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| “ | We are both doing what needs to be done. We are saving lives. There are zombies living among us. And they are feasting on human brains. Where do they get these brains? Who knows? But don't you think it's a good idea to put an end to it? Sure, they look like us, they sound like us, but if you think of them as brain-eating atomic bombs, you'll sleep like a baby. | „ |
| ~ Du Clark trying to persuade Major to annihilate zombies |
Vaughn Du Clark is a major antagonist of The CW series iZombie. Vaughn serves as the secondary antagonist in season 1 and the main antagonist in season 2. He is the CEO of a energy drink company that is known to heighten aggression and in combination with a tainted batch of a drug called "utopium", create zombies.
He is portrayed by Steven Weber, who also played Hugh J. Magnate Jr. in A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!, The Goblin in Ultimate Spider-Man, Jack Torrance in the 1997 TV miniseries adaptation of The Shining, Aldon Webber in Crawlspace, and Beyonder in Avengers Assemble.
Personality[]
Vaughn is narcissistic and greedy, showing absolutely no concern for his actions nor how those said actions affect others around him as long as they benefit him. He is remorseless and apathetic for human life, being able to let people get hurt or killed based on his actions and not caring as long as it benefits him. He will have people killed just for insulting him on Twitter, indicating a very hair trigger temper. Despite his sociopathic and violent tendencies, he is not as comfortable with violence up close and whenever he sees a zombie attack, whether he arranged it or not, he is shown wincing in fear and horror. He doesn't even care about his own daughter as he left her to die in the basement without helping her, refused to comfort her after she managed to survive said ordeal and tried to kill her after the Super Max Massacre destroyed whatever credibility he had in the business world.
History[]
Background[]
Vaughn founded a beverage company called Max Rager and built a fortune making a signature energy drink. It was later discovered that the beverage caused temporary psychosis in several of their more heavy-drinkers. One such incident was the infamous Lake Washington Boat Party Massacre which turned Liv Moore - the show's protagonist - into a zombie. In response, Vaughn paid to cover up Max Rager's involvement in these events, not caring if more occurred. Unbeknownst to him at the time, his energy drink also had another unpleasant side effect when combined with another strain of a drug called "utopium": it turned people into zombies.
Leaked Memo[]
When a local athlete, Holly White, saw a memo accidentally sent to a Max Rager employee named Carson McComb saying their products make one in a thousand people psychotic, Holly wanted to forward it to a reporter. Carson told Eliza Marquette, Max Rager's director of advertising, and she drugged Holly with GHB as she jumped from a plane to sky-dive, trying to disguise her death as an accident. Afterwards, Max Rager erased all the helmet cam footage of the jump to cover-up the crime but Holly's ex-sorority sister, M.E. Liv Moore, pushed for an investigation and found out Holly was murdered. To prevent Eliza from talking, Vaughn sent Sebastian Meyer to her house to kill her while she was in the shower.
Vaughn later discovered a journalist named Rebecca Hinton, who connected Max Rager energy drinks to major violent outbursts in otherwise mild-mannered people, somehow received a copy of the same memo Holly tried to leak. Vaughn sent Sebastian to kill her and disguised the murder as a burglary gone wrong while stealing her research and loading it on a flashdrive and looking for the memo. Liv confronted Vaughn in his office, Vaughn played dumb saying a number of things could've caused those outbursts and the memo in question was created by his competitors before security forced her out of the building after Vaughn's assistant, Adele, called them.
Vaughn sent Sebastian after Liv to spy on her to find who leaked the document. After Sebastian found out it was Adele, who was blackmailing Max Rager, he killed her and kidnapped Liv while loading the memo onto his flashdrive for himself and preparing to dump both of them at sea. Sebastian, however, underestimated Liv and she bashes him over the head with a cinderblock and starts the boat's engine, with him near it, disfiguring his face and nearly killed him. He barely survived thanks to him licking some of Liv's blood off her face, turning him into a zombie and he washes back to shore.
Discovering Zombies Exist[]
When Sebastian returned to Max Rager, he revealed he lost the flashdrive to a couple of teenagers who hit him and he killed one named Kimber for her brains after being turned into a zombie by Liv. While being questioned Vaughn witnesses Meyer crack the skull of the doctor interviewing him, Dr. Yeltsin, and devour his brain before leaving Max Rager to go to his aunt Edna's place. Sebastian eventually devoured his aunt's brain too and sought to kill Liv in revenge for turning him into a zombie but was himself killed. Vaughn had his daughter Rita call the other three teenagers from Kimber's phone offering a reward for the return of that flashdrive.
Vaughn called in Dr. Holland to replace Dr. Yeltsin as the head of research and reveals Sebastian was a zombie and Dr. Holland expresses an interest in studying one. To this end he has Dr. Holland observe Liv when they interview Vaughn about Sebastian and the flashdrive. Vaughn tried to suggest Sebastian was responsible for the deaths of all the teenagers before they revealed Liv killed him before they latest victims turned up dead. After Liv and her partner detective Babineaux leave, Vaughn tells Holland he wants him to develop a drink called Super Max which will eliminate the need for sleep and increase one's strength and endurance to near superhuman levels. When Holland mentioned the possibility of becoming a zombie not factoring in well with that dream, Vaughn says he wants Holland to find out what in Max Rager's energy drink caused people to turn into zombies and eliminate it while Vaughn eliminates the zombies that are already in Seattle.
At the meet site, Rita take the flashdrive and leaves the money while a hitman plants a bomb under his car but it fails to kill him and instead kills a cop while gravely injuring another. The one who had the flashdrive, Cameron Henley, is eventually found and arrested by the police, who then turns over a copy of the flashdrive to the police and Liv leaks everything on the flashdrive to Rebecca's newspaper and they published her story. Vaughn reads it while meditating and is angered the story got out despite everything he did to cover it up but confidently tells reporters this isn't the end of him and his company.
Exterminating the Zombies[]
After the article came out, Max Rager profits have been plummeting and lawsuits were filed against the company, but the company managed to survive. Vaughn confidently tells the board that despite these setbacks they are still rich and even if Super Max has the same side effects, they will be too rich to care and hangs up on them while praising their input. Vaughn asks Rita why he can't just have them all killed and Rita tells him they need their money and once Super Max is out he will be untouchable. Rita then tells him about a man who can detect zombies and who they can use to kill them: Major Lilywhite. Vaughn calls Major into his office and blackmails him into killing potential zombies based on their spending habits or they will kill Liv. Major reluctantly agrees and is given the nickname of "Chaos Killer" by the press.
When Taylor Fowler is killed by a hitman, it is revealed that she was married to the head of the Max Rager Board, Terrence Fowler. It is also revealed Vaughn was sleeping with Taylor when Clive and Liv interview him for details. Vaughn however denies the affair and acts surprised when Liv runs into Major as he prepares to coach him as his personal trainer. Rita confronts Vaughn about the affair as Terrence represents an important swing vote but Vaughn just sarcastically tells her it won't happen again and reminds her his sleeping with married women is how she was born. Terrence visits Vaughn in his office and tells him he plans to vote him out of the company and take his place as revenge for sleeping with his wife. Vaughn tries to reassure him with promises of wealth, but Terrence knows the company is close to liquidation so Vaughn shows him his secret lab. Vaughn then locks Terrance into a room with Dr. Holland, who suffered a lab accident and was turned into a zombie, and watched as Terrance is eaten alive, while showing a small sign of shock.
Vaughn and Rita argue over Major's loyalty as they head to his secret laboratory and observe Super Max's effects on a zombie. When the head scientist, Dr. Lockett, suggests they start human trials, Vaughn volunteers to be the test subject. While exercising with Major, Vaughn tells Major to max out the weights while on Super Max and effortlessly lifts them up and give the other cans to Major as a gift. Vaughn then throws a weight ball at someone else exercising and screams at him to grunt again, showing drinking Super Max has the same symptoms as Max Rager heavy drinkers, but it only takes one can of Super Max to make a person violent.
Raking in the new year, Major gives Vaughn a fitness band as a gift and the two men bond while Vaughn lifts weights. Vaughn then gets a call about something Dr. Lockett wants to show him and Major asks what that was about. Vaughn tells Major he has a lab in Tacoma but major is skeptical and they just go back to working out. Rita warns Vaughn that Major is playing him and appealing to his ego for information, stating her mother said Vaughn Du Clark is the smartest man in the world until someone strokes his ego and then he is like all the rest. When Dr. Lockett gives Major a thumbdrive with information on zombies, Major turns it over to Vaughn and Vaughn shows him his underground lab. Vaughn then locks Dr. Lockett in the room filled with zombies and watches Major's reaction as the zombies start to go for Dr. Lockett. Vaughn eventually lets Dr. Lockett out and reveals the whole thing with the flashdrive and having Lockett killed was a charade to test Major, which he passed with flying colors. Vaughn then delivers the good news to Rita, unaware that the fitness band Major gave him is bugged.
Major walks into Vaughn's office as he is reading tweets from trolls badmouthing Max Rager with Rita and his security consultant Janko, whom he introduces to Major. Rita asks why Vaughn obsesses over tweets from the haters when Max Rager has over three millions followers and Vaughn responds that no one should slip through the cracks. On that note, Vaughn asks Major why DA Floyd Baracus, a man that Major said wasn't a zombie, is suddenly a victim of the Chaos Killer.
Major defends himself, stating someone must've copied his MO and targeted Baracus, but Vaughn is skeptical considering his spending habits indicate he is a zombie. Vaughn warns Major he better not be lying, because he is the type of guy who gets even with interest, like what he is about to do with one of the internet trolls badmouthing Max Rager. Vaughn then directs Major to chose the hater he will go after and he chooses a guy in Bangkok who called Max Rager poison, suspecting his father died of a heart attack because of it.
When it is revealed three hitman working for a local crime boss tried to kill Baracus while copying the Chaos Killer's MO to disguise the motive but ended up killed by Baracus themselves, Vaughn discovers Baracus is indeed a zombie. Vaughn wonders if he should sent Janko to kill everyone on the list, zombie or not, and Major confesses that he knew he was a zombieto but couldn't bear to seperate him for his son. Vaughn then reveals that he had the hater Major picked out killed, stressing they are a global operation, and threatens to have another hater killed everyday until Baracus is dealt with and Major seemingly complies.
Vaughn is in his office high on Super Max when Major walks in and lists the various things he has done thanks to the boundless energy Super Max gives him. Major warns him it also has a tendency to make him very aggressive but Vaughn waves it off as a good thing. Vaughn then tells Major he called him in to give him a new list of potential zombies based on more recent spending patterns. Major confronts Vaughn on making Rita Liv's roommate and he simply tells him there is a method to the madness and Major asks if having Rita seduce him was also part of the madness. When Vaughn acts shocked, Major realizes Vaughn didn't know about it and Vaughn reveals to Major that Rita is his daughter just as she walks through the doors. After Rita hands Major the new list of potential zombies Vaughn notices her eye is bruised and attacks Major, assuming he did it. Rita gets between them trying to explain Liv was the one who did and tells Major he should probably leave.
Liv and Clive question Vaughn after he is connected to a recently murdered scientist Dr. Eleanor Cash. Vaughn denies recognizing the name but when shown a photo he recognizes the woman as Dr. Erving and asks his assistant to have her bring Dr. Erving to his office. When his assistant states she didn't come in, Liv reveals the rest of the world knows Dr. Erving as Dr. Eleanor Cash. Vaughn tells his assistant to put out a listing for a new research scientist and to send some flowers to Dr. Erving's last known address. Vaughn asks why Dr. Cash would use a fake name and Clive mentions it has to do with a scandal involving her last job. Vaughn tells them that Dr. Cash worked researching his beverage products and that he recently demoted her for failing to meet deadlines but he wouldn't kill her over it and tells them to leave. Vaughn later catches Liv trying to sneak into his secret underground lab and threatens her into not returning.
Vaughn observes while a Romero zombie running ten miles an hour while on a single can of the finalized version of Super Max alongside Dr. Lovett and Rita. Dr. Lovett explains that Super Max greatly magnifies the body's adrenaline production, enhancing one's strength and speed. When Dr. Lovett explains it still causes violent outbursts and the collateral damage will be much worse thank to the enhanced strength and speed. Rita states the accountants already factored in potential lawsuits and Vaughn simply says in order to stop someone on Super Max, they need to drink Super Max. Vaughn then pokes the zombie with a cattle prod, giving an extra jolt of strength and speed, unintentionally allowing the zombie to break free and kill Dr. Lovett.
Rita zaps it with a cattle prod but the zombie knocks it away and both Vaughn and Rita run for the elevator with Vaughn making it but Rita trips as the zombie recovers from the shock. Vaughn has the elevator doors close on Rita as she runs toward it, screaming he hold the doors. Vaughn goes into his office and pours himself a drink, shaken at his near death experience with a zombie. He hears the elevator doors ding and sees Rita stumble out trying to enter his office, covered in blood and scratches. Rita begs and screeches at Vaughn to let her in but Vaughn simply sits there in silence until she leaves the building. Vaughn then sends Vanko to kidnap Rita and locks her up with the other zombie test subjects in the underground lab.
Vaughn shows Rita the ad for Super Max while she is locked up in her cell, but Rita just angrily demands Vaughn let her out. Vaughn refuses citing she is a threat to the human race and more importantly, him. Vaughn promises to help find a cure for her after Super Max is released and leaves while Rita angrily stews in her cell. Major visits Vaughn in his office for their exercise session when Vanko walks in and tells Vaughn about a storage space Major has. Vaughn then tells Major they are going to Tacoma instead but the FBI arrest Major in front of Vaughn and Vanko as he is leaving for the Chaos Killings.
Super Max's launch[]
Vaughn sends a defense attorney named Brandt Stone to represent Major and make sure he doesn't talk. He then attends a meeting with the board and the CEO of a private military contractor named Vivian Stoll, advertising Super Max, and she offers him a billion dollars for his company, his factories, his labs, and the Super Max formula itself. Vivian then states she will only sign the check after it is clear the Chaos Killer doesn't blame any of his crimes on the drink. Vaughn then turn to Vanko for a progress report on Major's case and after Vanko states they can get him out on bail at the very least, Vaughn orders him to kill Major and Liv once that happens. Vanko moves to kill them outside the courthouse but Major is arrested again before he can do it, stalling their plans. After Major is released again thanks to Liv reaching out to Clive and reveals she is a zombie, Vanko tries to kidnapl LIv in the Medical Examiner's Office but is stopped and himself killed by Liv's boss, Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti. It is revealed Vaughn is keeping all of the Chaos Killer Victims, who Major had only been pretending to be killed, locked up in his secret basement.
Vaughn visits Rita to tell her at midnight, control the company is going to shift to a mercenary company called Fillmore Graves Enterprises for more money than he can spend so finding a cure for her now has his full attention. Rita wonders how he could do that for her, but not hold an elevator door for her. Vaughn reassures her with visions of what their future will be like once she is cured and has three versions of a cure tested of the Chaos Killer's victims which turns two of them, including Liv's boyfriend Drake Holloway. Vaughn attends Super Max's launch party, which has a maximum security prison theme, and eagerly asks Vivian for details on what they plan to do with Super Max, but Vivian says it's classified. Vivian then asks Vaughn why his fake police officers are packing real guns. Vaughn assures her it is just a precaution and they are safe. Vaughn then goes onstage to introduce Rob Thomas and joins the crowd cheering for him as he sing with his band.
While dancing, Vaughn notices Detective Clive Babineaux in the crowd and leaves the party. Vaughn then surprises Clive, Liv and Major with five armed security guards and orders them to kill them and use them for parts in his experiments and leaves to go back to the party. All the guards are however killed by a group of Max Rager employees who were turned into zombies by tainted utopium and Super Max before heading to the party causing a massacre where everyone is either shot in the head after becoming a zombie or killed by zombies and had their brains devoured.
After Clive, Liv, and Major find a way in his secret lab and Rita leads them to the Chaos Killer victims, Vaughn locks Clive and Liv in with the Chaos Killer victims in the back cells while Major and Rita are locked in the lab facility. Vaughn tells Major, Liv just found her zombie boyfriend Drake and unleashes both them to kill Clive and Liv. When Clive shots the unnamed Romero while Liv shots Drake, Vaughn fills the room with poison gas but they escape with the Chaos Killer victims before it can take effect. Vaughn tells Rita that with their escape, he won't be able to cure her like he promised. Rita asks if Vaughn ever cared about her, but Vaughn screams in anger that this isn't about her, that the massacre upstairs cost him a billion dollar deal as well as ruining his reputation, especially with Rob Thomas' demise. Major tells him to let them out but Vaughn simply rants how Major could've been his wingman in his new life and blames Major for everything that happened tonight. Vaughn then unleashes Romero zombies near them to have Major killed, but is confused when they only lunge at him. Vaughn then realizes that Major is now a zombie so he fills the room with poison gas meant to knock out zombies and brags that he will take the axe Major is carrying and kill them all when they are knocked out.
Major pulls out a gun and shoots Vaughn in the hand and starts to break glass with the axe while Vaughn flees to the elevator screaming in pain. But when he goes to activate the elevator based on a fingerprint scan, it denies him access to it because his hand is so mangled from the gunshot. Major opens the elevator and it looks like he is going to kill Vaughn before he uses the axe to knock the latch on top of the elevator off and uses the axe to reach it and climb out while he intends to let the zombies, including Rita, kill him. Vaughn begs Major to help him, but Major simply hands him the axe, sarcastically wishing him luck, and closes the latch as the zombies lunge at him. Vaughn continually screams for Major's help, but the screams eventually stop and Vaughn is shown to have been killed by Rita, who is seen eating Vaughn's brains.
Known Victims[]
Ordered Hits or Caused by Him[]
- Holly White - Drugged by Eliza Marquette and impaled on a branch.
- People killed by Sebastian Meyer:
- Eliza Marquette
- Rebecca Hinton - Pushed down a flight of stairs.
- Adele - Punched in the face with brass knuckles.
- Dr. Yeltsin - Unintentional; Head repeatedly bashed in and skull cracked open.
- Two Seattle police officers - Blown up by a hitman; one survived.
- Cameron Henley - Attempted to have killed with a car bomb.
- Dr. Holland - Unintentional; turned into a Romero zombie after a lab accident.
- Terrence Fowler - Lured into his lab basement where he let Romero Dr. Holland devour him.
- Trickstar107 - Had killed in a staged motorcycle crash.
- Dr. Lovett - Unintentional; killed by a Romero zombie after Vaughn zapped it with a cattle prod.
- Olivia Moore, Clive Babineaux, Major Lilywhite - Repeatedly attempted to have all three killed without success.
- Romero Chaos Killer Victim - Shot in the head by Clive.
- Romero Drake Holloway - Shot in the head by Liv.
- Rita Du Clark - Attempted to knock out with poison gas and axe in the head.
- Two Romero zombies - Both axed in the head by Vaughn.
Caused by his Energy Drinks[]
- Richmond, Virginia - December 2013: Numerous fast food customers - Splashed in the face with fry oil by a female fry cook.
- Jackson, Mississippi - February 2014: Numerous participants of a charity bike race - Mowed down by a long haul trucker.
- The Lake Washington Boat Party Massacre - May, 2014:
- Numerous people killed by zombies.
- Numerous zombies killed.
- Numerous people, including Liv Moore, Blaine DeBeers, and Marcy Kahn, turned into zombies.
- DeGaulle College: Jason Frye, A.K.A. The Library Killer's victims:
- A kid - Skull cracked
- A girl - Chucked through a display case; survived
- The Super Max Launch Party Massacre - 2016: Over two hundred people killed either by zombies or shot in the head after becoming zombies.
- Rob Thomas and his band.
- One hundred Max Rager employees.
- Dr. Wyatt Tomlin.
- Ginger.
- Dave Johns a.k.a. Jeffrey Grunderson.