Origin
Walter was created by the Interglobal Hardware Company along with his evil brother Gus. Walter went from the manufacturing line into the service of Judge Dredd, as his manservant. The character developed a speech impediment due to intense stress during the first Robot War.
Creation
Walter the Wobot was created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra in 1977, first appearing in the 10th issue of anthology comic 2000AD during the Robot Wars arc.
Major Story Arcs
First Robot War
Walter is introduced during the first Robot War as a meek drinks dispenser eager to please his human masters. During the story the robots of Mega-City One rebel under their leader, Call Me Kenneth.
Dredd is captured and brought back to the base of the rebel robots, a huge factory. Call Me Kenneth plans to manufacture thousands of robots loyal to him to take over the Mega-City One.
Walter however stays loyal to Dredd, freeing him from his cell, and providing him with the original loyalty program which was previously built into every robot.
With Walter’s help Dredd manages to reprogram all of the new robots as they come off the production line, and they come to the Judge’s aid, destroying many of the rebel robots in the process.
For his actions during the war, Walter is made a free robot, a citizen of Mega-City One, with all the rights of a human. Even so he chooses to stay as Dredd’s servant, as he idolizes him.
Owning His own Business
Dredd eventually loses interest in Walter, and sends him away. Walter, dejected, and purposeless wanders the streets of Mega-City One on a “downward spiral to the scrapheap”
However the catastrophic events of Necropolis change all of this. Due to the large numbers of dead citizens, the streets of Mega-city One are rife with robots who no longer have masters, and because of Walter’s status as a free citizen he is able to take property of every robot he finds as lost property.
Walter starts his own used robot business, and is incredibly successful.
After some time Judge Dredd and Walter’s paths cross again, Dredd is working on a multiple murder case and discovers that some of the robots that Walter has been handling have had hidden programing in them which causes them to murder, Walter his held liable and is sued and run out of business.
Turn to Crime
After constant rejection at the hands of Judge Dredd, and the loss of his business Walter comes to the conclusion that he was wrong to help the humans against Call Me Kenneth, and starts his own rebellion.
Walter’s robot rebellion does not last long before discovery, and there is a heated battle between his followers and Judge Dredd and the then still Cadet Giant Jr.
After the battle is finished Walter’s followers have been destroyed, but Walter himself has managed to get the drop on Judge Dredd, and has shot him through the shoulder. About to finish off Judge Dredd, Judge Giant turns up at the last second, and shoots Walter to pieces.
Due to Walter’s status as a free citizen he cannot be sent to the scrapheap like his other followers, instead having to be rebuilt and sent to prison to serve his time, 30 years.
Rehabilitation
Only 5 years into his prison sentence Walter manages to escape from his jail after it has been compromised during Nero Narcos’ attack on Mega-City One.
Walter returns to his and Dredd’s old apartment to wait for Dredd and turn himself in, when Dredd eventually finds him Walter asks to be reprogrammed and given a second chance.
In a rare showing of compassion Dredd agrees with this, on the terms that Walter will go to work for an old lady named Mrs Gunderson, a trouble magnet, as his probation.