Veidt kills his staff as a way to cover his tracks, which implies that he also killed all of the people on the boat with Max Shea and Hira Manish. Even before his plan is complete, Veidt murders hundreds of people, mostly of whom supported him and his work. But according to his utilitarian philosophy, uniting the world is worth these costs, just as Alexander the Great considered wiping out numerous armies the worthwhile cost of uniting the world in his day. Veidt’s trading of some people’s lives for the sake of others makes him an ethically questionable figure, far from the typical idea of a hero
or a villain.