Philip Blake (Novel Series)

His real name is Philip. When the dead began to rise, Philip gathered together a large number of survivors, numbering almost 40, and established a semi-secure settlement in Woodbury, clearing and guarding almost 4 city blocks, upon which he declared himself "Governor" (as "President" would be going too far). Initially appearing a fair and strong leader, Philip was truly a monster; he only helped people to benefit himself, as long as they follow his every command. Philip had a daughter who became a zombie; he kept her tied up in his apartment, feeding her severed body parts of those who displeased him.

The settlement was discovered by Rick, Glenn and Michonne who were following the trails of a crashed helicopter. But for their horror, the group found out that the Governor was using living human beings to feed the zombies in a twisted mix of perversion and sport for the locals. Furthermore, the Governor tried to force Rick to reveal the location of the prison and due to his negative, he cut off Rick's hands, locked Glenn down, and raped Michonne.

Ironically, the Governor is loved by the locals because the protection and safety he and his group brings. It was later discovered that the Governor keeps a macabre secret. He not only hides in his house his zombified daughter, but also uses the heads of his victims for his own disturbed pleasure. When Martinez helped Rick, Glenn and Michonne to escape, Michonne decided to stay a little longer to pay the Governor a visit. After a vicious fight between them, Michonne got her revenge but torturing and mutilating him. But the arrival of the Governor's men stopped Michonne from putting and end to his life. This later would become a huge mistake when the Governor led a full attack against the prison, when he convinced the folks from Woodbury that Rick and his friends were completely evil.

Nevertheless, things for the Governor didn't go the way he planned as the people from the prison put a tenacious defense, that forced the people from Woodbury to a humiliating retreat. But Michonne and Tyreese made a huge mistake following the trails of the Governor. Tyreese get caught and Phillip used him as a bait. He threatened to execute Tyreese if Rick wouldn't open the prison doors. But they refuse to do so, and the Governor beheaded Tyreese. When he returned to his camp, Michonne was very much alive and once again tried to kill him. The Governor saved his life and completely enraged, he led a brutal and final assault to the prison.

This time, he was taking no hostages. He crushed the prison defenses, killing Axel in the process and to obliterate any further attempt to fight bak, he ordered the tank to drive trough the fences. The prison was lost for Rick and his friends, but the Governor stopped their escape route. The people from Woodbury began the massacre following the Governor's orders. They killed Patricia, Billy and Hershel Greene and Lori Grimes and her new born baby, Judy.

But the rejoice of victory was short-lived for the Governor. Lilly, one of the survivors from Woodbury just couldn't stand any more the horror of the massacre when she realized that for following Phillip's orders, she had murdered a baby. The Governor tried to calm his people once more, but this time, Lilly put a bullet through his head and kicked him toward a wall of zombies, ending his life and the brutal assault.

In 2009, The Governor was ranked as IGN's 86th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.