V.M. Varga
A criminal mastermind who wants to become so rich that he doesn't even exist.
V. M. Varga is a fictional character in the FX crime anthology television series Fargo, serving as the main antagonist of the third season. He was created by showrunner Noah Hawley and portrayed by David Thewlis. Varga is a criminal mastermind of unknown origin who heads a massive money laundering operation. Along with his associates, Yuri and Meemo, he intends to seize control of a large business to become so rich that "he doesn't even exist".
Quick Facts
- Series
- Fargo
- First
- "The Law of Vacant Places" (2017)
- Last
- "Somebody to Love" (2017)
- Creator
- Noah Hawley
- Portrayed by
- David Thewlis
- Also known as
- Daniel Rand
- Occupation
- Crime boss; Businessman
Lore & Background
Varga is a cunning and verbose criminal mastermind who presides over a massive money laundering scheme. He is the implied boss of the criminal organization Narwhal, which employs henchmen Yuri Gurka (Goran Bogdan), Meemo (Andy Yu) and Golem (DJ Qualls), who carry out murders and confidence tricks. Varga is of apparent English origin and has bulimia nervosa, which leads to his teeth deteriorating. On the character's eating disorder, Thewlis has said, "The idea is bulimia in his life. He's a man who is so ultimately in control of seemingly everything, and it's therefore an expression of the one part of his existence that he's not in control of, something that at times he loses control of." Despite his wealth, Varga shuns excess and is always seen wearing a discount suit and second-hand tie. Throughout the season, he is seen living in the back of a semi-trailer, in which he sleeps on the floor and works on a workstation connected to computer servers. According to Fargo creator Noah Hawley: "It's a very spartan life he lives... Obviously he's got a lot of money, but you'll never see him in a hotel or in a towncar." There are signs of paranoia in Varga's dialogue and behavior: he expresses a belief in Moon landing conspiracy theories, claiming to have been a part of the filming of fake Moon landings, as well as prejudices such as antisemitism, believing that wealth should be used to "become invisible" to hide from "the Mongol hordes" and appearing to admire Joseph Stalin, a portrait of whom is seen on a wall next to Varga's workstation.
Reader's Guide
V.M. Varga is a cunning and verbose criminal mastermind who presides over a massive money laundering scheme. Despite his wealth, Varga shuns excess and is always seen wearing a discount suit and second-hand tie. There are signs of paranoia in Varga's dialogue and behavior: he expresses a belief in Moon landing conspiracy theories, claiming to have been a part of the filming of fake Moon landings, as well as prejudices such as antisemitism, believing that wealth should be used to "become invisible" to hide from "the Mongol hordes" and appearing to admire Joseph Stalin, a portrait of whom is seen on a wall next to Varga's workstation. In 2010, Varga arrives at Stussy Corporation offices when CEO Emmit Stussy seeks to repay a business loan from Varga's shady organization made two years before. Varga's henchmen Yuri Gurka and Meemo kill Irv by throwing him from a multi-storey car park. Varga proposes to sign Emmit on as a business partner. As punishment for Sy acting suspiciously, Varga takes over Sy's office, urinates in Sy's mug, and makes him drink out of it at gunpoint. Varga poisons Sy, sending him into a coma.
More in Characters & Cast
Elsewhere in Fargo
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