Chancellor Ferdinand was the dictator of the Nation who was responsible for ordering the creation of the Fabrication Machine. Becoming obsessed with world domination, Ferdinand violated the agreement he made with the Scientist and seized the newly created A.I from its creator and attempted to use it as a producer of war machines for his army. However, because the Scientist could not finish the Fabrication Machine to its originally intended specifications, this malevolent plan completely backfired; not only resulting in Ferdinand's downfall (and death) but also in the annihilation of the human race from every nation across the world (including those of his own country) and, eventually, life on Earth.
Appearance and Personality
Ferdinand is depicted as a robust middle-aged man in his early-to-mid fifties with a narrow face, gray/brown hair, blue eyes, and wears a military green uniform with a red sash, medals, and the government's flag mark on his left arm. He would feign appearing generous to many people and other countries, but deep down, he aspired to conquer the world, as everyone would be under his command. He has neither empathy or mercy, and he is too proud of his position, preferring to push everyone to do better, which led to his downfall during the Human-Machine War. His passion was about “power and progress”.
A defaced portrait of Chancellor Ferdinand
Becoming a Leader
It is unknown how Ferdinand first came into power. There was no historical documentary in the film or on the website of how he'd been elected to be the leader of The Nation. But he proved to be a charismatic leader to his people, prospering his nation's economy and strengthens the faith and admiration of his people to be loyal to him. After acknowledging that the other nations he refused to listen to their requests of uniting their nations in order to have their economies prosper even more, has now declared war on his Nation. Ferdinand knew that it was his responsibility to defend his country at all costs, so he prepares his military to defend their homeland in the war that is known as the Great World War. It lasted for an agonizing ten years (possibly incurring massive loses at all sides) until Ferdinand's enemies finally had enough and have surrendered and agreed to a ceasefire.
The result causes many of the world's nations to go bankrupt, and only Ferdinand's nation is celebrating after achieving complete victory from the war. The people of the Nation rejoice to this news and rallies behind Ferdinand, deeming him to be one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen. After the war, Ferdinand saw how the world was scarred, and realizes that under his leadership, he and his nation has the potential to reshape the aftermath of the war. He promises that with his leadership he can rearrange the world to a better place. He then tells his people that Science and Technology is the key in restoring the world. He then orders his government to hire many scientists and intellectuals to invent new innovations, eventually an unnamed Scientist applies his research and is quickly accepted and funded to develop his B.R.A.I.N. project. However, knowing that the B.R.A.I.N. has the potential to create new automatons in its own image, he then secretly changes his mind to use it for world domination, to expand his Nation. He doesn't lets the Scientist know about this. Months later, Ferdinand has gone restless for the full development of the B.R.A.I.N.. After seeing it that it's now in good working condition but still needs to run some tests, he seizes it and orders the Scientist to be interrogated and expelled. Ferdinand ordered the B.R.A.I.N. to create a mechanical army, called Steel Behemoths. He gives all the available resources to the Fabrication Machine to amass his mechanical army in the Factory. He tells the Nation that this new machine will usher the world into a new glorious era of wealth and prosperity for all of his people.
Chancellor Ferdinand ordering his men to remove the scientist from the B.R.A.I.N so he can seize it
Months later, the Fabrication Machine has created thousands of Steel Behemoths ready to be activated, Ferdinand uses it for the military or law enforcement. Despite warnings from the Scientist and hundreds of Rebels resisting his wishes, he furthers his plan for world conquest and unprovokingly declares war on all nations. His Steel Behemoths conquers country by country, quickly expanding the Nation's borders and the machines already sweep across widespread. However, these results, more of Ferdinand's enemies increase slowing down it's advance. Impatient, he escalates the Fabrication Machine's manufacturing output by triple, triggering it eventually to finally go dark and turn against humanity. Ferdinand's vision to conquer the world for himself now backfires, now that his enemy is his most powerful military weapon. The Steel Behemoths begins indiscriminately killing off humans, by using machine gun fire and deadly gas bombs. Ferdinand's people is in disarray, they are attacked relentlessly by the machines and have killed millions across the globe. Ferdinand addressed his Nation that they are still a mighty race and orders them to join him stand up against the 'iron fist' of the Machine. He may have underestimated the Fabrication Machine - nearly all of the Nation's infrastructure is obliterated and the Machines are after him next. He quickly evacuates himself onto a convoy heavily guarded by his military, possibly intending to abandon his Nation...his people. However, Ferdinand's convoy hits a roadblock and is attacked by gas bombs, everyone is killed including Ferdinand, marking his downfall and ending the collapse of his dictatorship. With the Ferdinand's leadership gone, his Nation is now in complete disarray without their Supreme Leader, though now that the Resistance has its freedom it leads a final assault on the Fabrication Machine to their own hands without Ferdinand.
Chancellor Ferdinand posing with the scientist and the B.R.A.I.N as it was created
History
Because of his status as Chancellor, Ferdinand was the head-of-state of an unspecified nation in Western Europe (heavily implied to be Germany), or as he refers to as, the State. His regime is operated as a totalitarian dictatorship in which he is the absolute leader, and political dissenters are not tolerated. His country's economy was a superpower filled with valuable resources, but international tensions with other global leaders recommend that they want to unite their nations with Ferdinand's to make their economies better. But the Chancellor refused these requests and thus kickstarting a Great World War that lasted ten years and resulted in other nations becoming bankrupt with their cities in ruins and their natural resources depleted, while Ferdinand's Nation celebrates after declaration that the war is over, people rejoicing and rallying behind Ferdinand referring to him as the Glorious Leader.
Chancellor Ferdinand's citizens rallying after the end of the war.
Later, in order to rebuild his Nation and spur the economy Ferdinand declared that the way to the future is through Science and Technology. The government began hiring many scientist and intellectuals to research into peaceful innovations. The Scientist, a former toy maker, received funding from Ferdinand to research into an artificial "B.R.A.I.N." by sending a letter to his lab, the letter in the envelope reads:
Dear Comrade,
Throughout the Great World War our glorious Nation has towered over the globe, as the defining symbol of power and progress, thanks to the focused and organized efforts of our military forces the War ended, and the world sees itself in a state of rebirth.
Ten years after the war, we must employ new methods to cleanse our planets of its scars, and on this day it is clear to me that the path to peace, prosperity, and a leisurely life for the citizens of our Nation is through technology.
Technology that will build. Technology that will create. Technology that will improve, learn and grow. I am pleased to extend state funding to your Automaton research, Scientist, make us proud.
-Chancellor Ferdinand
After reading that note, the Scientist begins development on the B.R.A.I.N. project. Ferdinand visited the Scientist to review his progress, but finds that it was not activated yet and gives him more time. On his second visit, he sees that the prototype B.R.A.I.N. is finally operational. After seeing this, Ferdinand later quickly seizes the B.R.A.I.N. and integrates it into the Fabrication Machine, and promised the Nation that this new machine would labor for the people, protect the Nation, and all live prosperous and leisurely lives once again. The Nation rejoiced, rallying behind Ferdinand.
Ferdinand then had a Factory build to house the Fabrication Machine, and is now ready for manufacturing new automaton creations. Ferdinand sees the opportunity of his plans for world conquest and surreptitiously orders the Fabrication Machine to create a mechanical army. The Fabrication Machine has created hundreds of Steel Behemoths waiting to be activated in the Factory. Ferdinand sees the moment, and unprovoked, declared war on the other struggling nations, this New War was bloody and reckless many nations began joining forces to defeat Ferdinand and his War Machines. Ferdinand escalates the Fabrication Machine's manufacturing output driving it to make more and more.
Tortured and angry, the Fabrication Machine lashed out and began to reprogram the War Machines and orders it to indiscriminately kill all organic life, the machines went berserk slaughtering millions of people and poisoning the earth with gas bombs. Ferdinand denounced the Scientist, blaming him for the cause of the chaos. Later, as the war rages on, Ferdinand is evacuated and transported by a convoy but is killed when a gas bomb is launched at them, killing the men and Ferdinand. The Dictatorship crumbled and the world fell into complete chaos.
Chancellor Ferdinand denouncing the scientist, “traitor has let us astray”
"9" Scientist Facebook
The Chancellor, as mentioned from the entries of the Scientist, is a strong and powerful man who wishes to have his nation prosper back to its feet. On May 15, at 5:22 P.M., the Chancellor has granted the Scientist permission to invent a mechanical robot, also known as the B.R.A.I.N. Later, the Chancellor visited the Scientist on May 28, at 5:26 P.M., only to discover that the B.R.A.I.N. isn't activated yet. Furious at him, he then gave the Scientist more time to activate it as the latter beg the leader for more time. On June 8, at 12:40 P.M., the Chancellor paid a second visit but this time, he brought his lieutenants for extra security. To his surprise, the B.R.A.I.N. is now activated and as he watched it move around, the Chancellor chose to take it away to help construct the Fabrication Machine.
More information to be added.
The Scientist's Lab
Inside the Scientist's Lab, a letter in an envelope from the Dictator can be seen near the chalkboard. Later, if you go to the radio and only turn it on, after the radio announcer announces the Dictator will bring out the latest news, the Dictator will then boom out the latest news: the Fabrication Machine is now in use to help the nation prosper. But after the news, the radio will lose connection.
Chancellor Ferdinand's Silhouette as he pays a visit to the scientist to check on his work
Fictional role
Ferdinand was only viewed once through a presentation that 4 showed to 5, 7, and 9 about the
Chancellor Ferdinand waving to his people
Chancellor Ferdinand addressing the fabrication machine to the nation
Fabrication Machine's origin. In that, he was seen standing on the back seat of a roofless car, right arm outstretched as the radio announcer announced news of the Fabrication Machine. He was presumed to have been killed by the Machine itself when it turned against humanity.
Quotes
- Comrades, today dawns a new era. Let us praise this new technology. Welcome, to the Age of the Machine. It will create new machines in its own image, machines of peace. That will usher in a glorious new era of wealth and prosperity for the State.
- Science has turned its sinister hands against us! People of our Mighty State... Join me, in repelling the iron fist of the Machine.
Trivia
- Chancellor Ferdinand resembles Adolf Hitler because of his personality, intentions, and the military uniform that he always wears, except that he doesn't have a mustache and his suit doesn't have the Nazi swastika. He also resembles Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, whose military uniform is similar, and who encouraged his subjects to call each other 'comrade'. In the film, he uses 'comrade' to address both the nation and the scientist, hinting at the parallels between the two.
- In the scene where Ferdinand is waving to his people and the Radio Announcer speaks out, it's possible to hear people cheering, heil three times. This could be similar to Adolf Hitler when his people see him, they greet back by saying, heil. Though Ferdinand just waves to his people and doesn't do the Nazi salute.
- Ferdinand's medals, which we see in his uniform, is displayed at the Library.
- Ferdinand's suit seems to have change, in the propaganda poster (above) we see that his sash have symbols imprinted on it. In the newspaper, shown by 3 and 4, we see that his full suit, that his sash has 3 symbols imprinted on it which is briefly seen in the poster, and his medals are different and are worn in the left side of his chest. In the clip 3 and 4 showed, the symbols on his sash have disappeared and the medals are different and worn on the right side of his chest.
- His belt buckle has the Nation's symbol on it.
- In the flashback of the stitchpunks during the war, before the wall explodes you can see a mural post of the Chancellor painted on the wall.
- The date on the poster says 9.9.09, which is the film's release date.
- He was originally named "The Dictator" in the “9” film script.
- During the war with the machines, other nations might not have helped him fight off the machines as a punishment for him for attacking other nations before the machines turn against him.
- In the scene where 9 attempts to hide from 2's light, a dead man is seen behind and what appears to be Ferdinand. Although the head’s scalp lost all hair and the body does not resemble to be of a man in his 50’s, the deceased man's uniform is explicitly as that of Ferdinand's. The sash and the armband is seen, though the medals aren't visible, this might be his body after his convoy was attacked though it is still unclear. Alternatively, it presumably could have been one of Ferdinand's subordinate officers.
This may be Chancellor Ferdinand's remains or a one of his subordinate officer
- In one piece of original concept art, Ferdinand can be seen with the Scientist on the floor driving a dagger into the chest of the latter. However, a feather-tip ink pen is driven in his right eye, this hints that he had possibly took his anger out on the Scientist, or had discovered he may have had something that could change events (such as the Talisman). However, these are former speculations from an unused plot-lining concept regarding the Scientist and Chancellor Ferdinand’s presumable future relationships between each other and/or fate of fatality.
- In the earlier concept art, Ferdinand was designed to look exactly like Soviet Russian founder Vladimir Lenin on the defaced propaganda posters that say, “Resist and Revolt”, but that was later modified to where he would have a facet more like Hitler and Stalin.
Gallery
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| 2009 film characters | |
|---|---|
| Stitchpunks | 1 • 2 • 3 & 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 |
| Machines | The Cat Beast • The Fabrication Machine • The Seamstress • The Winged Beast |
| Humans | Chancellor Ferdinand • The Scientist |