Wilhelmina Venable

"It's our world now, to remold as we see fit."

- Venable to others

Wilhemina Venable is one of the main antagonists in American Horror Story: Apocalypse alongside Michael Langdon. She is one of the leaders of an organization that raises post-apocalypse outposts, an organization known as the Cooperative, which attempts to remold the world in their own image.

She is portrayed by Sarah Paulson, who also portrayed Sally McKenna, Mary Epps, Ally Mayfair-Richards, Audrey Tindall and her re-enactment version of Shelby Miller.

Overview
Wilhemina Venable is a stern woman who runs a post-apocalyptic outpost underground after the End of Days was started by Michael Langdon. Her outpost seemly keeps the survivors inside safe, but it becomes disturbing as she and her subordinates set up strict rules to restrict several things the Cooperate deemed unorthodox, including unauthorized copulation. Anyone who violates the Cooperate's rules shall receive severe punishment, no exception. In reality, Venable and her subordinates plans to take over the chaotic world and remold it in their image. Her use over violence, as she believes, is a way to keep the survivors cooperate.

People in the outpost dressed in either purple or gray, akin to the style Victorian Britain. Venable describes the roles of those who have taken shelter in the outpost; the purples are the upper class who are destined to prolong the human race and are treated with luxury as a result, the grays are the workers who tend to the needs of the purples. Venable herself doesn't consider herself either a purple or a gray, but the face of Cooperative.

Trivia

 * According to Ryan Murphy, Venable has dental appliance.
 * Aside from portraying Venable, a new character in Apocalypse, Sarah Paulson also reprised her role as Billie Dean Howard from Murder House and Cordelia Goode from Coven.
 * Venable shows similarities to Kai Anderson, who is the main antagonist of the previous season Cult. Both Venable and Kai hold a leading position in an evil organization that exploits the depression and misery upon people (Donald Trump's victory over election, and the end of the world, respectively) claims to help people (Kai's cult for giving equality to its members; Venable's outpost for giving safety towards Apocalypse survivors). They also seems to be friendly and helpful, but are both uncaring in the core. Unlike Kai who is more chaotic and psychotic, however, Venable shows to be more lawful and composed.
 * Venable's characteristic is also an reminiscence to Sister Jude from Asylum.
 * Both of them are strict disciplinarians who uses rules to restrict anyone under their dominion (survivors of the End of Days and the inmates of Briarcliff Asylum, respectively). They both punish people severely when they violated the rules. However, Venable goes much further to the point of execution, while Sister Jude never killed anyone in Briarcliff.
 * Both of them hides their darkest secrets and desires underneath, and their desires are represented by their hidden attires.
 * Sister Jude hides her desire and her love over Monsignor Timothy Howard, which are represented by her red langerie.
 * Venable hides her hypocrisy and vanity, which are symbolized by her purple dress that represents high-class residents in her outpost.
 * Both of them plays the same song repeatedly in the hall and caused some inmates to feel tormented.
 * The surname 'Venable' originates from Eure, France, probably named after Late Latin venabulum ("hunting ground"), a derivative of venari ("to hunt").
 * According to the promotional poster, it's implied that Venable and Michael represents the polar opposite of order and chaos judging by the contrary between their color motifs. Anything assotiated with Michael is painted as red and black, while anything hinting Venable's outpost has purple ad gray as its color motif.