V for Vendetta -- Red Herring in a Fancy Mask

   

Introduction

      James McTeigue's 2006 dystopian action drama V for Vendetta is an adaptation of the graphic novel written by Alan Moore and David Lloyd published in 1988-89. Alan Moore, best known for his other works like Watchmen (1986-87), often writes stories critiquing authoritarianism, nationalism, and fascism. None of his other works exemplify this more than V for Vendetta. The plot follows a young girl named Evey Hammond in a fascist-police-state London. Her parents, former radical activists, perished years before the events at the hands of the Norsefire lead government. She soon becomes closely intertwined in the antics of a masked anarchist named V. Together, the two of them work to eliminate key figures in the authoritarian regime and dismantle the system of oppression that has held England hostage. This is an incredibly dense movie riddled with nuance and referece to our own world. Even the language used in propaganda mirrors that of fascist governments in the past! Ultimately, the film uses this inspiration to draw parallels of the past to present day society, warning contemporary watchers of the ever present threat of fascism, and how quickly it can spread through means like aesthetics, media, and legislation.

Nazi or Not?

     As I mentioned previously, V for Vendetta takes much inspiration from fascist aesthetics in crafting the world for this movie; the Nazi party of 20th century Germany used aesthetics as a foundation to metastasize their ideology throughout Europe and beyond. From the late 1920's and beyond, Nazi propagandist Joeseph Goebbels placed emphasis on an orderly, brutalist, and militaristic look to be portrayed to the rest of the world. They even had the help of many noteworthy fashion designers - namely Coco Chanel, Cristobal Balenciaga, and many more to aid in the development of Nazi aesthetics. The Norsefire party invokes many of the same fashions previously mentioned. After V blows up the Old Bailey, the viewer is first introduced to the key figures of  the government. They gather in a large black room lined with party iconography. The style matches the exact approach this government has to their policy, much like the Nazis. The long black trenchcoats, emphasis on party colors, and later on, public speeches showing force and power to all of the countries denizens. Of course, in both V for Vendetta and the real life Nazi party, these were little more than instances of feigned power. For when V makes his grand embarrassment of the Norsefire party, it becomes evident just how fragile the regime really is. The Norsefire party maintains power through fear. And when the general populace realizes they are not alone in their disdain for the government, the entire structure crumbles. There is nothing this fascist government can do to stop the will of the people.

Fiction or Foreshadowing?

    A big portion of this movie focuses on the public's complicity in the government's tyrannical actions both on and offscreen. This is mainly due to the propaganda littered throughout daily life for each citizen. There is a very famous poster that appears in the opening scene of the movie(left). The ideas presented, paired with the often religious iconography are used to spread the Norsefire's hateful rhetoric. This "unity" is only conjured by force, with "faith" being the rationalization. This mirrors many of the ideas presented in our country today! There are many politicians, bureaucrats, and members of the public that use Christianity to spread bigotry and vitriol that inevitably always spreads to real legislation. Within the past week -- as of writing this -- the president has openly signaled that he is not opposed to the political persecution and detainment of ideological enemies of the state. This is a direct throughline to the fascism seen in the movie. The Norsefire's very own party icon is eerily similar to the cross that so many United States politicians cling to in order to justify hatred and persecution of others.

    The media coverage surrounding V throughout the movie bears eerily similar to coverage of "radical" groups in present day America. While V is radical in his methods (mass political violence), it seems that the Norsefire lead media latches moreso onto made up narratives than reality. Shortly after he takes over a broadcast, an anchor is seen on the news accusing V of using weapons agains "unarmed civilians", when in fact this never happened. Though this movie was shot many years before this, it resembled the coverage surrounding the Los Angeles protests of this past summer. Many videos came out around that time of police firing rubber bullets and tear gas into unarmed crowds, only for sites like Fox News to claim the protesters instigated the violence. The protesters, in fact, did not instigate the violence.

Man or Messiah?

    V is consistently mythologized throughout the film, begging the question of whether he is a man, or something greater. A force of change; something more than flesh, capable of rending conditions and institutions in service of change. Ultimately, he is both! Towards the finale of the movie, V says in his final moments, "Beneath this mask, there is an idea... and ideas are bulletproof!" His ideas live on in this messianic manner, even after he dies. And dies he does! V is just a man, no more no less, he dies by gunshot wound like any other would. He mirrors many other martyrs throughout human history: Joan of Arc, Martin Luther King Jr, Gandhi. The body dies and decays, yet the hope remains. There is reason for this presentation, as stated before, fascism is a feeble yet imposing machine. It takes one idea to make the whole collapse, which is what we wind up seeing in the closing scene of the movie. The citizens of London rejoicing at their newfound rebellious spirit in the face of a system that has made fear a function of their everyday lives.

    Another aspect of V's infectious sense of anarchy and change comes from his presentation of such. The mask -- though gendered to be male -- offers a veil, one which allows anyone to fill the shoes of V. We see people of all backgrounds take off their masks in V's final act of revolution; his message resonated with everyone, regardless of identity. 

Final Thoughts

    V for Vendetta is a movie with many key takeaways, this blog only covers the proposed threat of fascism in our near future, and how it calls on the past to illuminate such. We are beginning to live in a scary time, like it or not, and the spirit of rebellion is one that should remain in the hearts of anyone who opposes oppression. The film closes on a frankly rejoiceful note, one filled with optimism and hope for the human spirit. The Norsefire's ideology is a plague, just as the Nazi party's, or any other fascist institution that relies on hate, racism, or xenophobia to thrive. We should all take the parallels in this film as a warning of what comes when we let them take root.

Works Cited:

Mavrody, Nika. “#TBT? Five Big-Name Fashion Designers Who Had Ties to the Nazis.” theFashionSpot, 1 May 2014, www.thefashionspot.com/fashion-news/401637-tbt-5-famous-fashion-designers-ties-to-the-nazis/.

“Norsefire.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 June 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norsefire.

Wachowski, Lana, and Lily. V for Vendetta. Amazon Prime Video, https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B00BUAEBN6/ref=atv_sr_fle_c_Tn74RA_1_1_1?sr=1-1&pageTypeIdSource=ASIN&pageTypeId=B0091XEW9M&qid=1758068652125. Accessed 14 Sept. 2025.