Crawford Oberson (Video Game)

Crawford Oberson (or C. Oberson) is an original character who is mentioned numerous times throughout Episode 4 of The Walking Dead Video Game, "Around Every Corner". Throughout the information that is given to the player, Oberson is described as the effective, but ultimately ruthless, amoral, and power hungry leader of Crawford who only cared for the protection of his society and the authority he accumulated from ruling it.

By the events of the episode, Oberson's society had crumbled like the rest of the world and most of his followers were killed and reanimated into Walkers. While he only makes a brief appearance as a Walker, his influence is felt all throughout Crawford in the events of the episode.

Pre-Apocalypse
Nothing is known about Oberson's life prior to the apocalypse, though he was presumably a resident and survivor of Savannah who rose up to the rank of leader over a large group of survivors in the wake of the Walker outbreak, though the exact contents of his accession into such a trusted and powerful position are largely unknown.

Episode 4: Around Every Corner
Oberson became the self-appointed leader that controlled the district of Crawford in Savannah after the outbreak of Walkers left the rest of the world in ruins. While his previous life and occupation is unknown, he undoubtedly possessed high authority and charisma to convince an entire district of a city to elect him as their leader.

At first, Oberson seemed like a stable and effective leader who truly had the best intentions for his people through his methods and survival tactics. He had the district of Crawford barricaded and effectively cut off from the rest of the chaos that was Savannah and the world. He helped gather up whatever supplies were left and formed a hopeful society where everyone looked up to Oberson as a hero.

Throughout his leadership, however, Oberson became drunk on power and his own authority and quickly became a ruthless, amoral, and violent tyrant who did anything he could to keep his power over Crawford intact. He believed that he was the only one who could lead his people to survival. The more he led Crawford, the more his mind began to deteriorate and started to form several, extremely brutal methods to ensure that the society he built would never be torn down. He grew to relish in the authority and influence his leadership provided him with and became more obsessed with upholding it rather than the welfare of innocent people.

Establishing the premise and the populace as his own, Oberson regulated his own set of strict and self-made rules that he believed would allow him and his people to survive and even flourish in this new world. These rules prohibited any children, elderly, or people with medical conditions to be part of his regime and has them outcast or killed to heighten a more strong society comprised of individuals who are not dependent on constant medical attention and watch and less likely to die and become Walkers. Women who were found to be pregnant were forced to undergo abortion procedures or suffer worst circumstances if they refused with any and all medical operations being video taped and documented as part of Oberson's surveillance over his people.

Anyone who opposed Oberson and his laws would be horrifically murdered and placed into part of the barricade, made from thousands of Walkers, that separated Crawford from the rest of the world and served as a warning for potential trespassers. Oberson and his forces completely looted the rest of Savannah, retrieving cars parts, batteries, drugs, food, and anything else left of value to be stored within their regime and leaving most survivors to defend for themselves.

On rare occasions, Oberson's forces would recruit some of the survivors they found as long they met the qualifications to be part of Crawford. To keep track of all the areas that have been looted and surveyed, Oberson had his higher-ups train the populace to leave military-like marks all over the city to specify which locations have been searched and looted, keep track on how many survivors were left behind or brought back, the amount of Walkers intercepted, and the days since the outbreak when the area was searched and looted.

The school within the area became Oberson's main base of operations where weapons, medical supplies, food, and pillared items were all stored as well as where the populace made their plans and operations for survival. Oberson directed his affairs from a classroom directly adjacent to the armory, where he kept all the blueprints and maps of the area as well as folders containing his plans and strategic tactics.

However, Oberson's self-made regime crumbled like the rest of the world when a female resident murdered the local doctor, Logan, after finding out she was pregnant and refusing to give up her unborn child. She stole his weapon, and went on a maddened killing spree out of vengeance for Oberson's twisted ways, turning many citizens into Walkers and spreading the outbreak throughout the previously untouched Crawford.

While Oberson and his forces were able to successfully contain several hordes of Walkers to various rooms within the school, the outbreak became too devastating, most of the survivors were killed, and Oberson decided to commit suicide by hanging himself from the bell in the school's tower rather than being eaten alive by his fallen followers.

By the time Lee and his group arrived, Crawford was completely overrun with Walkers and Oberson was still hanging from the bell in the tower, having reanimated, causing the bell to ring occassionaly and attract more Walkers to the area. Oberson attempts to kill Ben Paul when Lee's group attempted to escape Crawford and Lee can either shoot him to save Ben or let him fall to his death, being eaten alive. Regardless of what choice Lee chooses, Oberson will plunge to his demise, killing the villain once and for all.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Oberson has killed:
 * Ben Paul (Determinant).
 * Caused the deaths of many survivors, including children, the sick, and the old.
 * Possibly numerous counts of zombies.

Killed by
As his society started to crumble and his people began dying and reanimating as Walkers, Oberson couldn't take the chaos anymore and decided to put an end to his life by hanging himself from the bell in the school's tower.
 * Himself (Suicide)

As the survivors are departing the school, by escaping through the bell-tower, the zombified Oberson is found hanging from the bell and grabs a distracted Ben. Lee can either shoot him to attempt and save Ben's life or let him drop to his death.
 * Lee Everett (Zombified/Determinant)

Trivia

 * Crawford Oberson could be similar to The Governor as they both rose to the ranks and became tyrants of their own cities and ruled the area and its people with an iron fist.
 * Crawford Oberson is one of many characters to commit suicide in the video game, others including Katjaa, Irene, and Charles.
 * The Idea of impaling walkers around Crawford to serve as both a warning to survivors and a deterrent to other walkers is also used by The Saviors, as shown in Issue 104.
 * Crawford Oberson's first name was revealed in the episode 4 stats trailer.