Since its release in 2005, Lana and Lilly Wachowski's V for Vendetta has divided fans of Alan Moore’s original comic, with a largely faithful narrative adaptation that nevertheless diverges from some of the original's bolder political ideas. But there remains one quibble which vexes all fans to this day: how did V manage to send the beleaguered populace of England the thousands upon thousands of Guy Fawkes masks used in the film's finale? Known for its adherence to the symbolism fostered by Moore, albeit with slightly less moral ambiguity, the 2005 film was an early precursor to the wider trend of superhero films, but the final scene with its massive protest leaves much to the imagination and goes completely unexplained. However, the original graphic novel provides answers in no uncertain terms.
The finale of V for Vendetta - which focuses upon the death of V and his "Viking funeral" in which a train carrying his body is loaded with explosives and used to destroy Parliament in the film (and Downing Street in the comic) - is given extra weight by the Wachowskis, as thousands of oppressed citizens, long-suffering under the totalitarian regime known as Norsefire, take to the streets wearing specially made Guy Fawkes masks. The scene, which does not appear in the graphic novel, is meant to show the solidarity the people of Britain have with the mysterious V, who they would likely only know under the label of "terrorist" thanks to Norsefire’s propaganda campaign. While fans have speculated that, somehow, V must have co-opted Norsefire's own systems in order to have these packages sent through the mail, there is little in the film that would allow audiences to concretely make this claim. However, in the original graphic novel, by Moore and artist David Lloyd, this is confirmed.
V Uses Norsefire's Supercomputer Against Them
In the comic, Norsefire is run by the villainous Adam Susan, who uses a computer system known as Fate to oversee and oppress the people of Britain in every way possible, including highly intrusive surveillance and control of the media. Fate is given many responsibilities, as Susan believes its cold rationality is superior to human compassion. In fact, this is something that V is counting on, because before the story even begins, he has already hacked into the Fate system, using the dictator’s obsession with this "perfect system" to slowly drive him insane. Towards the end of his scheme, V’s power over Norsefire is revealed when citizens begin receiving leaflets containing poetry in the mail. The moment is used to confirm that V has been using the Fate computer, which controls much of the day-to-day running of the government, to stay one step ahead of Norsefire's attempts to capture him. This brief plot beat explains how V achieved his deliveries: he was able to use Norsefire’s own over-automated system against them.
V Understands Totalitarianism Enough to Subvert It
V For Vendetta is far clearer as a good vs evil story in the movie, but the comic isn't as definitive about V's morality. Moore has said he didn't want to dictate a set worldview to readers, and V commits some monstrous acts throughout the story, with an ambiguous ending that suggests England may well collapse into chaos following the abrupt toppling of Norsefire. The film’s ending - with Parliament exploding to the tune of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture as thousands of masked protesters silently declare their support for V’s anti-establishment campaign - is presented as a far more absolute victory. In the comic, the public turn against Norsefire, but in the movie, they more definitively side with V, and literally take up his identity in protest.
The plot hole of how V prompts this mass protest has irritated film fans for years, however the comic answers this question in a pretty satisfactory way. Not only does V use Norsefire's own system to disseminate his literature, but the fascist government's reliance on automated systems explain why no-one raises the alarm - Norsefire wants people to follow the orders given to them by the system, and V turns this authoritarian instinct against them by co-opting that system for his own ends. Interestingly, in both cases V for Vendetta seemingly supports the idea that totalitarian systems can be brought low by turning their philosophy, and even the state apparatus, against them.