Defying the expectations of fans, the Governor (David Morrissey) survived the events of “The Walking Dead” Season 3, even though he lost the remaining residents of Woodbury to Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and the prison survivors.
Through four episodes of the current season, there’s been no sign of the Governor and even Michonne (Danai Gurira) has given up on trying to find him. But according to “Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman, the Governor’s absence may have actually made him even more dangerous.
“The Governor is going to see quite a leap in who he is and what his motives are,” Kirkman told The Hollywood Reporter. “The Governor that we saw at the end of season three was this homicidal maniac who lost control of his town, and we haven’t seen him for a long time. He’s been stewing, and we may be seeing a very different Governor when we finally do catch up to him.”
“We like to keep people guessing,” continued Kirkman. “And he definitely will return this season. Just when you think things are getting to a breaking point, that’s when the Governor layer will be thrown in to make things that much more deadly and dangerous. It’s going to be a really big, memorable moment in the show.”
“The Walking Dead” showrunner Scott Gimple added that “When the Governor comes back, it’s going to be in a very significant way but in a way that we significantly exploit the character and go even deeper into who he is.”
While David Morrissey is currently signed to star in an AMC pilot called “Line of Sight,” the Governor’s absence from “The Walking Dead” actually came from Gimple himself.
According to Kirkman, “Scott Gimple came in and was like, ‘You know what? I’m sick of the Governor.’ He actually said that. It’s not that we don’t like that character; it’s just that we needed to give that character a break. Going right back into that would seem like more retread of season three, and that’s the thing we don’t want to do.”
“The Walking Dead” Season 4 continues this Sunday on AMC.
