The Deacon

*Not to be confused with the Deacons of Leviathan.*

> *Dryland is not just our destination. It is our destiny!*
>
> **The Deacon**, 1995 film

**The Deacon** is the central antagonist in the 1995 film, in which he was portrayed by Dennis Hopper.

The Deacon is both the military and spiritual leader of the smokers, a roving band of industrialised pirates, and lord of their base, the *Deez*.

In the later comics, this character is referred to the **Valdez Deacon** and **Deacon of the Valdez**; this refers to the Deez and also to differentiate him from the Deacons of Leviathan, an order he once belonged to before becoming leader of his own faction.

## Film gallery

Deacon on his war barge, as his troops prepare to attack Oasis Atoll, before losing his eyeThe Deacon having lost his left eye after the explosion of his war bargeInterrogating some prisoners after the raid on Oasis AtollThe Smoker Doctor gives The Deacon a new eyeThe Deacon with a pack of Black Death cigarettesThe Mariner and the DeaconThe Deacon and "Saint Joe"Deacon about to address his troops on *The Deez*The Deacon interrogating Enola about her map to DrylandThe Deacon on a jet ski
### Video games

The Mariner and the Deacon battle in the 2022 mock-arcade game
## Character creation

* The antagonist of the film went through perhaps the most changes of all characters throughout the various rewrites of the script.
	+ In Peter Rader's original pitch, which was directly influenced by *Mad Max: The Road Warrior*, the main villain heavily resembled the hulking, mutated villain of that film, Lord Humungus. Waterworld's villain referred to himself as **King Neptune**, and killed his victims with a huge trident.
		- This appearance would later be transferred to "The Leviathan", the villain of the comic books.
	+ In Peter Rader's revised second film screenplay, the antagonist was a ruthless pirate leader named **Laszlo**, who is described as tall and handsome, with long blonde hair.
		- In the final revised screenplay, this character would become the Deacon's second-in-command, The Nord.

## Casting

Before Dennis Hopper was cast, other actors considered for the role of the Deacon included Gene Hackman, James Caan, Gary Oldman, Laurence Fishburne,  Samuel L. Jackson, and Gary Busey.

### Behind the scenes gallery

Production still of Dennis Hopper on setClose-up of Dennis Hopper's prostheticsDennis Hopper and cinematographer Dean Semler on set
## Quotes

* *I've had a vision so great, as it came to me I wept.*
* *Bring me the key to the city.*
* *Bring out the kamakazees.*
* *Well, that made a hole!*
* *Adios, cousins!*
* *If you'll notice the arterial nature of the blood coming from the hole in my head, you can assume that we're all having a real lousy day.*
* *That's why I love children: no guile. It does look like shit.*
* *Let's have an intelligent conversation here: I'll talk, and you listen.*
* *How 'bout a cigarette? Nothing like a good smoke when you miss your mom... Never too young to start...*
* *If I ever see him again, I'm going to cut open his head and eat his brain.*
* *He'll see what's left of you in a goddamn jar!*
* *I don't have a goddamn clue. Don't worry, they'll row for a month before they figure out I'm fakin' it.*
* *Well, I'll be damned. It's the gentleman guppy. You know, he's like a turd that won't flush. You know, I thought you were stupid, friend. But I underestimated you; you're a total freakin' retard! Ha-ha-ha...*
* *Well, what on this screwed-up earth of ours makes you think you're gonna get her?*
* *Golly gee, a single tear rolls down my cheek. You're gonna die for your friend.*
* *Don't just stand there, kill something!*

## Trivia

* The sequel comic book series reveals that Deacon was originally one of the a number of Deacons, or priests, in the cult called The Church of Leviathan. In fact the Leviathan refers to him as 'the greatest of my Deacons'.
	+ It is strange how the Leviathan would exalt the Deacon's philosophy and methods, since in many ways they were opposites. The Leviathan placed reverence in armour, weapons and materials which were organic in nature (albeit sourced from mutated sea-life) and the Deacon placed reverence on man-made technology, firearms and the internal combustion engine. Also, the Deacon's aim was to find Dryland, whilst the Leviathan wanted to remain at sea where he was considered a deity.
* The Deacon was a lover of golf. In the novelisation of the film, the Deacon is described as carrying around a 'Spaulding five iron' as his 'mace of office', although this is not seen in the film.
	+ In the extended cut of the film, the Deacon is seen with a gold club frustratingly attempting to play golf within the confined space of his chamber in the *Deez*. There are old VHS cassettes of golfing (of course he has no way of watching these). He also looks over at an ancient picture of a golf course which he has hanging on his wall, and ruminates on building a expansive golf course when he finds Dryland.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a33443888/why-waterworld-is-actually-good-25th-anniversary-essay/