| “ | Things were orderly, the fences held, people were protected, food supplies were lasting. Then one of the men inside got bit, not sure how. He went haywire, panic swept through the camp. Someone opened the gate to escape, others were bitten and infected. These people went crazy. The whole place went to hell in a few hours. My team grabbed whatever supplies and vehicles we could abandoned our post.
―Welles to the Governor about his people and base.[src]
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Welles, also referred to as Wellesy, is a military pilot and lieutenant for the National Guard service, first introduced in the third season of AMC's The Walking Dead. He is first seen piloting a helicopter with two other National Guard soldiers in "Walk With Me".
Pre-Apocalypse
Location Unknown
Little is known of Welles' life before or as the outbreak began. He was in the U.S. Military and was also a National Guard. He also possibly piloted during foreign conflicts.
Post-Apocalypse
Unnamed Refugee Center
Sometime after the initial outbreak, Welles, among other National Guardsmen, was stationed at a fortified refugee center to help protect those inside. Days before the events of the episode "Walk With Me", one National Guardsman was bitten by a walker inside the encampment. Panicked individuals opened one of the gates to escape, allowing walkers to overrun the encampment. Welles and ten other National Guardsmen, among them being Sean, Franklin, Wilson, and Brady, escaped the chaos and traveled for about sixty miles before they were blocked by a jammed highway (which may have been the same highway that prevented Rick's group from reaching Fort Benning and detoured them to Hershel's Farm). Welles, Sean, and Franklin then took their helicopter out to scope the landscape ahead.
Season 3
"Walk With Me"
Welles is first seen piloting a helicopter, with Sean and Franklin also on-board. During mid-flight, he loses control of the helicopter and it crashes, killing his two passengers and severely wounding him. The Governor arrives at the scene and, with his crew, drags him out of the wreckage and brings him, along with Andrea and Michonne, to Woodbury. He is then placed in a hospital bed and put into the care of Dr. Stevens, while The Governor questions him about where he came from and where his group is located. Welles informs The Governor about the events surrounding the overrun encampment, his convoy, and the helicopter crash. Welles reveals to The Governor the location of his convoy after being assured by The Governor that they would be rescued and brought to Woodbury, but is betrayed and later killed, with his decapitated zombified head being placed in one of The Governor's fish tanks, along with several other peoples' decapitated heads.
"Killer Within"
Welles is mentioned by The Governor, notifying Michonne that Welles didn't survive his injuries. He lies to her by saying that Dr. Stevens attempted but failed to revive him, so Merle Dixon shot him in the head, and they later cremated him. Michonne questions why no funeral was arranged for Welles, to which The Governor replies that the Woodbury residents have already been through a lot emotionally, and "thank[s] God" that nobody knew him.
"Made to Suffer"
Welles is amongst the heads that Michonne discovers in The Governor's fish tanks. Noticing the zombified Welles, Michonne realizes what kind of man the Governor is. Later, Andrea notices the fish tanks, though it is unknown whether or not she notices that the head of Welles is part of the collection.
Death
Killed By
- Helicopter Crash (Caused)
Lieutenant Welles was found after the helicopter he was piloting crashed into the woods.
- The Governor (Direct/Caused)
A Woodbury search group discovered the wreckage, and found Welles alive, but severely wounded. They took him back to Woodbury, put him on machines to help him live, and interrogated him.
- Possibly a Woodbury Soldier (Direct)
He was then killed, and had his decapitated zombified head placed into one of the Governor's zombie fish tanks. It is unclear who killed Welles and whether his decapitation was what killed him or was done post-mortem.
Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Welles has killed:
- Possibly numerous counts of zombies.
Relationships
Brady
After the helicopter crashed, Welles told the Governor where Brady and the other National Guards men were, hoping that the Governor would bring them back safely to Woodbury. After finding Brady and the rest of the men, Brad was overjoyed when he found out Welles had survived indicating they at least cared about each other's safety. This relationship could not be developed any further as Brady was shot and killed and Welles was decapitated.
Appearances
TV Series
Season 3
- "Walk With Me"
- "Made to Suffer" (Zombified)
Trivia
- This character is incorrectly credited as Sgt. Welles on the AMC website for "Walk With Me", despite being referred to as a lieutenant in the episode.
- Lieutenant Welles is one of the many amputees in The Walking Dead. For other victims, see Amputated Victims.
- Welles managed to have his head decapitated by The Governor and placed in a fish tank.
- In the novel "The Fall of The Governor" a military pilot named Mike appears, which fate is similar to Lieutenant Welles' fate.
- The fate of Welles remains unknown due to Woodbury getting burned down in Live Bait.
- Welles is one of the few characters only known by his last name.