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.

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.

[volume & issue needed] 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.

[volume & issue needed] 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.

[volume & issue needed] A bloody massacre ensues, leading to a high death toll and ultimately making the prison less secure and less habitable.

[volume & issue needed] Both factors lead to the remnants of the Governor's army turning on him, and to Lilly's killing him, throwing his corpse to the zombies, and making a last-ditch attempt to fortify the prison.

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.

The Governor is charming and charismatic, but also murderous, violent, sociopathic, power-hungry, completely sadistic, and horrifically ruthless.

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.

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 leads Andrea to a gathering for the townsfolk: a sparring match between Merle and Martinez surrounded by chained, toothless walkers.

In the mid-season finale, "Made to Suffer", during Rick Grimes's foray into Woodbury to rescue Glenn and Maggie, Michonne kills Penny.

In the mid-season premiere, "The Suicide King", the fight between Merle and Daryl is broken up when the prison group attacks, allowing the brothers to escape.

The Governor and his men then attack the prison; Rick Grimes' group runs for cover, and gunfire erupts on both sides.

In the episode "I Ain't a Judas", the Governor proceeds to rally Woodbury against the prison survivors, labeling them terrorists and raiders.

In the episode "Arrow on the Doorpost", encouraged by Andrea, the Governor meets with Rick in a secluded grain silo to offer him peace in exchange for turning over Michonne, giving him two days to think about it.

In the episode "Prey", Andrea flees for the prison, and the Governor hunts her down personally, bringing her back to Woodbury and strapping her in the dentist's chair that he meant to use on Michonne.

The Governor then leads his army into the prison to kill Rick's entire group, but Tyreese and Sasha want nothing to do with it, and stay behind at Woodbury.

The Governor stops the fast-fleeing convoy, and, in response to their protests against returning to the prison, he opens fire and slaughters them all, sparing only Martinez and Shumpert, his two primary henchmen.

He looks up to see a young girl, about the same age as Penny, in the window of a nearby apartment building; he pulls himself back to his feet and investigates.

Lilly and Tara initially hold the Governor at gunpoint, but they later confiscate his pistol and allow him to stay in an apartment across the hallway.

He runs some errands for the family, and risks his life to get David two oxygen tanks from a walker-infested nursing home.

In the episode "Dead Weight", Martinez takes in the Governor, accepting his new facade as "Brian", and the girls and lets them join their camp.

In the mid-season finale, "Too Far Gone", the Governor encounters Michonne and Hershel Greene and takes them hostage, intending to use them as leverage over Rick.

Upon arriving at the prison with his army and tank, the Governor tells Rick that he is going to give their group a chance to leave without anyone getting killed.

If the player chooses not to have Michonne kill Penny, then either Merle or T-Dog overthrows the Governor and takes control of Woodbury.

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.

[11] The Governor's eye patch in the television series was placed on the opposite side from that of his comic book counterpart.

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.