Negan is arguably the villain who perpetrated The Walking Dead's most heartless acts, but he is far from the only foe who posed a challenge to Rick Grimes' good-natured band of survivors. Rick's former partner and best friend Shane turned on Rick early in the series, forcing Rick's hand, who ultimately killed him. Dawn Lerner proved to be an aggressive leader of a regimented group that kidnapped the young Beth right out from under Daryl's nose. Even when Rick orchestrated a peaceful trade of hostages, Dawn ended up killing Beth. Gareth was the leader of Terminus, a compound that Rick's gang originally thought would be their salvation. However, when it came to light that the camp was thriving as a result of cannibalism, Rick killed Gareth before he could eat them or anyone else.
Of all The Walking Dead's unfriendly faces, the Governor of seasons three and four was one of the most memorable and resilient. Rick's squaring off against him proved to be the first time the survivors were forced to face an even larger and more organized group than themselves- and get a glimpse of how other survivors were reckoning with the world. The challenges the Governor posed not only to Rick, but to Carl, the Greenes, and more, left an impact on the characters for seasons to come. So who was he?
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Who is the Governor?
While his quickly acquired trademark eye patch helps the Governor physically fit the bill as a villain, his intelligence and charm initially conceals his ruthless nature. The Governor is the leader of Woodbury, a large and well-protected community, especially in the eyes of Rick's group, who have yet to find a place to settle. In season three, episode three, "Walk With Me", Andrea and Michonne first catch sight of the Governor and some of his group at the wreckage of a helicopter crash. Under his leadership, the Woodbury team kills any nearby walkers and loads the injured but alive pilot into their vehicle. Andrea and Michonne are subsequently discovered and forcefully brought back to Woodbury, their weapons confiscated.
The Governor quickly corrects the indignant women, telling them that they are not prisoners but guests, and takes them on a tour of the town. He describes reluctantly accepting the title of Governor despite disliking it; it was an inevitable consequence of the esteem he holds in Woodbury. Yet despite the lovely image that he paints of himself, viewers of this episode are clued in to some red flags as well. He asks the injured pilot where the rest of his crew is, offering aid. However, he and his team kill the survivors and steal their supplies, proceeding to lie to Woodbury about how things played out. Even more alarmingly, his private quarters include his zombified young daughter and a fish tank full of walker heads.
I'm gonna tell you the secret. There's a threat, you end it. And you don't feel ashamed about enjoying it. You smell the gunpowder and you see blood, you know what that means? It means you're alive. You've won. You take the heads so that you don't ever forget.
The Governor's manipulation tactics don't fool Rick's group for long as he subsequently kidnaps Glenn and Maggie. Bad blood immediately forms between Woodbury and Rick's survivors as they try to free their members while the Governor continues to capture them and call them "terrorists". While the Governor develops a romantic relationship with Andrea, no one else in the group succumbs to his charm, and the two groups spend a season duking it out.
The Governor Pre-Outbreak
Before being nicknamed the Governor, his name was Philip Blake. Philip grew up in Meriweather, Georgia where he and his brother had a difficult relationship with their father, who abused them both. His brother's futile attempts to protect him validated Philip's value of loyalty, but also caused him to view heroism as an ineffective tactic in defending his loved ones. Nonetheless, Philip grew into an adult who led a notably average life; he had a wife and daughter who he loved very much, and a mundane office job that he did not.
A year and a half before the outbreak, Philip's wife died suddenly in a car accident. Riddled with grief and guilt, Philip clung even more to his daughter, Penny. At the onset of the outbreak, Philip, Penny, and a handful of others barricaded themselves in an apartment building for safety. They were there for a time before venturing out and discovering the abandoned Woodbury. As they fortified the town, they also amassed new members to their group until it grew into the community Rick's group came across.
What Happens to the Governor?
Michonne kills the reanimated Penny, an act that sets the Governor on a downward spiral. His violent tendencies drastically increase, and he grows set on enacting revenge on Rick's entire group. Cracks begin to form in his spotless reputation among the residents of Woodbury as his manipulation tactics grow less and less convincing. When Rick proposes drawing a territory line to designate parts of the surrounding land to his group, and part to Woodbury, the Governor refuses. Coexisting is not an option for Philip Blake, only dominance.
The Governor begins to turn on the people of Woodbury as his desperation to conquer Rick's group increases. Throughout season three he kills two of his closest cronies, Daryl's brother Merle and the intelligent Milton Mamet, when they refuse to play dirty and attack Rick's group. In the season finale, "Welcome to the Tombs", the Governor leads an attack on the prison where Rick's survivors had established themselves. However, the group had clearly been alerted to the ambush as the prison is deserted upon their arrival. As they investigate, they are surpsrised with flash grenades and walkers. The Governor's army begins to retreat, and when they refuse his order to carry on, he kills all but two of them in a fit of rage.
Season four finds the Governor forming a new group with the same shady tendencies. He works his way into a family's good graces, giving a false name and history. He grows loyal to sisters Lilly and Tara Chambler, and keeps them close as he continues to manipulate and kill their group's leaders. Intent on protecting the Chamblers, he returns to the prison with a plan to overtake it, and with it, Rick's group.
This catalyzes another conflict between Rick's group and the Governor that results in the Governor's cold-blooded execution of Hershel Greene. This act sparks an outright battle in which Lilly Chambler witnesses the Governor's true self. The Governor manages to pin Rick to the ground and beat him heavily, but Michonne runs him through from behind with her blade, saving Rick's life. She leaves him to bleed out, and it is ultimately Lilly who ends the Governor's life with a gunshot.
Played by | David Morrissey |
|---|---|
First Appearance | season three, episode three, "Walk With Me" |
Final Appearance (alive) | season four, episode eight, "Too Far Gone" |
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