If there’s one thing The Walking Dead has proved lately, it’s that a character having met their final end is no barrier to them reappearing in the franchise, and not just as a member of the shambling undead.
David Morrissey, who memorably portrayed the Governor in seasons 3 and 4, has expressed interest in returning as a part of the movies planned to take place within the show’s world. In a recent interview, he said:
“They’re doing movies and in some of them they might be doing origin stories, and I would love it if they were doing mine. I haven’t got any inside information, I loved doing the show and loved doing the part. If they wanted me to go back I would. There are three great novels [about the Governor] and I think they would make great movies. If they wanted to, they could go back to before Woodbury existed and how the Governor became who he was. I think that’s a brilliant story, and that’s all there, and it’s in the books, I hope they could do that.”
The novels he refers to were a series of four published from 2011 to 2014, written by series co-creator Robert Kirkman and novelist Jay Bonansinga. They begin with The Rise of the Governor, seeing the journey taken by the man once known as Philip Blake and his deteriorating mental state caused by post-apocalyptic life, and culminating with his arrival in Woodbury and discovery of it being ruthlessly ruled by a band of National Guardsman.
Next is The Road to Woodbury, revealing the backstory of Lilly Caul, responsible for one of the comics’ most infamous and controversial moments, who travels to the town for its purported idyllic sanctuary, but discovers it to be something else entirely.
Finally is The Fall of the Governor, a two-part dénouement that weaves in and out of the events of the comics, featuring the residents of Woodbury encountering the Atlanta survivors and the Governor using them as scapegoats for things beginning to fall apart in the town, ending with the Governor’s death and Lilly taking over rule of the settlement, and subsequent novels continuing her story.
Despite his despotic madness and utter lack of empathy, the Governor is nevertheless a compelling character whose story could well prove an interesting one, and if the Walking Dead films ever manage to get off the ground, featuring the Governor in one way or another could well be a draw for audiences.