In The Walking Dead, the Governor is responsible for killing a number of major characters. Set amidst a zombie apocalypse, The Walking Dead follows a group of survivors as they attempt to build lives in the wreckage. Together, they travel from location to location trying to find a safe home, but each season brings new challenges and villains to contend with. Introduced in season 3, the Governor turned out to be their most formidable threat yet.
Philip Blake, better known by his nickname “The Governor," is The Walking Dead's smartest villain. He also takes psychopathic delight in the murders he commits. He is the leader of the community of Woodbury, a society that enjoys a life of relative safety thanks to the walls surrounding their town and the protection the Governor provides. The safety of Woodbury comes at a cost, though: the Governor protects the citizens by ruling over them with an iron fist. He and his militia destroy nearby communities and kill other survivors, and even the members of his own town are not free from his wrath.
Andrea Harrison Is Bitten By A Zombie Created By The Governor
Andrea Harrison, who has been with Rick Grimes since The Walking Dead season 1, is a stalwart defender of her friends and a courageous survivor. Andrea may be a hated character, but she is tough and is not afraid to challenge Rick. As an independent spirit, she often drifts away from the main group and has relationships with the antagonists of the series, including Shane and eventually the Governor. After a walker attack, Andrea is separated from her group and arrives in Woodbury. The audience sees the Governor through the eyes of Andrea and sees him in the same tough but fair light that she does.
The Governor and Andrea strike up a romantic relationship in The Walking Dead that comes to an end when she realizes what kind of man he really is. Andrea’s assassination attempt on him fails, and she ends up tied to a chair as a zombified Milton Mamet bites her. As a final act of independence, Andrea chooses to end her own life. The Governor is ruthless, and his willingness to lie and take revenge knows no bounds. Even when it comes to someone he appears to have some feelings for, the Governor executes his revenge in an incredibly personal way, forcing Andrea’s friend to kill her.
Hershel Greene Is Decapitated By The Governor
Hershel Greene is one of the older members of Rick’s group in The Walking Dead and a peaceful man. Unlike the others, Herschel councils diplomacy when it comes to the antagonists of the series. When he is first encountered by Rick and the survivors, he is unwilling to kill walkers because he believes there is a chance to save them. He is one of the rare survivors of the apocalypse who has retained nearly all his humanity. The world is a chaotic and dangerous place and the survivors struggle to retain any semblance of society, yet Hershel’s wisdom reminds everyone that the drive to live can’t come at all costs.
When the Governor returns from exile on The Walking Dead, he captures Hershel and, after a back and forth, brutally cuts off his head with a katana in front of Rick and the survivors. Even up until his last moment, Hershel tries to get everyone to make peace. Rick takes his lesson to heart, and even though the Governor is unswayed, he repeats Hershel’s beliefs that no one is ever too far gone. Right before the sword slices him, he smiles up at Rick, glad that he has remembered at least part of his teachings. It’s a tragic but brave ending for Hershel at the Governor's hands.
Merle Dixon Is Shot By The Governor
Merle is the older, meaner, and more violent of the Dixon brothers. It makes perfect sense that he would fall in with the Governor and his cronies. Merle shows that in The Walking Dead, bad men can become better through the trials they are forced to face. Merle eventually tries to kill the Governor himself, but the tyrant bites off two of his fingers, beats him to the ground, and finishes him off with a gunshot. It’s not easy to be redeemed in this world, and even those who are redeemed still often are forced to accept their comeuppance one way or another.
Milton Mamet Is Stabbed By The Governor
The Governor keeps atrocities like killing soldiers a secret, but he can’t hide his misdeeds forever. Milton Mamet, a scientist for the community, discovers the Governor’s brutality but continues to work for him out of fear. It isn’t until he meets Andrea that Milton decides he can no longer abide by the Governor’s rule of law. When instructed to kill Andrea he instead turns his knife on the Governor but is immediately dispatched and killed with his own weapon. The Governor suffers no betrayals in his society, and Milton is an example of what happens when a character in The Walking Dead grows a conscience at the wrong time.
Martinez Is Fed To Zombies By The Governor
When Martinez is killed, the Governor utters a goosebump-inducing quote that shows what kind of character he is. The Governor’s success is predicated on having a loyal base of followers who are willing to do whatever he says. Many of these characters, like Martinez, are not inherently bad, but they commit evil acts with the belief it's for the greater good. Martinez offers to work together, and the Governor responds by pushing him head-first into a pit of zombies to be devoured. In The Walking Dead, there are characters like the Governor who cannot be reasoned with and have devolved to the point that all they know is violence.
Allen Is Shot By The Governor
The Governor offers safety to those who join him, but he also offers the chance for survivors to take revenge. Allen is initially a member of the Prison, but that story sees him thrown out, and he seeks revenge on Rick. Even he is aghast at the Governor when he turns his gun on his own soldiers. For all his fantasies of revenge, this goes too far, and he points his gun at the Governor. Unfortunately, Philip Blake is a much more experienced killer and draws first to kill him. Siding with a monstrous figure in The Walking Dead can put characters in as much danger as being against them.
Axel Is Sniped By The Governor
Axel is one of the original inmates of the Prison, which becomes Rick and the survivors' home in The Walking Dead. Unlike some of the other inmates, Axel is non-violent and wants to join Rick’s survivors rather than fight them. As Rick’s group stays longer at the Prison, they begin to accept Axel. However, just as he begins opening up to Carol, he is shot in the head by the Governor during a surprise attack. No one is safe in The Walking Dead, and Axel’s death reflects how this world is chaotic, and just as a character may be becoming more significant, they can be taken away.