The Walking Dead: 9 Comic Book Moments The TV Show Totally Butchered
7. Michonne's Rivalry With The Governor
The rivalry between Michonne and The Governor is one of the most radically altered comic book plots the TV show ever implemented. In the AMC series, Michonne takes a disliking to the series' villain almost immediately and without any real cause, deciding to ditch him and his Woodbury clan more on a gut-feeling than anything else.
However the character's motivations for hating The Governor are more than justified in the comic book. Here, a storyline saw Michonne tortured by the leader of Woodbury, sexually assaulted and held hostage for days in a secret room in the town. As a result, when Michonne finally breaks free and gets her own back later on down the line, it feels like pure, satisfying revenge as she mutilates and disfigures her former captor before leaving him for dead.
While the show still features the eventual confrontation - and the mid-season finale of season 3 where The Governor and Michonne finally reunite is surprisingly well-executed - it just didn't come with the same sense of anticipation. Although the two fight to the death in an intense scene that still leaves the leader of Woodbury disfigured, the set-piece lacks the narrative context and brutality that made the original so shocking. Whilst still suspenseful and exciting, it completely lacks the emotional core of its comic book counterpart.