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| “ | June 2nd. I keep wondering if these people knew how they might be helping their country, if they would act any differently. They're so weak and pathetic. They never look you in the eye. I find myself hating them. | „ |
| ~ Surridge expressing contempt for her victims in her diary. |
Dr. Delia Anne Surridge is a supporting antagonist in Alan Moore's limited comic book series V for Vendetta and its 2006 film adaptation of the same name.
She is the former head researcher at Larkhill Resettlement Camp, a concentration camp for "undesirables" operated by the fascist dictatorship Norsefire. Because of this, Surridge was responsible for performing medical experiments on prisoners as part of a viral research program, actions that she came to greatly regret years afterwards.
In the film adaptation, she was portrayed by Sinéad Cusack.
Biography[]
Comics[]
In 1992 Surridge was sent to Larkhill, a concentration camp where those who did not meet Norsefire's notion of "Aryan purity" - Jews, Muslims, non-whites, and LGBT people - were sent, to head the scientific research division, with the intent of performing viral experiments on prisoners in order to try and synthesize a human immunity to biological pathogens. All those not suitable for her experiments were taken out behind the sheds and shot. She gradually found herself hating the prisoners for their supposed "weakness" in submitting to the torture without fighting back.
Surridge performed experiments with Batch 5, a mixture of pituitrin and pinearin which causes the development of supernumerary organs. Surridge administered the mutagen to four dozen inmates under the supervision of Anthony Lilliman. Over the next few days her research found that the development of supernumerary organs led to the atrophy of other organs, resulting in death. On 9 June 1993, Surridge wrote that 75% of those injected with Batch 5 had died. By 18 June only five were left.
In the end only one of the subjects survived, the man later known as V. He suffered a psychotic breakdown as a result of Surridge's experiments but was able to masquerade as a model prisoner until he gathered enough chemicals to trigger an explosion that devastated Larkhill. Surridge survived and saw the badly burned V escaping the flames.
With Larkhill destroyed, Surridge was transferred to London to work as a forensic pathologist, briefly dating Detective Eric Finch. She was overwhelmed with guilt for her actions at Larkhill and kept her diary detailing her experiments in hopes that, someday, someone might read it and hold Norsefire responsible for their crimes, and she might achieve some small measure of atonement.
In 1997, Surridge heard about a man in a Guy Fawkes mask systematically killing former Larkhill staff and knew immediately that it was V. One night, while she was sleeping, V broke into her house and injected her with poison, granting her a painless death because she showed remorse. After Surridge awoke, V told her he has already killed her, and she apologized for her part in Norsefire's crimes against humanity. V then took off his mask and showed her his face. With her final breath, she said, "It's beautiful."
Film[]
Surridge was born Diana Stanton. She was appointed head researcher at Larkhill after the St. Mary's virus wracked the UK, in charge of synthesizing immunity to viral warfare. Stanton performed experiments in which people were injected with viral strains in an attempt to build up immunity. Stanton dehumanized her subjects and viewed them as weak and pathetic, only regarding the deaths of the subjects as a setback to her research. She was briefly investigated by Father Anthony Lilliman for rights violations, but Commander Lewis Prothero assured her that Lilliman had been specifically ordered not to find anything.
All of Stanton's patients died except V, who forget who he was and developed extra muscular strength. As Stanton tried to figure out how to replicate the experiments, V managed to blow up the medical wing and make his escape despite being badly burned. Stanton saw him and, knowing he would come after her, attempted to flee the country. When she was refused permission to leave, she changed her name to Delia Surridge and began working as a pathologist in London.
After Prothero and Lilliman are murdered by V, Surridge performs an autopsy on Lilliman. Detective Finch gives her a rose found at the scene of Lilliman's murder, telling her that V leaves them at all crime scenes. Surridge remembers that the prisoner who escaped Larkhill used to grow them and realizes he is V.
Later that night V breaks into Surridge's house and injects her with poison. Surridge wakes up and asks V if he is there to kill her. V replies that he has already killed her by injecting her with poison, and that she has only moments to live, and she breathes a sigh of relief at the prospect of finally being free of her guilt. Sensing that her remorse is genuine, V assures her that she will die a painless death. She gives V her diary describing her experiments before telling him how sorry she is for what she did. She then closes her eyes and succumbs to the poison.
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 Villains
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