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Due to the Anyone Can Die nature of the show and quickly moving plots, only spoilers from the current/most recent season will be spoiled out to prevent entire pages of whited out text. These spoiler tags will be removed upon the debut of the following season, and the character bios will be updated then as well. Additionally, character portraits will be updated each half-season with the release of an official, complete set from AMC. If you have not seen the first ten seasons read at your own risk!

Woodbury

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    In General 

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/woodbury.jpeg
"And years from now, when they write about this plague in the history books, they will write about Woodbury."

"Welcome to Woodbury!"
The Governor

A walled town in Georgia with over 70 survivors and many pre-apocalyptic comforts. What initially seems to be an idyllic oasis is revealed to have a dark underbelly, as Woodbury is run by the tyrannical Governor, who robs and kills outsiders and stages gladiator fights to entertain the populace. They wage war with Rick's group, losing dozens of their own, before the Governor's true nature is revealed, at which point they join their former enemy at the prison. The abandoned town is later burned to the ground by the Governor, who later kills the few Woodbury survivors in his final attack on the prison.


  • Adaptation Expansion: We get to see what their day to day life is and meet more characters than in the comics.
  • Adaptation Origin Connection: Woodbury becomes part of Michonne and Tyreese's respective Story Arcs before officially joining Rick's group. In the comics, they both encountered Woodbury while already being members on Rick's team.
  • Bread and Circuses: The town features staged fighting matches between soldiers, complete with defanged zombies.
  • Celebrity Paradox: During the penultimate episode of Season 2, Rick mentions Senoia, Georgia, the city that stands in for Woodbury.
  • Composite Character: Many of the Governor's soldiers take aspects from Bruce and Gabe from the comics, being active participants in his more dubious actions.
  • Death by Adaptation: In the comics and novels Woodbury actually lasts for quite a while even after the Governor's death, and when it does eventually fall apart there's still some survivors left. In the show, a large majority of its residents are killed throughout Season 3 and the town is abandoned and destroyed long before the Governor meets his end in the mid-Season 4 finale. And the remaining Woodbury residents are killed either during the final prison attack or shortly afterwards by the flu.
  • Disaster Scavengers: The Woodbury army loots and scavenges for supplies, including killing other groups to get them.
  • Gladiator Games: The Governor occasionally held fights for the crowd's entertainment.
  • Killed Offscreen: Word of God states that all of the Woodbury residents are dead, which means that those who inexplicably vanished from the show actually died either when the Governor kills the majority of them or when the flu killed off the rest of them.
  • Not Using the "Z" Word: They call zombies "biters."
  • Redshirt Army: They lose dozens of unnamed soldiers in their war with the prison.
  • Stepford Suburbia: The town seems too good to be true. It is.
  • Town with a Dark Secret: The citizens are largely unaware that the Governor is a psychopath.

The Blake Family

    The Governor 

    Penny 

Penny Blake

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/penny_wd.jpg
"Daddy still loves you..."

Portrayed By: Kylie Ann Syzmanski

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Season 3)

The Governor's daughter, she was turned into a walker some time prior to the meeting with the prison group. Unable to cope with his loss, The Governor kept her captive in his apartment and continued to care for her, not believing she was truly dead. Michonne discovers her during the raid on Woodbury, and, disgusted, kills her. The grieving Governor swears vengeance upon Michonne and it leads to a brutal war with Rick's group.


The Governor's Inner Circle

    Merle 

    Milton 

Milton Mamet

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/milton_mamet_twdtv_5842.jpg

Portrayed By: Dallas Roberts

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Season 3)

Milton is the Governor's chief scientist who conducts experiments on the zombies, attempting to learn how they function and ways to control them. He is the only member of Woodbury who knew the Governor before the Zombie Apocalypse. Milton turns on the Governor when he realizes how insane he has become, but is murdered by him.


  • Alliterative Name: His first and last name starts with an M.
  • And Then John Was a Zombie: The Governor stabs him and leaves him locked in a room with Andrea so that when he dies and turns he will kill her. This plan succeeds, and Milton's zombie bites her on the collarbone before she manages to put him down.
  • Apocalyptic Log: He is recording as many events as possible that occurred in the Zombie Apocalypse to make sure that there is a history of at least some of the things that happened. When he meets Hershel, he asks questions about the different events that have happened to his group and how they dealt with them to add to his history.
  • Bad Liar: Whenever Milton is required to lie, he tends to break out into a pretty strong stutter, complete with a lot of "uh's." Also, when the Governor asks him if he was involved in the walkers Woodbury wanted to use for its raid on the prison being burned, he literally doesn't even try to respond. He just contemplates for a few seconds, then walks away silently.
  • Composite Character: In the comics, Alice Warren wanted to study walkers.
  • The Consigliere: He may not be The Dragon, but The Governor treats him as his most trusted ally, until "Prey".
  • Decomposite Character: His Heel–Face Turn and his disapproval of the Governor's methods are similar to the comic version of Dr. Stevens.
  • The Dog Bites Back: After being punched and tortured by the Governor for betraying him and then ordered to murder Andrea, Milton attempts to stab the Governor but fails and is stabbed.
  • The Evil Genius: In a Punch-Clock Villain kind of way for the Governor's inner circle.
  • Face Death with Dignity: Calmly instructs Andrea on how to escape while dying.
  • Fake Guest Star: He appears in almost every episode after his debut, and plays a key role in the events of Season 3.
  • Friendly Enemy: To the main cast. Milton is just doing things For Science!, so despite being on the "opposite team", he makes chit chat with Hershel in "Arrow on the Doorpost" and doesn't antagonize the others. Too bad he is firmly in the thrall of the Governor and spying for him.
  • Gutted Like a Fish: He gets stabbed in the stomach and left to die a slow death by the Governor, so that when he comes back as a walker he will eat a tied up Andrea.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: The Governor has been his (best) friend way before the Zombie Apocalypse began.
  • Honest Advisor: One of his jobs for the Governor.
  • My Master, Right or Wrong: He knows the Governor has gone off the deep end in his desire to kill Michonne and kill the prison group, but refuses to leave because Philip was Milton's best friend since before the apocalypse, and he still thinks that the man he knew exists in the Governor. He's wrong, and gets killed by the Governor.
  • The Mole:
    • He at first informs the Governor of Andrea's actions to go to the prison the first time, after Andrea trusted Milton to help her.
    • Later, he assists Andrea in escaping Woodbury.
  • Nice Guy: He's rather polite around pretty much anyone, and has a very kind and civil conversation with Hershel when they meet.
  • Non-Action Guy: He's clearly uncomfortable outside of his lab, especially when going with Merle to get fresh walkers for the Woodbury arena.
  • No Social Skills: He's pretty helpless when trying to talk to people. He either comes off as creepy or completely flustered depending on who he is talking to.
  • Punch-Clock Villain: He does not approve of many of the actions the Governor has taken with regards to the National Guard group and prison survivors.
  • Reluctant Mad Scientist: While he may disapprove of some of the Governor's actions, he has no problem experimenting upon walkers and trying to figure out how they work.
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The absolute sensitive guy to both the Governor and Merle's manly man.
  • Smart People Wear Glasses: He's the scientific advisor to the Governor, and is one of the only people in the entire show with glasses.
  • Token Good Teammate: When the Governor starts to go off the deep end, he graduates to this from Punch-Clock Villain. He is the only member of the Governor's inner circle who argues against the decision to kill Rick's group, allows Andrea to escape to warn them, and burned the captured walkers so they can't be used against the prison.
  • Zombie Advocate: His main project seems to be finding out whether or not the walkers have any semblance of humanity left. Possibly because he has relatively little experience dealing with them. It's implied the main reason he's trying to find out is because the Governor hopes that his undead daughter still has some semblance of humanity or memories of her father left.
  • Zombie Experiments All For Naught: Milton hoped that the walkers were able to keep some humanity while experimenting on them, by asking them questions and tried to get them to answer. He comes to realize later that walkers have no humanity left, as he is warning Andrea to kill him when she gets loose from the chair, knowing he will lose his humanity when he turns into a walker himself.
  • Heroic To The End: Despite his pain, Milton tries very hard to stay alive for as long as possible, to buy Andrea more time to get loose.
  • Selfless Last Words: Milton urges Andrea to hurry. These are his last words before he dies and then turns.

    Martinez 

Caesar Martinez

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ceaser_martinez_twdtv2_3440.jpg

Portrayed By: Jose Pablo Cantillo

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Seasons 3-4)

Martinez is a member of the Woodbury militia and one of the Governor's most trusted soldiers. His family was killed by walkers, giving him an extreme hatred of the undead. After the Governor massacred most of his army, Martinez abandoned him and formed his own group of survivors, later reencountering the Governor with the Chambler family. When The Governor realizes he knows too much about his past with Woodbury, he kills his former lieutenant when offered a joint leadership of the group, and takes over.


  • Adaptational Badass: He's more action oriented and has more fight scenes compared to the comics.
  • Adaptational Sexuality: His comic counterpart was gay according to Robert Kirkman, but here he mentions a dead wife and kids.
  • Adaptational Villainy: Zig-Zagged. Compared to his Ambiguously Evil comic counterpart, he is The Dragon of the group opposed to the heroes' group in the show. However, he's an Anti-Villain who's not that different from them.
  • Anti-Villain: He's not that different from the members of Rick's group and wants to do whatever it takes to protect Woodbury. Unfortunately, he is under the command of insane dictator and is willing to Kick the Dog to ensure Woodbury's security. He does look uncomfortable or outright horrified with several of the Governor's actions as well, but never verbally objects to them, even when the Governor murders the entirety of the Woodbury Militia. However, he does later abandon the Governor and start his own group, whose members seem to genuinely look up to and support Martinez.
  • Batter Up!: His primary melee weapon, which has "eat me" engraved on it.
  • Beard of Evil: Shorter than that of Shumpert.
  • Blood Knight: It's subtle, but he clearly enjoys killing walkers more than most. He explains to Daryl that it is because they killed his family.
  • Bullying a Dragon: Taunting the Governor more than helps bring about his death.
  • Cerebus Retcon: Him being a Blood Knight towards walkers stemmed from the death of his family at their hands (or mouths).
  • Crusading Widower: His family was killed by walkers.
  • Dance Battler: Is seen using Capoeira against Merle during their "fight".
  • A Death in the Limelight: He gets much more screentime and characterization in the episode "Dead Weight" than in any of his previous appearances, although he dies roughly halfway through the episode.
  • Decomposite Character: The bulk of comic Martinez's storyline, including his death, goes to Bob Lamson in Season 5.
  • Devoured by the Horde: His ultimate fate when the Governor feeds him to a pit of captive walkers, in Season 4's "Dead Weight".
  • The Dragon: Originally The Brute, he becomes this to the Governor after Merle is accused of treason.
  • Dragon Ascendant: Becomes the leader of his own band of survivors after abandoning the Governor. After "Brian" joins his group, it doesn't take long for Martinez to be betrayed.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Had a wife and kids that got killed by walkers.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: He's visibly shocked when the Governor kills everyone in the Woodbury militia except him and Shumpert.
  • Go-Karting with Bowser: He and Daryl share cigarettes and get to know each other while Rick and the Governor attempt negotiations.
  • He Knows Too Much: After the Governor joins his group, he decides that Martinez is a liability due to knowing the truth about him.
  • Hidden Depths: Although he acts like an antagonistic Jerkass to Daryl, after they fight walkers together they bond over cigarettes and Martinez reveals that he enjoys fighting walkers so much because he lost his family to them. He also becomes the leader of his own camp in Season 4, and his people look up to and respect him.
  • Idiot Ball: Playing golf with a man he knows to be dangerous while drunk, alone, and unarmed.
  • Intimidation Demonstration: Flamboyantly dispatches several Walkers right in front of Daryl, showing what he's capable of. Daryl follows suit.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's pretty rude to both Andrea and Daryl, although he and Daryl reach a bit of an understanding. He also has a soft spot for children, going out of his way to save some a couple of times. He is also pretty affable and friendly to everybody after starting his own group.
  • Karmic Death: He was very supportive on the Governor's tactics to use walkers as weapons against people and created the walker pits to capture them. When he's Devoured by the Horde when dropped into one of his own pits it is kind of ironic.
  • Laser-Guided Karma/Hoist by His Own Petard: As stated in the above trope, he dies from his own walker pit by the man he thought he could trust.
  • Last-Name Basis: Everyone just calls him Martinez.
  • The Musketeer: Uses a Heckler & Koch MP5K as his main gun and switches to a baseball bat for close quarters.
  • Outliving One's Offspring: His children were killed by Walkers, giving him an extreme hatred of them that has turned him into a Blood Knight.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: The night after the failed prison assault, Martinez, along with Shumpert, abandon the Governor when they realize he's lost his mind. He and the Governor meet again, though.
  • Sleeves Are for Wimps: The only time he has a shirt with sleeves is when he wears a blue hoodie briefly before his gladiator fight. When it becomes fall in the latter half of Season 3 he starts wearing a brown jacket due to the cold weather.
  • Smug Snake: When he gets his own group, Martinez believes that he's above the Governor and starts to rub his leadership in his face. Turns out the Governor saw through this and killed him.
  • Spared by the Adaptation: He survived a lot longer than his comic counterpart, possibly owing to taking a quite different tack from the drawn version of the character. Until he was killed in Season 4's "Dead Weight", anyway.
  • Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Survives with Shumpert and the Governor in Season 3 and becomes the leader of his own group in Season 4, but he is killed by the Governor halfway through "Dead Weight".
  • Villain Respect: He calls Glenn a "tough son of a bitch" for taking out a walker all by himself while tied to a chair.
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: In his gladiator battle against Merle, which shows how ripped he is.
  • Weapon Twirling: Has a habit of twirling his baseball bat before caving in a walker's head.
  • We Can Rule Together: A subverted example. Martinez believes he's the top dog when he offers to rule his group with The Governor as equals, but The Governor isn't having it and kills him, leaving him as the group's leader.
  • Worthy Opponent: Considers Daryl one.

    Shumpert 

Shumpert

Portrayed By: Travis Love

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Seasons 3-4)

Shumpert is one of the Governor's elite soldiers. He uses a bow and arrow as his primary weapon. Alongside Caesar, he abandons the Governor after he massacres most of Woodbury. He died in the Time Skip between Seasons 3 and 4.


  • Ascended Extra: Shumpert starts out as a barely-seen Woodbury guard, but he eventually gets lines and a more prominent role in the story as one of the Governor's right-hand men.
  • Beard of Evil: A big curly one adding to his Scary Black Man status.
  • The Brute: One of the more physically imposing members of the Woodbury militia.
  • Bus Crash: He is killed sometime after he and Martinez ditch the Governor, and his death is recounted to the Governor by Martinez.
  • Canon Foreigner: Never appeared in the comics. However, he seems to have a lot in common with Bruce Cooper.
  • Death Seeker: According to Martinez, Shumpert didn't even try to avoid the walker that killed him.
  • Despair Event Horizon: Witnessing the Governor kill the rest of the Woodbury militia broke something in Shumpert according to Martinez, and he became reckless when dealing with walkers, which eventually got him killed.
  • Dropped a Bridge on Him: He survives Season 3, making it seem like he'll become more important, and then dies offscreen in the Time Skip between Seasons 3 and 4.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: He's horrified when the Governor massacres everyone else in the Woodbury militia after they refuse to attack the prison again.
  • Killed Offscreen: By a walker.
  • Mercy Kill: After being bitten, he was put down by Martinez.
  • Mook: In the Woodbury militia.
  • The Quiet One: He barely ever speaks, and usually only does so when pointing out walkers.
  • Scary Black Man: Gives off this vibe while being assigned to watch Andrea and Michonne after they arrive in Woodbury, as he watches them from a distance in a pretty creepy and scary manner.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He and Martinez abandon the Governor when they realize he's lost his mind.
  • Villainous BSoD: Shumpert's temperament changed for the worse after the massacre, which Martinez mentions led to his death.

Militia

    Karen 

Karen

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/karen_twdtv2_651.png

Portrayed By: Melissa Ponzio

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Seasons 3-4)

Karen is citizen of Woodbury. She is a friend of Andrea and joins the militia during the conflict with Rick's group, which she joins after realizing the Governor is evil. She enters into a relationship with Tyreese at the prison, but when she comes down with a plague, Carol kills her to try to prevent the spread of the disease. Tyreese is horrified by her death, and it ultimately leads to some serious drama between him and Carol for the remainder of the season.


  • Action Girl: She was a guard at Woodbury, and her main job at the prison appears to be leading the killing of walkers that gather along the fences.
  • Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Appears very composed and reserved.
  • Canon Foreigner: She never appeared in the comics.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: Initially appearing as nothing more than Andrea's friend, she had a very important role in the Season 3 finale. Specifically, she became the Sole Survivor of the Woodbury militia after The Governor slaughtered them, and ultimately encourages Tyreese, Sasha and the remaining Woodbury people to side with the prison group.
  • Contamination Situation: When she begins showing signs of having the disease which killed two other inhabitants of the prison in less than a day, Karen is isolated along David for showing symptoms in one of the cells in the prisons lower level. She and David are then murdered and burned by Carol, likely to stop the disease from spreading further.
  • Faking the Dead: How she manages to escape from The Governor's massacre of his own militia.
  • Heel–Face Turn: She's wasn't evil, just being tricked by the Governor, which she realizes after he massacres the rest of the Woodbury Militia and she survives by playing dead. Afterward, Karen joins Rick's group.
  • Killed Offscreen: Courtesy of Carol.
  • Love Interest: For Tyreese, with the two of them become a couple in the Time Skip between Season 3 and 4.
  • Mauve Shirt: Despite getting characterization in Season 4, she is still one of the season's first casualties.
  • Playing Possum: She manages to escape the Governor's massacre of the other members of the Woodbury militia by hiding under a dead body. Luckily for her, the Governor ran out of bullets before shooting the corpse she was hiding under.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: She is one of the Woodbury residents that attempts to leave after Rick's second attack on Woodbury. She ends up joining the militia instead after Andrea convinces everyone to stay. She joins the rest of the militia in trying to go back to Woodbury after the failed attack on the Prison, and ends up being the only survivor by hiding under a dead body and because the Governor runs out of bullets while dead checking his victims.
  • Sole Survivor: She's the last remaining member of the Woodbury Militia after they're slaughtered by the Governor.
  • Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: She survives the Woodbury assault and a very brutal massacre in Season 3 only to be Killed Offscreen in the second episode of the following season.

    Haley 

Haley

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/haley_twdtv_4124.png

Portrayed By: Alexa Nikolas

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Season 3)

"Yeah this bow, this bow was worth more than my car. Had to kill my dad to get it..."

Haley is a member of the Woodbury militia, acting as a guard on the town's wall. She befriends Andrea after her arrival in Woodbury. She is shot by Maggie during the mission to rescue Daryl.


  • Canon Foreigner: Never appeared in the comics.
  • Character Death: Shot by Maggie when Daryl is rescued by the group.
  • Faux Action Girl: Talks a big game, but misses two very easy shots at one single walker.
  • Informed Ability: Her supposed Olympic level archery skills are not impressive. The one time she uses her bow, she misses a slow moving Walker twice.
  • Mook: In the Woodbury militia.
  • Shorttank: Right down to her outfit.
  • Staking the Loved One: Had to kill her father and brother after they turned.

    Tim 

Tim

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TimTWDTV_6492.png

Portrayed By: Lawrence Kao

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Season 3)

Tim is a member of Woodbury's militia who also acts as a referee for Woodbury's gladiator ring.


    Crowley 

Crowley

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/CrowlyTWDTV_6785.png

Portrayed By: Arthur Bridgers

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Season 3)

Crowley is a member of the Woodbury militia.


    Gargulio 

Gargulio

Portrayed By: Dave Randolph-Mayhem Davis

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Season 3)

A newly-initiated member of the Woodbury militia.


    Paul 

Paul

Portrayed By: E. Roger Mitchell

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Season 3)

Paul is a citizen of Woodbury who joins the militia.


  • Black Dude Dies First: While not the first person to die in the episode "Welcome To The Tombs", he is the first one of the Woodbury militia to get gunned down by the Governor when he slaughters his army for wanting to go home rather than return to the prison.
  • Canon Foreigner: He never appeared in the comics.
  • One-Steve Limit: Averted. He shares the same first name as the Hilltop Colony survivor Paul "Jesus" Rovia.
  • Red Shirt: He doesn't stick around long, getting gunned down by the Governor when he massacres the Woodbury Militia.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He is one of the Woodbury residents that attempts to leave after Rick's second attack. He ends up joining the militia instead, but after the failed attack on the prison, he attempts to leave with the rest of the militia and go back to Woodbury. He ends up being the first one gunned down by the Governor for this.

Other Residents

    Dr. Stevens 

Dr. Stevens

Portrayed By: Donzaleigh Abernathy

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Season 3)

Stevens is Woodbury's doctor.


  • Decomposite Character: Comic Stevens' role and characterization are given to Milton on the show, and also Dr. Edwards at Grady Memorial.
  • Demoted to Extra: Stevens played a vital role in the Woodbury arc in the comics, but only had a couple of scenes with a few lines on the show.
  • Gender Flip: A male in the comics.
  • The Medic: She is apparently Woodbury's only doctor.
  • Race Lift: Caucasian in the comics.
  • Spared by the Adaptation: She survives past the point where her comic counterpart died, though it doesn't do much good for her in the end when she's likely killed off-screen during the Governor's massacre of the Woodbury Militia.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: Disappears after the first half of Season 3, with only a few mentions of treating someone off-screen. It is possible she was among the people murdered by the Governor after the failed attack on the Prison.

    Rowan 

Rowan

Portrayed By: Lindsay Abernathy

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Season 3)

Rowan is a citizen of Woodbury who is in a relationship with the Governor. She shows Andrea and Michonne around Woodbury after they arrive.


    Eileen 

Eileen

Portrayed By: Meaghan Caddy

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Season 3)

Eileen is a pregnant citizen of Woodbury. She gave birth shortly before the final raid on the prison.


    Mr. Coleman 

Michael Coleman

Portrayed By: Peter Kulas

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Season 3)

Michael Coleman is a terminally ill resident of Woodbury who volunteers to participate in one of Milton's experiments.


  • And Then John Was a Zombie: He reanimates and tries to bite Milton, only to be put down by Andrea.
  • Cruel and Unusual Death: Averted, which is notable on The Walking Dead. He dies peacefully in his sleep.
  • Face Death with Dignity: Volunteers himself to be part of Milton's experiments and try to make his death worth something.
  • Happily Married: To his wife, Betty.
  • It Can Think: This is the point of Milton's experiment, though it ultimately fails.
  • Odd Friendship: With Milton.
  • One-Shot Character: Only appears in "When the Dead Come Knocking."
  • Sacrificial Lamb: He's a grim reminder that people with serious sicknesses like cancer won't last long into the apocalypse, and The Governor seems to genuinely lament that they don't have the resources to save him.

Alternative Title(s): The Walking Dead TV Show Woodbury Survivors, The Walking Dead TV Show Woodbury

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