The Governor (real name in the novel and comic book: Brian Blake, alias Philip Blake; in the TV series: Philip Blake, alias Brian Heriot) is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists from The Walking Dead comic book and television series. On television, he was portrayed by David Morrissey. Created by Robert Kirkman and artists Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn, the character made his comics debut in The Walking Dead #27 in April 2006 and his television debut in season 3. In both series, the Governor is the ruthless, charismatic leader of the town of Woodbury, Georgia, who comes into conflict with protagonist Rick Grimes and is responsible for the deaths of several primary characters. The Governor's origins are explored in the novel The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor, written by Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga.
In the television series, the Governor's disturbing motives are reflected in his authoritarian ways in dealing with threats to his community, primarily by executing most large groups and only accepting lone survivors into his community. His dark nature escalates when he comes into conflict with Rick Grimes' group, who are occupying the nearby prison. The Governor vows to eliminate the prison group after Michonne gouges his eye out and "kills" his zombified daughter, and in that pursuit, he leaves several key characters dead both in Rick's group and his own. The Governor has a romantic relationship with Andrea, who unsuccessfully seeks to broker a truce between the two groups, eventually leading to the Governor killing Andrea by having her be bitten by a Walker. In season 4, the Governor attempts to redeem himself upon meeting a new family, to whom he introduces himself as Brian Heriot. However, he commits several brutal acts to ensure the family's survival, and eventually leads a new group to attack the prison, leading to its destruction and the Governor's death.
In 2009, the Governor was ranked as IGN's 86th-greatest comic book villain of all time, whilst the TV show version of the character was ranked #28 on TV Guide's list of 'The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time', and was ranked #19 on Rolling Stone's list of greatest TV villains of all time. For his performance as the Governor, Morrissey was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 39th Saturn Awards.
Contents
Appearances
Comic book series
Aside from simply "the Governor," the character's name appeared to be Philip Blake; however, with the release of the novel The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor, it was revealed that his actual name was Brian Blake, and Philip was revealed to be his deceased brother.
When the dead began to rise, Brian and Phil (Philip) gathered a small group, which included Brian's niece Penny, and the group were constantly on the run when unsecured locations were breached; the planned community called the Wiltshire Estates, where Rick's group coincidentally stayed, was one of these. Eventually, Brian's group came upon Woodbury, Georgia, a ravaged town being led by a group of National Guardsmen under Major Gene Gavin, who used fear to assert his authority. After becoming the last of his group, Brian rallied the townspeople against Gavin and the Guardsmen and afterward declared himself "Governor" of the four blocks making up the settlement. Initially appearing to be a fair and strong leader, he became increasingly more ruthless and power-hungry. He kept the zombified Penny tied up in his apartment, feeding her severed body parts of those who displeased him.
Following Woodbury's capture and the murder of stranded refugees from Atlanta, the Governor is met by Rick Grimes, when Grimes' band of survivors explores the town. After initially acting hospitable, the Governor turns on the group. Attempting to find the location of Rick's prison refuge in order to collect supplies for Woodbury, the Governor proceeds to cut off Rick's hand, torture Glenn, and rape and torture Michonne. To learn the location of the prison, the Governor allows the survivors to escape the premises with the help of one of his guards, Caesar Martinez. However, Michonne stays behind and finds her way to the Governor's apartment, where she brutally tortures him, severing his right arm, fingernails, penis, and left eye. When Michonne rejoins the group and they ask her if the Governor is still alive, Michonne is uncertain. The Governor survives with the help of Bob Stookey, a citizen who had medical experience, and is eventually able to find the prison. The Governor uses Rick's murder of Martinez to rally Woodbury's townspeople against the prison's inhabitants. Things do not go according to plan, however, as Rick's group puts up a tenacious defense that forces Woodbury's humiliating retreat. After a failed attempt to gain his way into the prison, by using Tyreese as a hostage and subsequently decapitating him with Michonne's katana, the Governor crushes the fences with a tank. A bloody massacre ensues, leading to a high death toll and ultimately making the prison less secure and less habitable.
Television series
Before the outbreak, Philip and Brian Blake were raised by an abusive father. As an adult, Philip worked an office job with a boss he didn't get along with, was married, and had a daughter named Penny. Eighteen months before the outbreak, Philip lost his wife in a car accident. During the early days of the outbreak, Philip and Penny survived and found a community in Woodbury. Penny was bitten, however, and turned into a walker. Unable to accept her death, Philip locked her up in a private room in his office. When the community was leaderless, they picked Philip to lead and began calling him "the Governor", a nickname which stuck. Determined not to lose the community, he executed any outsider groups he saw as a threat. He allowed some smaller groups to move into Woodbury if he deemed them to be an asset and not a threat to his leadership, but still took precautions and had them monitored by his lieutenants until he deemed them trustworthy. At some point during the first or second season, the Governor encounters a dying Merle Dixon, whom the Governor enlists, along with Caesar Martinez and Milton Mamet, as his lieutenant and advisers. He also tasks Milton, a scientist, with researching a means to reverse the virus in the hopes of saving Penny. The Governor was also known to have had affairs with many of the Woodbury women.
The Governor is charming and charismatic, but also murderous, violent, sociopathic, power-hungry, completely sadistic, and horrifically ruthless. He sees himself as the community's only hope for survival, and is thus willing to imprison, abuse and/or kill anyone he sees as a threat to his authority; for him, torture and mass murder are a means to an end. One example of this is when he and his men massacre a group of National Guardsmen and take their supplies. Later, the Governor kidnaps Michonne and Hershel, attempting to lure out the inhabitants of the prison; ignoring Rick's pleas for coexistence, the Governor decapitates a bound Hershel. The prisoners open fire, and the Governor orders his men to kill everyone inside of the prison.
The Governor first appears in "Walk with Me", season 3, episode 3, having forcibly taken Andrea and Michonne from the woods after Merle discovers them near a downed military helicopter. Woodbury, under the Governor's rule, is a functioning community that even bears some resemblance to the world before the virus struck. The townspeople are unaware that the Governor and his men massacred a platoon of National Guardsmen to get their supplies. In the episode "Killer Within", the Governor befriends Andrea, and he reveals some of his past to her, including his real name. In the episode "Say the Word", it is shown that the Governor has a zombified daughter named Penny, whom he keeps hidden, feeds body parts to, and grooms affectionately while playing the lullaby "Bye, baby Bunting". The Governor allows Michonne to leave town, but she is unable to convince Andrea to leave with her. The Governor leads Andrea to a gathering for the townsfolk: a sparring match between Merle and Martinez surrounded by chained, toothless walkers. The spectacle shocks Andrea, who describes it as "barbaric", but the Governor insists it is "fun", and it teaches the residents to not be afraid. In the episode "Hounded", the Governor and Andrea begin a sexual relationship.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
The Governor briefly appears in Rick's flashbacks in the series finale as he talks with Major General Beale.
The Walking Dead: Destinies
The Governor appears as the leader of Woodbury, welcoming a suspicious Michonne to the town. Depending on the player's choice, the Governor ends up as either an ally or an enemy.
If the player decides to kill a zombified Penny Blake, the Governor loses an eye fighting with Michonne and pits Daryl in an arena fight to the death with either Merle or T-Dog depending on who was left behind by Rick in Atlanta near the start of the game. Later, the Governor leads an attack on the prison and fights Rick/Shane, ending in his defeat and decapitation, although the prison falls in the process.
If the player chooses not to have Michonne kill Penny, then either Merle or T-Dog overthrows the Governor and takes control of Woodbury. The Governor escapes to the prison where he joins Rick/Shane's group, expressing remorse for his actions. Instead of the Governor leading the later attack on the prison, it's Merle/T-Dog instead. The Governor survives the final battle and escapes with the fleeing prison residents.
Casting and development
On television, the character is portrayed by British actor David Morrissey. Glen Mazzara, when asked about the character's direction for season 3 of the show, described the Governor as a narcissist who sees himself as the future savior of civilization and is willing to resort to the most extreme of measures to achieve his ultimate goal.
Despite making few appearances, the Governor's daughter, Penny, plays a key role in his mentality and actions. He secretly cares for the undead Penny in his apartment, as revealed in the episode "Say the Word", brushing her hair and singing to her, and tells Michonne that she does not need to suffer, implying that he believes Penny is still alive and is "under the grip of a terrible, terrible illness".
The Governor's eye patch in the television series was placed on the opposite side from that of his comic book counterpart.
Noel Murray of Rolling Stone ranked Philip 'the Governor' Blake 11th in a list of 30 best Walking Dead characters, saying, "Initially a somewhat one-dimensional sicko – whose virtues as a leader were counterbalanced by his deranged preoccupation with the undead – the eye-patch–rocking Blake lasted long enough to get beaten and to mount a comeback. The episode "Live Bait," where he rests and regroups, is a series high-point – humanizing an at-times inhuman creep courtesy of David Morrissey's ability to elicit sympathy and make you feel sick to you stomach simultaneously."
Reception
In 2009, the Governor was ranked as IGN's 86th-greatest comic book villain of all time and was ranked #28 on TV Guide's list of 'The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time'. David Morrissey has been well received for his performance as the Governor, and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 39th Saturn Awards.
