Gavin

Head of the Chemical Plant Outpost (Former)

### Cause of Death

Stabbed through the nape with a fighting stick by Henry (Alive)Stabbed in the head by Carol Peletier (Before Reanimation)

### Ethnicity

Caucasian-American

> "*You try, and you try, and you try, and you hope, and you hope, and you hope. Just wantin' things to finally just settle. Achieve some goddamn, hard-fought equilibrium. But, no. It always comes down to this. It always has to get dark and ugly and inhuman.*"
> ― Gavin to Ezekiel
>
>

**Gavin**is an antagonist in AMC's *The Walking Dead.*He is a high-ranking member of the Saviors and one of Negan's  outpost leaders.

## Personality

Although an antagonist, Gavin is extremely collected and level-headed for a Savior. He can be ruthless when necessary, but is more inclined to be diplomatic than his peers. He specifically chose the Kingdom's tribute route because it causes him little stress, and prefers to avoid any inconveniences if he can help it. He is always punctual, and can even treat other groups like the Kingdom with deceny and even respect.

Gavin is reluctant when ordering ultimatums, preferring to give chances. Unlike most other Saviors, he is also upfront with his retribution, preferring to make it clear who will be punished, rather than selecting someone at random. Due to his demeanor and tendency to avoid unnecessary stress, it is likely that Gavin became a Savior for an easier life, lacking the thuggish and sadistic traits of his peers.

Although a Savior by trade, Gavin has not completely abandoned his humanity. He reacts angrily when a teenager, Benjamin, had been killed as a lesson to the Kingdom and showed legimitate concern on the boy's health when unaware of his death. This death made Gavin feel genuinely upset and he is also quite intelligent. When invading the Kingdom, Gavin expresses remorse and is conflicted over taking complete control. He also claims he swallows things like Benjamin's death as it keeps others from dying.

## Biography

### Pre-Apocalypse

Nothing is known about Gavin's life prior or as the outbreak began. He may have lived in or around the Washington D.C. area and worked as a construction foreman before the apocalypse.

### Post-Apocalypse

At some point after the outbreak, Gavin joined the Saviors. Likely due to his loyalty or leadership capability, Negan  appointed him as one of his lieutenants. At some point, Gavin was put in charge of overseeing the collection of weekly tributes from a community known as the Kingdom. Gavin ensures that the Saviors and the Kingdom conduct these supply exchanges secretly, as per a deal where the Kingdom is not directly subjugated, leaving the majority of the inhabitants oblivious to the Saviors' hegemonic influence.

#### Season 7

##### The Well

    Gavin is the leader of a small group of Saviors in charge of collecting weekly from the Kingdom. He and his men meet in an abandoned parking lot and was pleased to receive eight pig corpses to bring back to the Sanctuary. Unlike most Saviors, he seems to be more courteous and reasonable man than most. He appears to have some sort of respect for Ezekiel as he orders one of his Saviors, Jared, to stop attacking Richard, reminding him how good Ezekiel has been to them, but remains firm as he states Richard will be the first one killed next week if there is not enough produce for that week's offering.

##### New Best Friends

Gavin, Jared and his group of Saviors arrives at the pickup location for the Saviors' collections. Gavin comments that

    the drop looks light, but Ezekiel tells him they met their obligations and Gavin agrees. Jared says that he wants Richard's gun and the two men face off. Ezekiel tells Richard to hand over his gun, which he reluctantly does. When Jared lunges at Richard, Morgan Jones strikes him with his staff. Jared seizes the staff and hits Morgan with it, so Benjamin strikes Jared and sends him to the floor. Ezekiel bans Richard from attending future exchanges, but Gavin stops him and tells him to keep bringing Richard, and he will keep his word to kill him if he doesn't control his temper and as the Saviors prepare to leave, Morgan asks for his staff back but Jared leaves with it.

##### Bury Me Here

Gavin is present for the exchange with Jared and his fellow Saviors, waiting for the Kingdommers to show up. He is unimpressed that Ezekiel is late and dismisses his excuses. After two tense meetings, Gavin clearly has no taste for any shenanigans, making it clear that he dislikes stress. Upon seeing that there wasn't enough food, he requests the Kingdom's guns. At first, they all point their guns at each other but, realizing that this could end up being a bloodbath, the Kingdommers pull back. They give Gavin and his men all their guns. When Gavin confirms that there isn't enough produce there, eleven instead of twelve cantaloupe, he orders for someone to be shot. Jared feigns to kill Richard, but shoots Benjamin in the leg instead; upon seeing who is shot, Gavin angrily reprimands Jared and orders him to return Morgan' staff. As Benjamin starts bleeding out, the Saviors offer one more chance, allowing the Kingdom another day

    to supply drop in the final cantaloupe. They leave the Kingdommers to tend to Benjamin.

The next day, Gavin and the other Saviors return for the twelfth cantaloupe that was missing from the previous exchange. After Gavin learns that Benjamin has died, he becomes upset and furiously orders Jared to start walking back to their outpost without saying a word or doing anything to spark another issue, threatening to kill him if he did so. Jared complies and walks away from the exchange, appearing to be embarrassed at his superior's commands. After his men receive the missing cantaloupe, Gavin witnesses Morgan attacking and strangling Richard to death, but Gavin allows him as he wanted Richard to die, so he has his Saviors aim guns at Ezekiel and his men to stop him from interfering. Morgan then exposes Richard's plan about how he made them late for the exchange and the missing cantaloupe that got Benjamin killed, because he wanted a war with the Saviors. He then stands up from Richard's lifeless corpse and assures Gavin that they understand, and the Kingdom will honor their relationship going forward. Gavin is pleased to hear this, and he and his men leave without any further trouble.

#### Season 8

##### Mercy

    Gavin is seen among the rest of Negan's top lieutenants at the Sanctuary as Rick Grimes and the Militia attempted to convince them to surrender. He tried to tell Rick to calm himself, but Rick refused. After Rick took the first shot at Negan, Gavin quickly dove for cover and retreated inside. The fence is blown apart and a herd of walkers is led inside, surrounding the Sanctuary.

##### The Big Scary U

Gavin is present at a crisis meeting with Negan, Simon, Dwight, Eugene Porter and Regina concerning the rebellion at Alexandria. The meeting is interrupted by gunfire from coming outside and they step out, and Gavin is disturbed upon seeing the Militia. The events of Mercy then take place.

The lieutenants have a debate about what to do about their current predicament. Gavin claims it's useless to get someone past the herd and suggests they deal with the problem inside; pointing out that there's a traitor among them, because it can't be a coincidence that the Militia attacked when they as the outpost heads were gathered, so someone must have snitched. Later he deduces that the outposts are being hit, because a delivery from his place had not yet arrived and he insists that the deliveries from his outpost are not late. The meeting is interrupted by Laura who comes in and says the workers are coming up the stairs. The lieutenants exit the room and find the corridor full of workers who start making a bunch of demands. One worker pulls out a gun to shoot Simon, Gavin immediately warns them and witnesses Regina shoot the worker dead. They then hear whistling and everyone kneels as they knows that it is Negan. Gavin is later present as Laura, Arat and Gary inform them that a Savior took weapons from the armory and armed the workers.

##### How It's Gotta Be

Gavin and his men arrive at the Kingdom, setting off explosions and sending everyone into a panic. After everyone is rounded up, he demands that they bring forth King Ezekiel, who he knows is alive as he was not among the dead Kingdommers at his outpost. Seeing that no one will turn their king in, Gavin unwillingly begins to blurt out numerous threats to scare the people into handing over Ezekiel, though that fails as well. As Gavin stands atop the back of a

    truck, ranting on about how he's going to turn the situation into something "traumatic" if Ezekiel isn't brought before him, Ezekiel sets off explosions as a distraction and rams a school bus into the truck Gavin was standing on top of, knocking him off.

Ezekiel then hops off and allows his people to get away while Gavin pursues him. After Ezekiel willingly locked himself inside the Kingdom, Gavin tells him that he didn't want this to happen and that he actually liked him, nearly apologizing and feeling great remorse for Benjamin's death. He then orders his men to take Ezekiel hostage and break his arms if he tries anything, unaware that Morgan was listening on the other side of the wall.

##### Honor

Gavin is seen guarding Ezekiel in the aftermath of the Kingdom assault. Gavin tells Ezekiel that Negan is going to execute him but Ezekiel says he brought freedom to his people, not caring what happens to him. Gavin insists it matters and he liked Ezekiel. Ezekiel understood the world and the terms but now that's all gone thanks to Rick. Ezekiel urges Gavin to join Rick's side before it's too late for him. Gavin barks out orders to his men, but Ezekiel challenges his authority.

A Savior loads Gavin's truck and Gavin insists they leave some room for Ezekiel. Gavin tries to explain himself to Ezekiel and he wasn't hoping for this and doesn't like it. Ezekiel promises it is not late to change something already decided, but Gavin says Ezekiel did just that and it got him here. He radios for other men but gets no response. Gavin tries to contact three of his men via walkie talkie but gets no response. He hears gunfire in the distance and retreats to the auditorium with Ezekiel and his remaining men.

In the theater, Ezekiel is punched by Gavin, who insists it is too late. Ezekiel insists he was once saving Gavin's life, but he is no longer doing that. An explosion rings out from a side door and the Saviors fire at it. Gavin orders them to stop. Carol Peletier and Morgan kick down scenery on the stage and kill Gavin's men. Gavin is shot in the leg and

    manages to escape when he witnesses Morgan disembowel a Savior, but Morgan chases after him. He finds Gavin hiding in a shed and shoves Gavin to the floor. Gavin begs for Morgan to spare his life and insists that they can't beat Negan. Ezekiel and Carol urge Morgan to spare Gavin. Morgan is overwhelmed and tears up, and when he is about to kill him, a fighting stick pierces Gavin's throat, killing him and Henry is revealed to be the killer. Carol later stabs Gavin through the head to prevent reanimation.

##### Do Not Send Us Astray

    Gavin appears as a hallucination carrying a fighting stick similar to Morgan's and with blood coming from the wound on his nape that killed him. He angrily taunts Morgan, saying that he was supposed to be the one to kill him. Morgan then attempts to attack his hallucination, but he vanishes. Gavin's hallucination continues to haunt Morgan through the following events.

## Killed Victims

* Numerous counts of zombies and unnamed people

## Relationships

### Negan

> "*You think you can't beat Negan. You can't.*"
> ― Gavin to Morgan
>
>

Although they have not interacted much, Gavin and Negan seem to have a steady relationship. It is clear that Gavin is loyal to Negan by his attempt that there is a traitor in the Savior ranks. Gavin also kneels without hesitation when Negan returns to the Sanctuary. Despite this, Gavin's loyalty is implied to be mostly out of fear, as he mentions the "penalty of the bat", referring to Lucille, and truly believes that there is no sense in going against Negan, due to the sheer number of his forces and resources. In the face of death, Gavin affirmed his loyalty to Negan by defiantly telling Morgan that they can't beat him, and they should try to return how things were. Negan's reaction to Gavin's death is yet to be seen.

### Jared

> "*You say one word or throw one look, I'll kill you right here and now. Go!*"
> ― Gavin threatening Jared to walk back to the outpost
>
>

Gavin and Jared's relationship have a very poor relationship. Gavin is displeased with Jared's bullying of King Ezekiel and his men, calling him an idiot and on multiple occasions asking him to stop. Gavin is furious when Jared kills Benjamin and banishes to their outpost, threatening to kill him if he answers back. Jared never learned of Gavin's death before ultimately suffering his own demise.

### Ezekiel

> "*You ask Ezekiel, I kept my word!*"
> ― Gavin to Morgan about the deal he and Ezekiel honored
>
>

Gavin and Ezekiel seem to have a steady relationship despite the Saviors' subjugation of the Kingdom. Gavin comments that Ezekiel has to been good to the Saviors and also keeps his men from attacking Ezekiel's people because of their deal, unlike other Savior Lieutenants. He showed annoyance when Ezekiel arrived late to their exchange and when Ezekiel was light on the drop he demanded the weapons from the Kingdom. Gavin seems unimpressed by Ezekiel's title as King. Their relationship detoriated after war broke out, but, Gavin insists that he still liked Ezekiel and that he was remorseful for Benjamin's death. Ezekiel was shocked when Henry killed Gavin.

### Richard

> "*He's gonna have to go first.*"
> ― Gavin wants Richard to be the first person killed if there are more problems
>
>

Although not interacted much, Gavin and Richard seem to have a poor relationship as a result of Richard's disdain for the deal with the Saviors and his hostility towards them. Gavin remarks that Richard will be the first to die if the Kingdom is light on the drop. Gavin also doesn't intervene when Morgan kills Richard and has his men stop Ezekiel and his people from intervening, showing he wanted Richard to die.

### Morgan Jones

> "*You're sick! Only a sick man would do it like this.*"
> ― Gavin to Morgan
>
>

Gavin and Morgan have a poor relationship, it is made worse when Jared killed Benjamin. Gavin also appears scared of Morgan after he kills Richard and recoils when Morgan approaches him. Though later, once Gavin captures Ezekiel, Morgan overheard him apologizing for Benjamin's death, saying that he liked the kid and did not want him to be killed, though this continued show of remorse did not lessen Morgan's hatred of Gavin. After Gavin takes Ezekiel hostage, Morgan and Carol Peletier set out to save him, which they do by killing all of Gavin's Saviors and Gavin is shot in the leg and was horrified upon witnessing Morgan kill one of his men by pulling his intestines out of his bullet wound. He tries to escape and hide but Morgan eventually hunts him down. As Morgan prepares to kill Gavin, he is stabbed through the nape by Henry, Morgan is shocked by this.

## Quotes

* "You think you can beat Negan. You can't."
* "I felt bad about the kid too. I don't want that, you know that! And now...now more people are gonna die. Sometimes you just gotta swallow it! I do."
* "I need you to understand the gravity of what's happening here. I gave you a choice, what is it going to be?"
* "You think we could take a timeout here?"
* "Someone in here, made everything out there happen! We're having our little crisis meeting about the rebellion in Alexandria, us three outpost heads, that's when they pile this crap on us? That's when they cut us off!? Come on. They knows all and see's all. Sometimes it doesn't take a gun. The right kind of rat can kill plenty of people with just some talk."
* "You know what it is!"
* "You were suppose to!"
* "Here I was worried we were early."
* "Yes, indeed you do and you will."
* "We appreciate your hospitality. Lucky for us, we brought two trucks. How about you...help us load 'em up."
* "Alright, Jared! Man said stop. He's been good to us, we've taken up more than enough of his time."
* "Same time next week, Ezekiel. Alright, it's produce week so...produce. You got the list, not one bit less. Otherwise, you know...he's gonna have to go first."
* "It's possible, it's real...it's happening now. And the problems have to end. Now, you have to learn the stakes here. So, were gonna teach you."
* "Right now is the only time that matters and right now...you haven't held up your side of the bargain. After we have talked about things over and over again and again. So were gonna deal with all of this. Right now."
* "Get the man his damn stick, get in the truck, don't say a goddamn word!"
* "No, right now you have to listen. For once: be present and listen, you will make your deliveries on time every time and they will be complete. It's As or Fs. Not Is. You are gonna show me that you understand by bringing the balance of what you owe tomorrow. One cantalope. Not more! Not less! Do you understand!?"
* "How's the kid? He's dead. Start walking back now before I kill you. You say one word or throw one look, I'll kill you right here and now. Go!"
* "You're sick! Only a sick man would do it like this. You think I wanted this? There weren't a lot on the menu. I ran a good crew. I kept my word. You ask Ezekiel, I kept my word! You can go back to the Hilltop, they're still standing, they're keeping 'em going. Just turn around. You think you can beat Negan? You can't. But you can go back to how it was. We can go back!"
* "We end this, whatever the hell it is!"
* "I gotta settle this shit over the penalty of that goddamn bat!"
* "Shut up about that, okay? This is it! It is too late. I'm the author, your the dead man! And that's how it's gotta be. Think I can be someone else? This is who I am! I live, you die! This is what this is."
* "Jesus!"
* "What are you looking at me for!? Go!"
* "Stand down, idiot."
* "No, no, Ezekiel. You gotta keep bringing him. If this doesn't stop, if this starts becoming a real problem, you remember what I said. He is still betting first on the line, I almost did it myself just now. Jared, get the hell up."
* "Ezekiel, there aren't any kings, presidents or prime ministers. And all that is a fairy tale, too. Don't bring that Your Highness shit our way."
* "Even if we get a few of ours out and somehow clear the crowd, they have snipers all around the building. So right now, let's deal with the other part. Someone in here made everything out there happen. We're having our little crisis management meeting about the rebellion in Alexandria, us three outpost heads and thats when they pile this crap on us? Thats when they cut us off? Come on, they knows all and sees all. Sometimes it doesn't take a gun, the right kind of rat can kill plenty of people with just some talk."

## Trivia

* Gavin is the first high ranked Savior to be killed during the war, as well as the first outpost leader to die and the first member of Negan's council to die.
* Gavin's death holds similarities to Jody's in "Welcome to my Tombs". Both deaths were of a surrendering enemy character, both were killed by a child character and the death signified a darker turn for their killer. The only difference is that while Jody did nothing to Carl, Gavin was partially responsible for the death of Benjamin, Henry's brother.
* In BMNY interview, Gavin's actor, Jayson Warner Smith, confirmed that Gavin's job before the apocalypse was a construction foreman.