The Ludivico Corporation's logo.
The Ludivico Corporation is a mysterious and most likely corrupt company introduced in Episode 104 of ICWXP.
Little is known about the company aside from conclusions that can be drawn from statements made by one of their "special agents" - Jonathan Kincaid.
In Episode 104, when Kincaid is asked by Commander Rick Wolf why he's being continually forced to watch bad movies after the removal of Dr. Blackwood, he states, "That's what we do".
This implies that The Ludivico Corporation is in the business of subjecting people (most likely against their will) to watch bad movies.
Kincaid goes on to make statements that imply Dr. Blackwood was actually working for the corporation as a mid-tier employee or agent. When Kincaid inexplicably arrives at Cine-A-Sorrow Theater, he quickly assaults Blackwood with what appears to be a taser weapon, incapacitating him. He then goes on to explain to Rick that Blackwood has been sent for "re-education", that some of his "politics didn't match with ours", and suggests his punishment is partially due to making personal phone calls and possibly stealing paper clips. This implies that The Ludivico Corporation is not above physically attacking their own personnel, that they have the ability brainwash, and that they impose swift and cruel punishment for even the slightest offenses.
It is also revealed in Episode 104 that CORPS is "no more" by Kincaid (who may have been simply lying to break Rick's spirit). Whether or not Ludivico had anything to do with the supposed defeat of CORPS is left ambigious, but Kincaid does seem to imply it was due to their own incompetence and that they fell to the zombies.
Inspiration[]
The name of the company comes a torturous aversion therapy featured in the film, A Clockwork Orange (although in the film it is spelled "Ludovido" instead of "Ludivico"). In the film, the main character, Alex DeLarge is subjected to "The Ludovico Treatment" or "The Ludovico Technique". In this treatment, the subject is made to watch images of extreme violence while drugged in hopes that the mere thought of committing these acts will cause them severe illness and force them to refrain from the behavior. The subject's eyes are held open by an apparatus as well, which is the main inspiration for the logo.
Fan Theories[]
Fans have made the following speculations.
- The Ludivico Corporation is responsible for the zombie apocalypse.
- The Ludivico Corporation is operating from a zombie-safe location such as a fortified office building or military base.
- The Ludivico Corporation is compiling data to harness the power of the effect bad movies have on the human mind.
- The Ludivico Corporation funded Dr. Blackwood's purchase of Cine-A-Sorrow Theater.
- The Ludivico Corporation was also secretly behind Dr. Clayton Forrester of MST3K's experiments in which Joel Robinson and Mike Nelson were held against their will and forced to watch bad movies (The creators of ICWXP have never commented on whether or not the show is set in the same universe as MST3K).
- Dr. Blackwood has nothing to do with The Ludivico Corporation, given his daft, disorganized and reclusive nature, and Kincaid's comments suggesting otherwise are fabrications made for manipulative reasons.