Anna Butler
11/22/09
ENG 120
Prof. Richie
Technology in Surrogates
Technology has become so important to our lives today, it is impossible to imagine how the
world could continue without it. Humans have come so far in the fields of science and technology, but,
in some ways, how far is too far? The graphic novel The Surrogates by Robert Venditti and Brett
Weldele, plus its film counterpart Surrogates directed by Jonathan Mostow, is a glance into where our
world is headed. Society relies on technology so much, but eventually technology itself turns against us.
Technology is so imbedded in our lives, that even the one character bent on destroying all Surrogates
and those who use them cannot escape technology’s grasp. Dr. Canter contributes to society’s
increasing dependency on technology through his creation of the Surrogates, his constant use of the
machines, and even through his attempt to destroy them.
In the graphic novel, Dr. Canter created Surrogates to “an elaborate prosthetic” (Venditti 140), a
substitute body for the disabled. He “only sought to give people like [him] the chance to live normal
lives. But [his] partners at VSI overrode [him]” (Brancato 113), and the company took it way too far, to
the point where Canter no longer supported the use of Surrogates. However, Canter is not entirely
innocent. Even though his creation of the machines seems to be for a good cause, giving anybody the
chance to hide behind a false image of themselves, whether they are disabled or not, is never a good
idea. A step towards healing for many people is being able to face their problems, and Surrogates take
that ability away. Also, there is no way Canter could not have predicted the company’s use of his
invention. Corporations’ main goal is to make money. Canter should have seen how the company would
bend and distort his original creation and make it into something that would rake in millions of doe. Yet,
he made the Surrogates anyway, fully aware of all the risks.
Even though Dr. Canter is adamantly against the use of Surrogates, he still uses one. In the
graphic novel, he uses his prototype to commit all the crimes against other Surrogates. In the film, he
has a whole library of Surrogates that he uses, not just one for dire needs, but several. He even lends
one out to his son, completely contradicting his beliefs towards the machines: “I allowed Tony to borrow
one of my surrogates when he wanted to spend time in D.C.” (Brancato 24). His biggest hypocritical act,
however, is his use of a Surrogate as the leader of all those against it—the Prophet, in the film version.
The Prophet heads a group of dreads who are anti-Surrogate, and it is really Dr. Canter behind the
mechanical mask of Ving Rhames’ character. Canter is contradicting his own beliefs by using Surrogates
not only in his everyday life, but also in his quest against them.
Dr. Canter even goes so far as to use a Surrogate as the main weapon used for destroying all the
other Surrogates. In the graphic novel, the “person” committing the crimes is the first Surrogate ever
created, being operated by Dr. Canter. It is extremely hypocritical of Canter to use the exact technology
that he’s trying to rid the world of. Of course, Dr. Canter is physically disabled, and this is his main
reason for using the Surrogate. However, this does not eliminate the hypocrisy of it all. Going further
than the technology of the Surrogates is the machine used to kill them and their operators in the film
version. Dr. Canter promotes technology through his use of this device, even though he is using it to
destroy the technology he created. Almost everything Canter does is surrounded by and related to
technology—he cannot escape it.
Dr. Canter is strongly against and loathes his own creation, the Surrogates. Unfortunately, the
only way to take them out is to use their own technology. Machinery and technology engulf Dr. Canter’s
life, whether he likes it that way or not. He created Surrogates despite the obvious risks, and he even
uses them in everyday life. In addition, he uses a Surrogate on his mission to destroy them. Although Dr.
Canter has come to hate what he created, he can never rid himself fully of the Surrogates or any
technology—society has come too far and cannot turn back.
Works Cited
Brancato, John and Michael Ferris. Surrogates (Screenplay). 16 Oct. 2007. Script Collector.
Script Collector. Web. 18 Nov. 2009. < http://scriptcollector.blogspot.com/
2009/10/surrogates-2009-screenplay.html>.
Surrogates. Dir. Jonathan Mostow. Perf. Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike,
James Cromwell, and Ving Rhames. Touchstone Pictures, 2009. Film.
Venditti, Robert, and Brett Weldele. The Surrogates. Atlanta: Top Shelf, 2006. Print.