante goes heavy on the sarcasm and has a lotharious vibe going for him that Alden couldn’t really put forth in Season 8, but maybe spending a while as an official Hilltop citizen will make him more light-hearted.