The Guy Fawkes mask (also known as the V for Vendetta mask or Anonymous mask) is a stylised depiction of Guy Fawkes (the best-known member of the Gunpowder Plot, an attempt to blow up the House of Lords in London on 5 November 1605) created by illustrator David Lloyd for the 1982–1989 graphic novel V for Vendetta. Inspired by the use of a mask representing Fawkes being burned on an effigy having long previously had roots as part of Guy Fawkes Night celebrations, Lloyd designed the mask as a smiling face with red cheeks, a wide moustache upturned at both ends, and a thin vertical pointed beard, worn in the graphic novel's narrative by anarchist protagonist V. Participants in the 2014 Venezuelan protests carried a wide variety of masks; one of them was the Guy Fawkes mask, sometimes painted with the colours of the Venezuelan flag. [40] The movie] has been turned into a Bush-era parable by people too timid to set a political satire in their own country. ... It's a thwarted and frustrated and largely impotent American liberal fantasy of someone with American liberal values standing up against a state run by neoconservatives – which is not what the comic V for Vendetta was about. It was about fascism, it was about anarchy, it was about England. [30]

On 23 May 2009, protesters dressed up as V and set off a fake barrel of gunpowder outside Parliament while protesting over the issue of British MPs' expenses. [52] In writing V for Vendetta, Moore drew upon a comic strip idea submission that the DC Thomson scriptwriting competition rejected in 1975: "The Doll", which involved a transgender terrorist in white face makeup, who fought a totalitarian state during the 1980s. [15] The London Lancet: A Journal of British and Foreign Medical and Chemical Science, Criticism, Literature and News. Burgess, Stringer & Company. 1847. p.37. Authors on Anarchism— an Interview with Alan Moore". Strangers in a Tangled Wilderness. Infoshop.org. Archived from the original on 12 September 2008 . Retrieved 2 May 2008.a b Matthew Hilburn (27 February 2013). "Bahrain Bans Import of Protest Masks". Voice of America . Retrieved 28 February 2013. Guy Fawkes Masks Keep Popping Up In The Egyptian Protests". BuzzFeed News . Retrieved 26 October 2019. Angus Griffin, "A History of the Anonymous Mask", Dazed.com, 14 June 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2019 Due to his LSD-induced epiphany, Finch leaves his position within "the Nose." The power struggle between the remaining leaders results in all of their deaths: Harper betrays and kills Creedy at the behest of Helen Heyer (wife of "the Eye" leader Conrad Heyer, who had outbid Creedy for Harper's loyalty), and Harper and Conrad Heyer kill each other during a fight precipitated by Heyer's discovery that his wife Helen had had an affair with Harper. Then V for Vendetta emerged, putting the emphasis on "V" rather than "Vendetta". David Lloyd developed the idea of dressing V as Guy Fawkes [19] after previous designs followed the conventional superhero look. During the preparation of the story, Moore made a list of what he wanted to bring into the plot, which he reproduced in "Behind the Painted Smile":

On 17 November 2012, police officials in Dubai warned against wearing Guy Fawkes masks painted with the colours of the UAE flag during any celebration associated with the UAE National Day (2 December), declaring such use an illegal act after masks went on sale in online shops for 50 DHS. [55]

Why does the mask’s design endure?

Guy Fawkes masks also made an appearance in the 2014 Hong Kong protests [56] and also in 2019. [57] See also [ edit ] Among other contemporary influences, Lloyd and Moore cite David Bowie, artist Max Ernst and the literature of George Orwell as well as comic book characters like Batman and Judge Dredd. House of Commons Information Office (September 2006), The Gunpowder Plot (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2005 , retrieved 15 February 2011

Waites, Rosie (20 October 2011). "V for Vendetta masks: Who". BBC News. Archived from the original on 20 October 2011 . Retrieved 23 August 2017.On 23 May 2009, protesters wearing the mask detonated a fake barrel of gunpowder outside Parliament while protesting over the issue of British MPs' expenses. [25]

MacDonald, Heidi (1 November 2005). "A for Alan, Pt. 1: The Alan Moore interview". The Beat. Archived from the original on 5 May 2006 . Retrieved 26 September 2008. News report". BBC News. 23 May 2009. Archived from the original on 29 May 2009 . Retrieved 23 August 2017. David Lloyd: A Conversation". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 24 May 2006 . Retrieved 14 July 2006.The universal mode of observance through all part of England is the dressing up of a scarecrow figure in such cast-habiliments as can be procured (the head-piece, generally a paper-cap, painted and knotted with paper strips in imitation of ribbons), parading it in a chair through the streets, and at nightfall burning it with great solemnity in a huge bonfire ... [4] Four months later, V breaks into Jordan Tower, the home of Norsefire's propaganda department, "the Mouth"—led by Roger Dascombe—to broadcast a speech that calls on the people to resist the government. V escapes using an elaborate diversion that results in Dascombe's death. Finch is soon introduced to Peter Creedy, the Finger's new head, who provokes Finch to strike him and thus get sent on a forced vacation. Evey takes shelter at the house of a man named Gordon, who found her on the street. While originally platonic, they eventually build a romantic relationship. Evey and Gordon unknowingly cross paths with Rose Almond, the widow of the recently killed Derek. After Derek's death, Rose had reluctantly begun a relationship with Dascombe. With both of her lovers murdered, she is forced to perform demoralizing burlesque work, increasing her hatred of the unsupportive government. Barnett, David (27 December 2016). "V for Vendetta is a manual for rebellion against injustice". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 March 2018 . Retrieved 1 May 2018. The Cruise Indoctrination Video Scientology Tried To Suppress", Gawker.com, 15 January 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2013