Image Comics’ horror survival series The Walking Dead made its reputation for spotlighting not only the zombies but a massive assortment of human survivors, led by former Kentucky sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes. From the first issue onwards, The Walking Dead would only continue to expand to include a diverse set of characters. The series never strayed away from its diversity, going on to introduce several gay survivors who would quickly go on to become fan favorites, but series co-creator and writer Robert Kirkman planned an earlier introduction for the series’ leap to diverse new characters.
The first openly gay character introduced within The Walking Dead comic series is Aaron, an experienced recruiter for Virginia’s Alexandria Safe Zone community. Aaron is introduced in the series’ 67th issue originally published in 2009, an issue prior to the arrival of Aaron’s late boyfriend Eric, who acts as another recruiter for Alexandria. After a rocky set of introductions, Aaron formally introduces Rick and his group to their lasting home within Alexandria. It’s nearly two years later when the comic introduces yet another major gay character in Paul “Jesus” Monroe. It wasn’t long before Jesus, who initially acts as a member of the fellow survivor community known as the Hilltop, inadvertently leads Rick’s group of survivors to an entire host of problems.
Following the conclusion of The Walking Dead in 2019, the series found a new lease on life through a full-color bi-monthly Walking Dead Deluxe reprint series from Kirkman and colorist Dave McCaig. The letters pages of The Walking Dead Deluxe #50 reveal exactly who Kirkman intended to have as the series’ first major gay survivor, and it’s none other than The Governor’s former lieutenant, Martinez. While Martinez does not leave the largest impact on the series beyond aiding Rick, Michonne, and Glenn’s escape from Woodbury, the character did bow out of The Walking Dead with one of the most memorable deaths in the comic series. After Martinez makes an attempt to return to Woodbury to potentially alert The Governor of the group’s prison establishment (or bring back more survivors), Rick runs the potential traitor over with an RV before strangling him to death. In discussing his decision to scrap the reveal that Martinez was gay, Kirkman commented, “I remembered that I was planning to have Rick beat him to death—then I thought, probably not the best thing to do with your first prominent gay character.“
The Walking Dead Was Wise To Change Its First Openly Gay Character
Martinez being introduced as the first openly gay character, only to have himself beaten by Rick a few issues later would have drastically taken away the momentum that Kirkman had planned with the reveal. Martinez had already gained a reputation among readers as one of The Governor’s chief enforcers who was stationed at the community wall. Prior to Martinez, prison inmates Dexter and Andrew were heavily implied to be romantically linked, but the relationship never came to the forefront, and they were convicts placing the lives of Rick and his group in danger.
Future gay characters like Paul Monroe are not only capable of handing themselves but can be trusted confidantes and close friends to Rick throughout the remainder of the series. It’s poetic that two of the series’ most fan-favorite and persevering gay characters, Paul and Aaron, would end the series as lovers. In a world filled with such tragedy and misfortune, it’s gratifying to see some survivors of The Walking Dead receive some semblance of a happy ending.
