Walter Bishop

Lore & Background

Walter and William Bell conducted numerous experiments in fringe science, including developing advanced weapons for the Army. During the 1970s, they discovered the existence of another universe through the heightened use of LSD and other drugs. They constructed a "trans-dimensional window" to view the other universe, which was more technologically advanced than our own. They copied advanced technologies and sold them to the Army.

They discovered that the multiverse requires balance: if a car goes to the Other Side, a car of the same mass must be sent into our universe. In 1985, Walter's seven-year-old son Peter contracted a rare disease. Walter tried to cure him by building a time machine and by watching his alternate self, Walternate, work on the other Peter. When his Peter died in his arms, Walter became consumed with watching Walternate.

Distracted by The Observer known as September, Walternate failed to notice he had formulated the correct cure. Walter created the compound and built a doorway into the other universe to cure Peter there. Nina Sharp tried to stop him, but Walter got through; her arm was caught between universes, requiring a cybernetic replacement. The cure vial was destroyed, forcing Walter to kidnap Peter, cure him in our universe, and then return him.

On the way back, they fell through an icy lake but were rescued by September, who warned that Peter could never return to the alternate universe. After curing Peter, Walter and Elizabeth could not send him back, so they raised him as their own. Walter later explained that kidnapping Peter stirred in him a belief in God and a sensation of endless guilt that he had violated God's domain. In 1991, Walter's lab assistant Dr. Carla Warren was killed in a fire; Walter was charged with manslaughter but deemed mentally unfit and locked in St. Claire's Mental Institution for 17 years.

Bell, under the alias Dr. Simon Paris, performed brain surgeries on Walter, extracting pieces of his brain containing memories of crossing universes, at Walter's own request. With those pieces gone, Walter's mental stability was compromised and he was driven insane.

Reader's Guide

Walter Bishop is a fictional character on Fox's Fringe, portrayed by John Noble. He is the son of Doctor Robert Bischoff (1912-1944), a former allied spy and scientific pioneer. By the 1970s, Walter was a head developer at Kelvin Genetics alongside William Bell. He married Elizabeth Bishop and had a son, Peter, born in 1978.

Walter and Bell discovered the alternate universe using LSD and built a trans-dimensional window. In 1985, Walter's seven-year-old son Peter died of a rare disease. Walter then kidnapped his alternate self's son from the other universe, cured him, and raised him as his own. This act caused him endless guilt.

In 1991, after his lab assistant Carla Warren died in a fire, Walter was charged with manslaughter but deemed mentally unfit and institutionalized at St. Claire's for 17 years. Bell removed pieces of Walter's brain to erase memories of crossing universes, driving Walter insane. In season one, Olivia Dunham blackmailed Peter to release Walter from St. Claire's. Peter became Walter's legal guardian, and they became civilian consultants to Homeland Security under Phillip Broyles.

Walter's past includes the Cortexiphan drug trials on children, including Olivia. Key moments: Walter revealing the Other Side to Peter in episode 1x20; being kidnapped and having his brain tissue re-implanted in 2x10; reactivating Olivia's abilities in "Jacksonville"; and writing a letter to Peter about his origins in "White Tulip".

Did You Know?

• Walter's father, Doctor Robert Bischoff, was born August 21, 1912 and died December 11, 1944; his surname was Anglicized to Bishop after World War II.
• In the episode 'White Tulip', Walter asked God for a sign of forgiveness in the form of a white tulip, a flower that did not bloom in that time of year.