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Wikus Van De Merwe is the main protagonist in District 9. He is a devoted, unscrupulous, but not so smart MNU agent who finds himself in an extraordinary situation. When tasked with evicting an alien species derogatively referred as Prawns from the confinement camp District 9, Wikus clumsily sprays himself with a mysterious black liquid. He begins to undergo a painful transformation into a Prawn, forcing him to go on the run from his company and a group of mercenaries.
He was portrayed by Sharlto Copley.
History[]
Wikus Van De Merwe is an employee of the MNU. Promoted and then assigned as the head of a planned relocation of the aliens to District 9, a camp about 200 kilometers northwest of Johannesburg, Wikus performs a search raid and stumbles upon the home of a smart, peaceful and wise Prawn alien named Christopher Johnson. During the investigation of Christopher Johnson's house, Wikus comes into contact with a strange extraterrestrial liquid. He begins to suffer painful side effects. Later, in a surprise ceremony thrown for his promotion in the resettlement program, he faints, and is rushed to a hospital. It is then revealed that the alien liquid he found earlier is in the process of turning his DNA into a Prawn's, and by then had already transformed his arm.
At the hospital, Wikus is soon overwhelmed by the MNU and is taken into an underground laboratory, where secret medical experiments are being conducted on aliens, and now on him. The MNU finds that Wikus is able to activate formerly inaccessible alien weapons, and forcibly coerces him into firing them for development purposes. When the experiments are completed, the staff decides to have him vivisected for further study; however, in a fury, he manages to escape the laboratory. Because of the sheer potential of his condition, he becomes the most sought-after man in the world. The MNU publishes false propaganda to smear Wikus's name: he has copulated with aliens. These fake news even turn his own family and friends against him.
Left with nowhere else to go, he sneaks his way back into the Prawn internment camp District 9. When hiding from an MNU search party, he runs into Christopher Johnson again, who politely requests Wikus to leave. However, when Wikus faints, Christopher notices the transformed arm and decides to hide Wikus. Upon waking up Wikus is confronted by Christopher about fuel. Wikus understands that the liquid he split on himself is the fuel, and tells Christopher the MNU has confiscated it. Christopher promises Wikus to make the genetic changes reversed, but only if they manage to retrieve the fuel. Christopher says he needs it so he can start his small ship and bring Wikus up to the alien vessel, where help can be provided. Wikus is enraged as he does not want to return to MNU and risk getting kidnapped. Later, he changes his mind and makes an assault plan with Christopher and son. Wikus steals alien weapons from Obesandjo, a Nigerian thug. With his knowledge about the company and powerful weapons, Wikus and Christopher successfully break into the MNU lab. But Christopher is devastated to find the corpse of his friend mutilated for lab experiments. Wikus and Christopher manage to retrieve the fuel and escape. Back at Christopher's hut, Christopher admits to Wikus that he has to delay the latter's healing up to three years since he needs to help his people first. Unable to grasp the fact that he would be a Prawn by then, Wikus betrays Christopher, knocks him down with a plank and steals Christopher's ship. Meanwhile, mercenary leader Koobus Venter arrives at the hut. He assaults and captures Christopher. Wikus' escape fails as the ship is shot in the air and he crashes. He is then captured by Koobus' mercenaries.
During the road back to MNU, Wikus is freed from the mercenaries by the Nigerians and is taken to their gang leader, who wants to eat Wikus' arm to gain his powers. Christopher's son, who remained on the crashed ship, sends a distress signal to the mother ship, which remotely activates an alien suit that is inside the Nigerian's hideout. With the help of this alien battle suit, the Nigerian gang leader is brutally killed, while his gang is neutralized. Wikus takes control of the suit and strikes a deal with Koobus: Wikus will not save Christopher in exchange for being allowed to run free. Wikus runs away, abandoning Christopher, and is mocked by Koobus. After Wikus leaves, Koobus orders his men to kill Christopher, which Wikus overhears via his suit. He changes his mind, returns to fight the MNU mercenaries. After saving Christopher and leading him to the mother ship with his son, Wikus stays behind and buys time for them to flee. Before they part ways, Christopher promises he will return for Wikus in three years. Wikus fights to the last breath and is cornered by Koobus, who prepares to execute him. However, some Prawns, having seen Wikus' noble sacrifice, help him and dismember Koobus alive. Christopher successfully boards the mother ship with his son and departs. Wikus watches the ship leave, smiles in relief, then weeps at his fate.
In the aftermath, Wikus' status is unkown, and he has become a controversial figure. His family has rejected him save for his wife, who hopes he is still alive as she sometimes receives hand-crafted flowers, which he loved making. Wikus is finally shown being fully transformed as a Prawn, building flowers for his wife.