The Governor

Ruthless leader of Woodbury and antagonist to Rick Grimes.

The Governor is a fictional character and a primary antagonist in The Walking Dead comic book and television series. Created by Robert Kirkman and artists Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn, he first appeared in the comic in 2006 and in the television series in season 3, portrayed by David Morrissey. The character is known as the ruthless leader of Woodbury, Georgia, who clashes with protagonist Rick Grimes and causes the deaths of several major characters.

Quick Facts

Series

The Walking Dead

First

Comic:
"Issue #27" (2006)
Literature:
Rise of the Governor (2011)
Television:
"Walk with Me" (2012)

Last

Comic:
"Issue #72" (2010)
Literature:
The Fall of the Governor (2014)
Television:
"A New Deal" (2022)

Portrayed by

David Morrissey

Creator

Robert Kirkman
Charlie Adlard
Cliff Rathburn

Adapted by

Glen Mazzara; Evan Reilly (The Walking Dead)

Spouse

Comic and Novels:
Jocelyn Blake
Television:
Mrs. Blake

Partner

Television:
Rowan
Andrea Harrison
Lilly Chambler

Facts from the source article.

Did You Know?

In 2009, the Governor was ranked as IGN's 86th-greatest comic book villain of all time.
The TV version of the Governor was ranked #28 on TV Guide's list of 'The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time'.
David Morrissey was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 39th Saturn Awards for his performance.

Appearances

The character's name was given as Philip Blake, but the novel The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor revealed his actual name to be Brian Blake, with Philip being his deceased brother. After the dead began to rise, Brian and his brother Phil gathered a small group including Brian's niece Penny. They moved between unsecured locations, including the Wiltshire Estates, which Rick's group later also stayed at. Eventually, Brian's group reached Woodbury, Georgia, a town controlled by National Guardsmen under Major Gene Gavin, who ruled through fear.

After becoming the last of his group, Brian rallied the townspeople against Gavin and declared himself "Governor" of the four blocks of the settlement. Initially appearing fair, he grew increasingly ruthless and kept the zombified Penny tied up in his apartment, feeding her body parts of those who displeased him. He acted hospitable at first but then turned on them, cutting off Rick's hand, torturing Glenn, and raping and torturing Michonne. With the help of guard Caesar Martinez, the Governor allowed the survivors to escape, but Michonne stayed behind and tortured him, severing his right arm, fingernails, penis, and left eye.

The Governor survived with medical help from Bob Stookey and later found the prison. He used Rick's murder of Martinez to rally Woodbury against the prison, but after a failed attack, he used Tyreese as a hostage and decapitated him with Michonne's katana, then crushed the prison fences with a tank.

Casting and development

On television, the Governor was portrayed by British actor David Morrissey. The Governor's daughter Penny, though appearing infrequently, plays a key role in his mentality; he secretly cares for her undead form in his apartment, brushing her hair and singing to her, believing she is still alive but suffering from an illness. The Governor's eye patch in the television series was placed on the opposite side from his comic book counterpart. Noel Murray of Rolling Stone ranked the character 11th among the 30 best Walking Dead characters, noting that David Morrissey's performance humanized the character while eliciting sympathy and discomfort.