Do we like them?

Do we like V?

A character from V for Vendetta (1982–1989)

Our score: 5 out of 10. We'd back the cause and enjoy the style. But his methods are ruthless and manipulative, so we'd follow him with one eye on the exit.

V first appeared in Alan Moore and David Lloyd's comic, which began in 1982, and later in the 2005 film with Hugo Weaving. He is a masked figure in a Guy Fawkes mask who loves theatre, books and old films. Britain has fallen under a fascist regime, and V sets out to bring it down. The story begins when he rescues a young woman, Evey, from trouble on the street.

V is charming, cultured and driven by an idea more than by any personal comfort. He is also cold and controlling. He cares about freedom, but he is willing to hurt people, including those he is trying to save, to get the result he wants. That tension is why he scores the middle of the scale. The comic is more morally ambiguous about him than the film.

His methods go beyond protest. He uses staged spectacles and personal vengeance, and he puts Evey through an ordeal to shape her into who he thinks she should be. We admire the courage and the style, but we are uneasy about the cruelty and the manipulation.