V For Vendetta's Future Timeline: What Year It's Set In
Warning: Contains spoilers for V for Vendetta.
One of V for Vendetta's biggest mysteries is when the film actually takes place, a question fans of the film have pondered over since its release. The comic book adaptation is full of political commentary, painting a picture of a future Britain ravaged by war, disease, and authoritarianism. By looking at the few clues that are given as to when the movie takes place, such as bank records, newspaper clippings, and vague dialogue, a general idea of when V for Vendetta takes place can be made.
V for Vendetta follows V, a vigilante and political dissident that takes action against Britain's fascist state while wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. Throughout the film, the main character Evey Hammond follows V as he attempts to bring about anarchy, with Evey eventually joining him in his crusade. Much like Watchmen's complex timeline, V for Vendetta also takes place in an alternate universe, and a number of events are said to have happened between 2006 (when the film was released) and when the film takes place.
One of the only hard facts about the film's timeframe is that it takes place over 366 days, from November 4 of one year to November 5 of the next. The film also gives a few dates, most of which come from briefly shown documents and drawing conclusions from characters stating that an event has happened sometimes after another event. However, the film does contradict itself sometimes, leading to theories about the state falsifying dates similar to 1984. While both timeframes have backing, it is impossible to say which one is true with certainty.
The first theory argues that the film takes place in the late 2020s, either from 2025-2026 or 2027-2028. These theories draw from the clues given about St. Mary's Virus, something that gets V for Vendetta compared to the real world in 2020 quite often. In the film, a character named William Rockwood is investigated. It is made clear that he disappeared a day after St. Mary's, and his record shows he was last seen on May 6, 2014. This means that St. Mary's took place on May 5, 2014. A news reporter in the film states that St. Mary's took place 14 years ago, firmly setting the story from November 4, 2027, to November 5, 2028. However, a few things contradict this. For one, Evey's ID is shown to have expired in December 2024, and the film points out that this is the December before the film takes place. This would put the film into the 2025-2026 window. Furthermore, Lewis Prothero's bank records don't show him getting money from the virus' cure until 2016, even though the cure is made the same year as the virus. Although some details contradict, all of this evidence implies V for Vendetta takes place in the late 2020s.
V dies at the end of V for Vendetta, and some of his final words are "For twenty years I sought only this day." At first glance, this seems like a poetic final speech, but upon further inspection it throws a wrench into the previous theory, leading to a second theory: V for Vendetta takes place from 2035-2036. In the film, V starts his quest for vengeance after his experience at the Larkhill concentration camp, which took place in 2016. This is known because it is made clear that Prothero becomes commander of Larkhill in 2016, when V was there. If the present is 20 years after he begins his quest, then that would mean the film takes place in 2036. However, much like the previous theory, several pieces of evidence contradict this, like the ID card, bank records, and newscasts (although they could be falsified by the government). V for Vendetta has an expertly crafted world, and the indeterminable dates are most likely not mistakes, but signs that the writers wanted the commentary to be able to apply to any time.
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