Aaron Hotchner

Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner is unit chief of Quantico's Behavioral Analysis Unit, and the direct superior of all special agents.

Background
Hotch was a former profiler in the Seattle, WA field Office before transferring to Quantico. His struggles to maintain his family life have been an ongoing theme of the show.

On the Job
After a two-week suspension for releasing a serial killer, Hotch requested a transfer by Erin Strauss, who was pressuring him for such a request. This pleased his wife, until Agent Morgan begged Hotch to come help on a case in Milwaukee and while he was packing up his desk, Garcia handed him the case file and lied to him, telling him that his transfer was held up and that JJ wanted him to have the file. Hotch decided to stay with the BAU against his wife's wishes—when he returned to Virginia, his wife and son were gone. In episode 311 (Birthright) he was served with divorce papers as he was leaving the office; he is seen signing them in a later episode.

In episode 301 (Doubt) it was revealed that Hotchner had previously worked as a prosecutor - more specifically, episode 319 (Tabula Rasa) indicated he had been with the District Attorney's office. In 108 (Natural Born Killer), when he is interrogating Vincent Perotta, Hotchner comments on the fact that it is logical for some abused children to become killers. Perrotta notes Hotch's use of the word "some"; Hotch responds only by saying: "And, some grow up to catch them." This comment seems to imply that Hotchner was also abused as a child. His hearing has been damaged as a result of a car explosion at the beginning of Season 4. The doctor tells him that if he isn't careful he will go deaf, instead he goes on a case and a gun is fired near his ear which nearly causes him to lose his hearing permanently (The Angel Maker). In episode 404 (Paradise) he started to doubt himself when a suspect he interviewed turned out to be the Unsub.

To Hell and Back
At the end of the Season Four episode To Hell and Back, part 2, Hotch comes home to find that George Foyet (The Reaper) is in his apartment. He had been waiting for Hotch. George, dressed in full regalia, points his .44 Magnum at Hotch stating, "You should have made the deal". The episode ends with the sound of a gunshot, leaving the question as to whether Hotch is now dead.

Season Five
Hotch is found alive at a nearby hospital, bloodied and unconscious, but alive. He had been held captive by George Foyet and tortured for several hours. Foyet had stabbed him several times and dumped him off at a local hospital. It has become clear in "Haunted" that Hotch is now obsessed with capturing Foyet, an obsession which has his teammates concerned with his sanity and work conduct.

As of the episode Cradle to Grave, Hotch has come under fire from his superiors, who are now requiring him to justify all of his tactical decisions. This has caused him to put pressure on his subordinates, which is gradually creating tension between the team members.

At the end of the episode, Hotch announces that he is stepping down as Unit Chief and promoting Derek Morgan to take his place.