Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘The Madness’ follows the story of Colman Domingo’s Muncie Daniels. He turns from being a successful political commentator with a bright future in TV to a man hunted for the murder of a white supremacist over the course of one weekend. The story takes many twists and turns as Muncie tries to prove his innocence, which involves finding the real culprit. In his quest, he comes across some very powerful people and influential organizations that make him think twice about his own centrist stance. The focus lies mainly on the victim, Mark Simon, and the origination, the Forge, to which he belongs. SPOILERS AHEAD
Brother 14 and the Forge are Fictional Neo-Nazis in The Madness
‘The Madness’ is a fictional series created by Stephen Belber. The inspiration for the story comes from the conflicting nature of today’s politics and the many lies the public is fed by social media and seemingly trustworthy news outlets, all to serve the purpose of a select few. While this background for the story is real, almost all the characters and organizations that appear in the series are entirely fictional, including the Forge. There is a real organization by the name of the Forge, but it has nothing to do with the Neo-Nazi, white supremacist organization that we see in the Netflix series.
The real-life Forge’s purpose is “to elevate the strategy and practice of organizing through the sharing of ideas, methods, history, and inspiration, and by building connection and community among organizers and between sectors of the progressive movement.” Another real-life connection to the Forge may be found in a website called Fascist Forge. According to the BBC, this now-defunct online forum was run by a man named Mathias, who was the alias of Matthew Baccari from Southern California. The group is said to have attracted underage boys, almost all of whom had run-ins with the law and were being charged with all sorts of crimes. It is possible that the series may have used “the Forge” in reference to them, but this possibility has not been commented upon by the creators of the show.
In the same vein, Mark Simon is also a fictional character who represents white supremacists in general rather than focusing on one particular person as inspiration. His nickname, Brother 14, could be a reference to David Lane, a well-known white nationalist figure who passed away in 2007. Known for having connections to all sorts of neo-Nazi, white supremacist organizations, Lane is also known for creating the 14-word catchphrase: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.” The fourteen in Brother 14’s name could refer to that, highlighting Mark Simon’s motivations as a white supremacist and his willingness to go to any lengths to get what he and the Forge want. Their plans come to light through a pen drive discovered by Mark’s ex-wife after his death. At the end of the day, their unlawful practices lead them to face the consequences of their actions.
