What was Proteus in Zero Day? All about the neurological weapon featured in the series
Zero Day is a political thriller created by Michael Schmidt, Noah Oppenheim, and Eric Newman for Netflix. Lesli Linka Glatter directed the limited series, which debuted on February 20, 2025.
A devastating cyberattack that kills thousands of people and paralyzes the nation is the subject of this political conspiracy thriller. The thrilling and terrifying limited series centers on George Mullen, a well-liked and highly respected former US president who fights his personal issues and heads the investigation into a statewide cyberattack.
Mullen initially speculates that a secret weapon called Proteus might have been used to orchestrate the attack. However, he later finds out that Proteus is not a cyber weapon but a neurological one that can damage someone's brain.
The show features performances by Robert De Niro, Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Plemons, Joan Allen, Connie Britton, Bill Camp, and Angela Bassett. It is executive produced by Michael Schmidt, Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim, and several other people.
Disclaimer: The article contains spoilers for Zero Day. Reader's discretion is advised.
Proteus is a sophisticated neurological weapon developed by the NSA in Zero Day
Zero Day follows former President of the United States, George Mullen, who is heading a team called the Zero Day Commission. The focus of this commission is to investigate a deadly cyber-attack that downed almost all communication and transportation systems in the United States for a minute. This fracturing of the system claimed over 3400 lives within those one minute, causing mass hysteria.
The threat of more such possible attacks sent the government into a frenzy, leading them to give the commission power to arrest and detain citizens without a warrant. After the initial investigation, Geroge Mullen revealed in a press conference that the attack was carried out by a domestic terror group that used a sophisticated system called Proteus, developed by the NSA, to execute their plan.
However, it is later revealed that Proteus was not a cyber weapon but a neurological one. It could cause someone neurological damage from a distance, make the victim hallucinate, hear things, lose control, and many other complications.
Was Proteus used on George Mullen?
Soon after the attack, Mullen started hearing the rock band S*x Pistols' song Who Killed Bambi from the 1980s. This is followed by a hallucination in which he sees Anna Sindler, a girl who died due to the cyberattack.
He tells his staff member to turn off the music when he hears it for the first time. However, the employee gives him a puzzled expression. At this point, Mullen realizes that he may be experiencing hallucinations.
He asks his confidante, Roger, to confirm if Anna is truly dead. His wife grows concerned about his mental health and urges him to undergo a psychological test to demonstrate his mental stability.
After finding out that Proteus is a neurological weapon, Mullen begins suspecting that it is used against him. However, the show doesn't explicitly disclose if the weapon was used on him or not.
The significance of Mullen hearing the song, Who Killed Bambi, is connected to his son, who died of drug overuse during his presidency. It is revealed that when Mullen found his son's dead body, the same song was playing in the music system. So, Mullen hearing the song might be an indication of his unresolved trauma of losing his son and not a symptom of Proteus.
All six episodes of Zero Day are currently streaming on Netflix.
