Vernon (Video Game)

"I don't feel much. I mean, I don't feel enough. Shouldn't I be broken up over what happened to her? That's how I was when I lost my daughter, when I lost my friends in those first few weeks... but now... it's like I just take something like this in stride. Like, this is what our world is now, and we'd better just get used to it."

- Vernon to Lee about Brie's death.

Vernon is an original character who first appeared in Telltale Games' The Walking Dead: Season One, along with Brie, Clive, Boyd, and Joyce.

Savannah, Georgia
Hardly anything is known about Vernon's life prior to the outbreak, besides the fact that he was a doctor in the city of Savannah, and knew Brie and the other morgue survivors for a few years prior to the outbreak. As he was the head of a cancer support group. He also had a daughter, but she died within the first week of the outbreak.

"Around Every Corner"
Following the zombie outbreak, Vernon's daughter was killed by the epidemic. He, along with the rest of his support group, moved into Crawford, seeking a safe haven from the walkers. Crawford's leader, however, began eliminating certain liabilities in his town, including the sick and elderly. Unfortunately, Vernon fell in both categories, and was targeted, along with the rest of his support group. After the deaths of half of his group due to Crawford, he fled along with the rest of his group. They discovered an abandoned fallout shelter, as well as a morgue, where they hid from Crawford and the zombies.

After Lee arrived, he assisted with him returning to his house in Savannah after he was separated from Kenny, Clementine and Molly. Afterwards, he decided to join the group's robbery of Crawford, bringing along Brie. While there, he assisted Christa in searching for medicine, while the others went looking for fuel and a battery. He and Christa were trapped in the Nurse's Office by Walkers, until Lee rescued them. He watched the two tapes about Anna Correa and found the combination to the medicine safe.

Right before the group left Crawford, he asked if Lee and his group had originally traveled by train to get to Savannah, even though he had no prior knowledge of the group. Vernon notes this observation as he and Lee's group descend the bell tower - it is possible that he saw the train from this vantage point. After they managed to escape from Crawford, he makes Lee an offer to take Clementine off his hands. Depending on Lee's interactions and how he responds to Vernon's offer, it will affect their conversation. Either way, Vernon will depart the house afterwards, and he along with the rest of his group from the morgue will have fled long before Lee and possibly his companions arrive to confront him regarding Clementine's disappearance.

"No Time Left"
Following his return to the morgue, Vernon informed his group of Lee's group's boat and how he planned to steal it. After formulating a plan, the group departed the morgue, along with all of their supplies, and moved to the manor house that contained the boat. Upon arriving, if any of Lee's survivors were left behind, they were beaten by Vernon and Joyce, before being locked inside the backyard shed. If no one stayed, they will steal the boat, while leaving a note on their reasons. While the beating is taking place, Boyd and Clive will move the boat out of the shed. Upon stealing the boat, his status is unknown.

"400 Days"
The remaining survivors of the cancer group, excluding Vernon, find protection at Gil's Pitstop and join up with Shel, Becca, Stephanie, and Roman. One day, they catch a stranger red-handed attempting to steal their supplies. While the group debates on whether to kill or let the man go, Joyce warily speaks of their past run-ins with outsiders and insists that having dealt with such people is a direct cause of losing both Brie and Vernon. It is not known whether Vernon is actually dead, or if he abandoned his group after the stealing of the boat. Boyd blames Vernon for the business of having forcibly taken the boat from Lee's group and feels guilty for it. He states from that moment on, their group began to fall apart.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Vernon has killed:
 * Numerous counts of zombies.

Brie
"You don't think by now I've got you figured? You don't strike me as someone who has a lot of consideration for others. Look at what you did to get me to come here with you in the first place, you expect me to believe you give a shit that it wound up costing Brie her life?"

- Vernon blaming Lee about Brie's death if threatened.

Vernon and Brie knew each other before the apocalypse as she was part of his cancer support group, they became good friends since then as they stayed together after the apocalypse, she accompanied Vernon and Lee's group to Crawford where she was killed by zombies in "Around Every Corner". Although Vernon was upset by her death what upset him more was how easily he accepted it. If Lee threatened Vernon, he blames him for costing her life. If Lee was honest with Vernon, he assures him that there was nothing he could have done, and was glad she died for something meaningful.

Lee Everett
"You're a good man, Lee. You've been protecting these people as best you can so far, and they look up to you. Rightly so. But it's different with a child. You might have brought her this far, but sooner or later she might ask you for more than you can give her."

- Vernon telling Lee his opinion on him and his ability to protect Clementine.

Lee's relationship with Vernon can vary greatly depending on the choices the player makes. If Lee was honest with Vernon when they first met, they have a generally cordial relationship. However, if he lied to or threatened him, Vernon will regard him with more hostility, and doesn't have much trust in him. Additionally, if Lee drops Ben from the bell tower, Vernon will question his morals. Regardless of these choices, Vernon will still offer to take Clementine at the end of "Around Every Corner", citing either Lee's immoral actions or inability to provide for a child that isn't his blood as reasons she won't survive long with him. Lee can either calmly ask for time to consider this, or angrily rebuke the offer. Vernon leaves mysteriously the next morning, which leads to Lee believing he kidnapped Clementine. He travels to the morgue that he met Vernon in, only to discover that he and his group had left. Vernon's group had actually stolen the boat they were planning to use, either beating up the people that stayed at the mansion while Lee searched for Clementine or leaving a note saying he regrets leaving them behind. Lee loses whatever respect he had for Vernon, as he stole the only hope he had for getting out of Savannah.

Boyd
"Vernon and the boat are the reason the group fell apart, not trusting strangers! Vernon was out for the boat the whole time! And the SECOND they left that boat unattended, we just stole it! THAT's when our group fell apart."

- Boyd about Vernon and the boat.

Vernon and Boyd were never really seen interacting due to Boyd staying at the morgue while Vernon and Brie went to Crawford with Lee and the others. When Lee and the others went looking for Clementine, Vernon and the others took the opportunity to steal the boat, beating anyone who stayed at the house. Once Boyd, Joyce and Clive arrived at the pit-stop. Boyd later revealed that he blamed Vernon for there group falling apart as Vernon wanted the boat the whole time and planned to steal it when it was unattended, it is unknown whether the others agreed or disagreed with the plan and just followed Vernon as he was their leader.

Kenny
"You didn't come into town from the railroad did ya?"

- Vernon asking Kenny.

Kenny seemed distrustful of Vernon since the two first met. He questioned why Vernon wanted to bring Brie on the Crawford raid, and acted impatient whenever having a conversation with him. When Vernon left the house the morning after the raid, Kenny was eager to blame him for kidnapping Clementine. Later, when Vernon's group stole the boat, Kenny completely lost any sympathy for him, and swore to kill him if they ever met again.

Trivia

 * Vernon stealing the boat in Episode 5 is highly hypocritical, since in Episode 4, he openly criticized the plan of Lee's group, but this was only said to remove any suspicion for him, or maybe as a last resort to escape Savannah.
 * However, he asks Lee if his group came in by train; he may have seen the thousands of walkers coming from there, prompting him to steal the boat, for fear of being overrun by walkers. The morgue where his group lived was in fact overrun with walkers, as well as the sewer system and the whole city, making Savannah an extremely dangerous place to live.