V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian political thriller action film directed by James McTeigue and written by the Wachowskis, based on the 1988 DC/Vertigo Comics limited series of the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. Set in an alternative future where a Nordic supremacist and neo-fascist totalitarian regime has subjugated the United Kingdom, the film centers on V (portrayed by Hugo Weaving), an anarchist and masked freedom fighter who attempts to ignite a revolution through elaborate terrorist acts, while Natalie Portman plays Evey, a young, working-class woman caught up in V’s mission and Stephen Rea portrays a detective leading a desperate quest to stop V.

Produced by Silver Pictures, Virtual Studios and Anarchos Productions Inc., V for Vendetta was originally scheduled for release by Warner Bros. Pictures on November 4, 2005 (a day before the 400th Guy Fawkes Night), but was delayed; it instead opened in the United States on March 17, 2006 to mostly positive reviews from critics and was a box office success. However, Alan Moore, having been dissatisfied with the film adaptations of his other works, From Hell (2001) and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), declined to watch the film and asked to be uncredited or not be paid royalties.

V for Vendetta has been seen by many political groups as an allegory of oppression by government; libertarians and anarchists have used it to promote their beliefs. David Lloyd stated: “The Guy Fawkes mask has now become a common brand and a convenient placard to use in protest against tyranny – and I’m happy with people using it, it seems quite unique, an icon of popular culture being used this way.”