Andrew Lincoln

The Governor has arrived!

The third season of The Walking Dead will feature the introduction of one of the most formidable villains on the AMC series: The Governor (David Morrissey), a character from Robert Kirkman's graphic novels who is the vicious leader of Woodbury, a small settlement of survivors. TVGuide.com has the exclusive first look at The Governor, who also becomes one of Rick's (Andrew Lincoln) greatest foes in the comic series.

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"Seeing The Walking Dead come to life on AMC has been a real thrill for me, obviously, and moving into Season 3 I'm even more excited than ever because now I feel like we're really getting to 'the good stuff,'" Kirkman tells TVGuide.com. "Having The Governor in the mix is going to fundamentally change the show in all kinds of awesome and exiting ways. And David Morrissey totally rocks!"

For those worried that AMC might be a diluted version of the villain who went on to take something, ahem, very important away from Rick in the comics, fear not! "The Governor in the show is definitely going to be The Governor in the comic," Kirkman told us following the Season 2 finale. "I think that he's definitely going to be a character that people love to hate and are absolutely entertained by, but also somewhat terrified of. He's definitely going to be a very important character and a very nuanced character. We are not going to be watering him down."

Are you excited for the introduction of The Governor?