Who’s Verna in The Fall of the House of Usher? The ‘Executor of Karma’s’ Ending Explained
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Warning: This contains spoilers for The Fall of the House of Usher. From The Haunting at Bly Manor to The Midnight Club, Mike Flanagan loves to put little easter eggs or homages to some of gothic horror’s greatest works. So, if you’ve been watching his latest series, you might be wondering who Verna is in The Fall of the House of Usher.
The 2023 series from this acclaimed showrunner is based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story of the same name. The Fall of the House of Usher tells the tale of the unnamed narrator who receives a letter from his childhood friend, Roderick Usher, inviting him to visit the Usher family mansion. Roderick explains in the letter that he is suffering from a mysterious illness and is in desperate need of his friend’s support.
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Upon arriving at the decaying and gloomy Usher mansion, the narrator is struck by the eerie and unsettling atmosphere. He learns that Roderick’s twin sister, Madeline, is also ill and appears to be in a death-like state. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the Usher family is cursed, and their afflictions are tied to the house itself.
Flanagan has given this macabre tale a modern twist, as well as infusing it with references to many of Poe’s other classic tales. Per Netflix’s description: “From Mike Flanagan, the creator of The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, a wicked horror series based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Ruthless siblings Roderick and Madeline Usher have built Fortunato Pharmaceuticals into an empire of wealth, privilege and power. But past secrets come to light when the heirs to the Usher dynasty start dying at the hands of a mysterious woman from their youth.” So, who is Verna in The Fall of the House of Usher? Poe fans may already know.
Who is Verna in The Fall of the House of Usher?
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As mentioned, spoilers ahead. There are no characters named Verna in Poe’s Fall of the House of Usher, but if you’re any good at word puzzles, you’ll notice that “Verna” is an anagram for “raven”—which is a direct reference to one of Poe’s most famous works, the poem The Raven.
The character of Verna in Flanagan’s reimagining is often transformed into a raven herself; she’s a supernatural being. Verna said herself that she existed before humans and the physical manifestation of grief, much like the original raven is in Poe’s famous poem.
In the eighth episode of the series (aptly titled “The Raven”), it’s revealed that Verna made a deal with the siblings that traded their bloodline’s lives for success and riches during their lifetime. She first appears to a young Roderick and Madeline on New Year’s Eve 1979 as a bartender and various entities thereafter. It explains the sudden deaths of their children as the price for their fortune was “deferred to the next generation” in the form of the heirs’ actual lives.
At the end of the series, Verna has the final say with a Poe poem. While reading out “Spirits of The Dead,” she places several items on each of the Ushers’ graves: A mask for Perry, a cat’s collar for Leo, a plastic heart for Victorine, a golden scarab for Tamerlane, a bag of cocaine for Frederick , a flower and raven’s feather for Lenore, sapphires for Madeline, and the same glass tumbler that was used for the deal for Roderick.
Actor Carla Gugino—who fans would know well from other Flanagan titles Gerald’s Game, The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass—describes her character as the executor of fate and karma. “Often, people with a lot of privilege and a lot of power have an opportunity to do good things or to do bad things,” she told Netflix. “Poe never really believed in God and the devil per se. She’s not even evil.”
She continued to explain why it was important to portray the character as neutral as possible. “Verna is offering each of these people the most honest conversation they will ever have in their lives. She doesn’t really care if they’re good, they’re bad, they’re this, they’re that,” she said. “The amazing thing when you see that kind of shapeshifting is that there’s an embodiment of something that can seem super radical or super intense, but what it comes back to always is this neutrality.”
Gugino also talked about the process of switching between roles. What was really important to me was that there was a through line, so it wasn’t Carla Gugino doing a bunch of roles,” she said of her process. “What I was really interested in is a character who isn’t of this world, but is able to seamlessly be in this world.” She continued, “Once I found their voice and where they sit in my body, I was able to quickly change on set and be able to jump back and forth.”
What does the raven represent in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven?
The raven is a symbolic and mysterious figure that carries a range of interpretations but it’s a central element in the poem, and its presence has been the subject of much analysis and discussion.
It’s often seen as a symbol of grief, sorrow, and mourning. The narrator in the poem is deeply saddened by the loss of his love, Lenore, and the raven’s constant refrain of “Nevermore” serves as a reminder of the permanence of his grief.
Some interpretations suggest that the raven may represent the narrator’s own tortured mind. The raven’s relentless repetition of “Nevermore” may reflect the narrator’s obsessive and despairing thoughts, as he projects his inner turmoil onto the bird. Other interpretations note that ravens are often associated with death and the afterlife in various cultures. In this context, the raven may symbolize the narrator’s fear of death and his obsession with the idea of reuniting with Lenore in the afterlife.
Who’s in The Fall of the House of Usher cast?
As mentioned, there are lots of faces you’d recognize from previous Mike Flanagan series. Here’s the list of major characters and it would be remise for us not to acknowledge that, as in many of Flanagan’s shows, the house acts as a character in and of itself.
Carla Gugino as Verna, a mysterious stranger from the Usher twins’ past who preys on the heirs of their family.
Bruce Greenwood and Zach Gilford as Roderick Usher, Madeline’s twin brother and the corrupt CEO of Fortunato Pharmaceuticals.
Graham Verchere as teen Roderick Usher
Lincoln Russo as kid Roderick Usher
Mary McDonnell and Willa Fitzgerald as Madeline Usher, Roderick’s twin sister and the ambitious COO of Fortunato Pharmaceuticals who is into technological advancements.
Lulu Wilson as teen Madeline Usher
Kate Whiddington as kid Madeline Usher
Henry Thomas as Frederick Usher, Roderick’s eldest son and heir to Fortunato, husband to Morella, and father to Lenore.
William Kosovic as young Frederick Usher
Kate Siegel as Camille L’Espanaye, one of Roderick’s illegitimate children, and the sharp-tongued public relations head of Fortunato.
Rahul Kohli as Napoleon “Leo” Usher, one of Roderick’s illegitimate children, and a prominent video game publisher with a drug addiction.
Samantha Sloyan as Tamerlane Usher, Roderick’s eldest daughter, and an aspiring entrepreneur.
T’Nia Miller as Victorine LaFourcade, the eldest of Roderick’s illegitimate children, and a gifted surgeon.
The Fall of the House of User is available to stream on Netflix.
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