In Undead
In the comic book universe, series creator Robert Kirkman has placed Rick Grimes and his fellow survivors through deadly wanderers, would-be despots, cult leaders and more on his nearly 200-issue journey. Now Kirkman Confirms He Named One of Rick’s Worst Undead enemies after a school bully from his own pastimmortalizing his tormentor in a way that guarantees he will be hated by millions.
In the supplementary material “Cutting Room Floor” at The Walking Dead Deluxe #101Kirkman explains how one of the series’ first true “Big Bads” got his name, revealing that The Governor, aka Philip Blake, is based on Kirkman’s Breckenridge elementary school bully:
“ALSO, fun fact, the character’s name was GREGORY. In elementary school, the bully at Breckenridge Elementary in Lexington, Kentucky, was a boy named Phillip. So that’s usually my shorthand for shitty characters. I’ll never name a good one. character Phillip. They will always be a villain to some extent. I also have to be careful not to use that name for all the bad characters in all my books. He was just the first example of a human being I’ve encountered who wanted to say things for no reason, made a good impression. Fuck that guy.“
Robert Kirkman called the governor “Philip” after the school bully
The Walking Dead Deluxe #101 (2024) by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Dave McCaig
Describing his creative process in this column at the end of the book reserved exclusively for readers of The Walking Dead DeluxeKirkman talks about his plot for this issue and eventually reveals a surprising look at the influence of his childhood on the creative process. In the process, succinctly explaining why the name “Phillip” perfectly fits the infinitely terrible person that is the Governor; a man who hurt Rick and company in a way that traumatized everyone (they were adults, not children, but the comparison is valid).
A behind-the-scenes fun fact about a villain-turned-villain Undeadstatus quo when it was presented in The walking dead #27Philip Blake, or Brian Blake as he was known before adopting his late brother’s name, was the driving force behind history’s iconic prison massacre. Removing an “l” from the attacker’s name to slightly differentiate the twoKirkman, however, admits the boy left a lasting mark.
The Governor was a ruthless villain in both versions of The Walking Dead
As fans of the television series will remember, the live-action version of UndeadThe Governor of Brazil reverses the history of the origin of his name. In this version, the character (portrayed by actor David Morrissey) was always known as Philip Blake, and he used the false name ‘Brian Harriet’ later in the series, subtly paying homage to his character’s dueling identities in the comics.
Coming into conflict (and ultimately triumphing) with the likes of the sadistic Governor, the foul-mouthed Negan, the silent but deadly Whisperers, the corrupt leaders of the Commonwealth, and more, Rick and the rest of the characters in Undead There will never be a shortage of villains to face, including some originating from your own ranks. But it is absolutely poetic that Morrissey’s portrayal of Blake, himself a sort of ‘child’ of the original incarnation, managed to increase his hatred to a global level. A harsh legacy for a child who was not, in Kirkman’s words, “everything so bad.”
The Walking Dead Deluxe #101 is available from Image Comics.
Source: Robert Kirkman (via Comics)