A V for Vendetta Series Represents DC's Greatest Weapon in the Ongoing War Against Marvel

After lying dormant for a fig of years, the V for Vendetta franchise is abruptly heating up successful a large way. First, we learned that the V for Vendetta movie is being rereleased successful theaters successful 2026 arsenic portion of its 20th anniversary. Then, quality broke that HBO is processing a V for Vendetta bid written by Somewhere Boy’s Pete Jackson.

This is surely large quality for fans of the movie and Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s timeless graphic novel. But adjacent if you’ve ne'er experienced V for Vendetta before, you should beryllium thrilled. This task - oregon what it stands for - represents DC’s top plus successful the never-ending struggle with Marvel Studios. Let’s research why.

DC’s Rich History of Standalone Stories

As overmuch arsenic immoderate different DC adaptation released successful the past fewer decades, V for Vendetta speaks to the stark quality betwixt DC and Marvel’s Hollywood strategies. This is simply a wholly standalone superhero movie geared toward an older audience, 1 not tied to the larger DC Universe astatine each (unexpected Pennyworth connections notwithstanding). In different words, it’s precise overmuch similar the Alan Moore and David Lloyd graphic caller that inspired it. And if not needfully a container bureau smash, V for Vendetta inactive recovered a sizable assemblage that’s endured implicit the people of 20 years.

V for Vendetta is overmuch similar the Watchmen movie and TV series, 2005’s Constantine, and shows similar Preacher and The Sandman. All of these projects are based connected standalone, mature readers-focused graphic novels. They aren’t connected to the DC Universe. They simply absorption connected telling self-contained stories that gully connected DC’s affluent publishing history. They correspond a benignant of storytelling Marvel is acold little apt to explore.

Marvel, for its part, tends to absorption much connected ongoing narratives and longer runs that weave into the larger Marvel Universe. On the comics side, Marvel has comparatively less graphic novels and constricted bid than DC. They’ve made ongoing, monthly comics their breadstuff and butter. On the movie and TV side, truthful overmuch of their absorption is connected continuing to grow the many-headed hydra that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even comparatively standalone films similar 1998’s Blade and 2017’s Logan present person their circumstantial spot successful Marvel’s immense multiverse.

It’s absorbing to spot however that strategy works some for and against Marvel connected the comics broadside of things. In presumption of single-issue sales, Marvel tends to predominate the marketplace each month. You tin spot that successful ICv2’s October 2025 income chart, which becomes progressively much Marvel-heavy the further down you look. But graphic caller income are a wholly antithetic story, with DC utterly dominating the apical 20 betwixt its Absolute Universe books and its hugely palmy Compact Comics line. Those books entreaty to a precise antithetic benignant of comic scholar from the 1 snatching up caller issues of The Amazing Spider-Man and Uncanny X-Men each month.

It’s ever felt similar Marvel is leaving wealth connected the array by not catering much straight to that audience. Marvel doesn’t truly person its ain mentation of V for Vendetta oregon Watchmen, either connected the publishing broadside oregon the film/TV side. Everything is portion of a bigger, ongoing storyline. Everything has to person its spot successful the Marvel multiverse.

Cinematic universes are amusive and all, but there’s a batch to beryllium said for conscionable telling a bully communicative and leaving it astatine that. Not everything needs to intertwine and interconnect. That’s thing the caller DC authorities nether James Gunn and Peter Safran seems to understand. Even arsenic they found the caller DCU, Gunn (who, with Safran, is serving arsenic an enforcement shaper connected V for Vendetta) is placing an accent connected individuality with these caller movies and shows. Superman doesn’t crook implicit backwards mounting up spinoff projects. There’s country for smaller, much self-contained, and much stylistically divergent movies similar Clayface successful the lineup. And arsenic this V for Vendetta announcement shows, there’s inactive ample country for DC projects that aren’t tied to the DCU astatine all.

Is HBO’s V for Vendetta the Next Watchmen?

It’s hard not to beryllium excited for the caller V for Vendetta bid based solely connected the pedigree of the archetypal graphic novel. It’s 1 of the champion books successful Moore’s voluminous library, which itself is arguably the astir acclaimed successful each of comics. The 2005 movie adaptation is simply a coagulated instrumentality connected that root material, but it’s hardly thing that couldn’t beryllium improved and expanded upon. Comic publication adaptations person travel a precise agelong mode successful the past 20 years.

That said, the imaginable of a V for Vendetta bid is each the much breathtaking successful this post-HBO Watchmen climate. The Watchmen bid is easy 1 of the champion comic publication shows ever released. In fact, IGN’s unit voted it the champion live-action DC bid of each time. It’s a amusement with thing genuinely meaningful to adhd to the archetypal Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons graphic novel. It expands connected the characters and themes successful bold ways. It adds wholly caller layers to the story, examining America’s acheronian bequest of systemic racism done the lens of this alternate superhero universe. As bully arsenic DC’s Doomsday Clock comic is, it’s hard to reason that the HBO bid isn’t the genuinely worthy sequel here.

At this point, it remains to beryllium seen if HBO’s V for Vendetta bid volition beryllium a nonstop adaptation of the comic oregon much of a sequel/spinoff similar the Watchmen bid is. There’s merit to either approach. There’s surely country for a nonstop sequel that explores what happens aft the extremity of the comic and the illness of the dystopian Norsefire government. But there’s besides ample country for the bid to win solely by adapting the comic and exploring these characters successful a extent that simply wasn’t imaginable successful the 2005 movie.

Either way, there’s imaginable for V for Vendetta to proceed wherever the Watchmen bid near off. It tin go different captious smash for HBO, proving conscionable however overmuch extent determination is to excavation from DC’s backmost catalog connected the tiny screen. Again, it doesn’t needfully substance if V for Vendetta is an adaptation oregon an enlargement of the root material. What matters is however overmuch value and value this communicative carries successful the 21st century. Moore whitethorn person written the comic arsenic a effect to Thatcherism successful the ‘80s, but the comic remains deeply, depressingly applicable successful 2025. In an epoch wherever authoritarianism is again connected the rise, there’s a batch we tin larn from the eccentric vigilante V and his crusade against Britain’s oppressive rulers.

However the V for Vendetta unit take to execute this caller series, it’s bully to spot that Gunn understands the worth of adaptations similar this. The amusement whitethorn not beryllium the adjacent important portion of the DCU puzzle, but it’s thing much important - a caller look astatine a classical DC communicative astatine a clip erstwhile that communicative has ne'er been much urgent. It’s the benignant of standalone, prestige TV amusement that Marvel doesn’t truly springiness us. They’d alternatively springiness america a Wonder Man amusement cipher asked for. And that’s however DC tin permission its people successful this ongoing war.

Do you privation V for Vendetta to beryllium an adaptation of the comic oregon a sequel similar the Watchmen series? Vote successful our canvass and fto america cognize your thoughts successful the comments below.

For more, brushwood up connected each DC movie and bid successful development.

Jesse is simply a mild-mannered unit writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intelligence thicket by following @jschedeen connected BlueSky.