How Watchmen’s Film Made a Killer a Beloved Antihero

In 2009, Zack Snyder’s movie adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ comic, “Watchmen,” deviated from the original story in several aspects, particularly the ending. Instead of a few million deaths attributed to an alleged alien attack, Ozymandias kills between 40-80 million people, framing Doctor Manhattan for the crime. While the high death toll in the comic might have been disturbing, it’s hard to comprehend the even greater loss of life in the film. The complexity of the story often leads viewers to sympathize with Rorschach’s perspective repeatedly, as they believe that no justification exists for the slaughter of innocent lives.

In the original story, Ozymandias manipulates a false alien invasion to bring unity among the world’s nations. With nuclear war imminent, he orchestrated an extradimensional being to emit a psychic scream, resulting in the death of around 3-8 million people worldwide. This event forced countries to unite against a common external menace. In reality, it was a massive deception that Ozymandias orchestrated by annihilating everyone on Manhattan Island. Rorschach is the sole costumed hero who refuses to participate in this scheme, leading to one of the central moral conflicts in ‘Watchmen’.

Watchmen Deconstructs Superhero Stories

Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons Turned the Genre Upside Down

1983 marked the teaming up of several superheroes such as Blue Beetle, The Question, and Captain Atom. Alan Moore recognized their potential for critiquing the superhero genre and expressed this intention during an interview with Comic Book Artist magazine in 2000.

Despite DC passing up the opportunity to utilize their newly acquired IPs for this particular project, Moore opted to create new characters with characteristics reminiscent of those from Charlton Comics. He then wove his narrative around these figures. This approach overturned all preconceived notions about superhero stories, offering a complex universe where masked heroes confronted the moral ambiguities inherent in their world. The only character endowed with powers was Dr. Manhattan; his divine abilities significantly altered global politics. America increasingly leaned on him to preserve its supremacy, but when he tired of the world’s trivial conflicts, he departed, leaving the planet teetering on the edge of nuclear conflict.

In this scenario, Ozymandias devises a risky strategy to avoid the extinction of our species. However, his plan results in the deaths of everyone on Manhattan island, causing global panic as people believe an alien invasion has occurred. This false alarm leads the U.S. and Soviet Union to de-escalate their conflict, allowing humanity to narrowly avoid destruction. The downside is that this action takes the lives of 3-8 million innocent people, which Rorschach considers unacceptable.

Watchmen Presents an Ethical Dilemma with No Clear Answer

Other Movies and TV Shows Have Tackled the Same Question

In other works, such as various TV shows and films, a similar ethical quandary isn’t exclusive to Watchmen. Moore modeled this dilemma on the trolley problem, a thought experiment where one must choose to sacrifice one person to save many others. This question doesn’t have a clear solution, but instead, it highlights moral boundaries and ambiguous situations where no choice is completely right. Many creators have approached this topic differently in their own interpretations of the ethical implications.

As a movie enthusiast, I’d like to highlight the thought-provoking series “The Good Place” that cleverly explores ethical dilemmas, such as the trolley problem, with characters finding themselves in morally challenging situations, like Chidi, a protagonist, who finds himself at the wheel of a trolley, about to hit his dearest friend Henry. Similarly, in films like “The Dark Knight” (2008), The Joker presents this dilemma with two ferries full of people, and in “Saving Private Ryan,” the trolley problem serves as the central plot point, where a squad of eight men are compelled to kill themselves to save one man. In another instance, Joel Miller makes a heart-wrenching choice in saving his surrogate daughter Ellie at the cost of finding a cure for the zombie plague.

Star Trek consistently explores the theme that arises frequently, like the recurring motif of “the greater good,” as exemplified by events such as Spock’s sacrifice and revival in the original film series, Ben Sisko’s difficult choice in the episode “In the Pale Moonlight,” and Kathryn Janeway’s debated action to separate Tuvix in Star Trek: Voyager. These instances are among the most memorable moments in the franchise.

In my perspective as a fan, each movie or series presents unique solutions to problems, acknowledging that there’s no absolute right or wrong path. However, they often introduce self-sacrifice as a solution, which has enabled Star Trek to navigate complex situations more than once while maintaining its narrative integrity. Yet, they all delve deep into the consequences and leave the final judgment to the viewers. Watchmen follows suit in this regard, even though Ozymandias’ guilt is undeniable, the exploration of his motives adds layers of complexity to the storyline.

Rorschach Doesn’t Bend on His Beliefs

He’s a Character Defined by Black-and-White Thinking, Who Refuses to Compromise

From a film enthusiast’s perspective, in Zack Snyder’s adaptation, Ozymandias’ objective mirrors his comic book counterpart, but the execution varies significantly. Instead of extraterrestrial beings, Ozy craftily implicates Doctor Manhattan for causing mass destruction on an unprecedented scale. By exploiting the Doctor’s distinctive energy signature, Ozy triggers explosions across the globe, creating a global crisis that tests unity and morality.

Both the film and comic illustrate the Watchmen as characters with shades of gray, reflecting a complex world where right and wrong aren’t always apparent. They are heroes to some extent, yet even their antagonist, Ozymandias, isn’t your typical supervillain. The Watchmen are prepared to collaborate with Ozy’s plan and maintain secrecy, primarily to minimize additional loss of life. This difficult compromise doesn’t sit well with them, especially Night Owl, who is visibly horrified. However, if they reject it, the potential consequences could be devastating, so they reluctantly accept Ozymandias’ mass murder as a tragic necessity for preserving countless lives.

Apart from Rorschach, there is one other character who stands out for his stark contrast to gray – Rorschach himself. Just as his mask remains unyielding in its black and white design, so too does he uphold absolute moral principles. Despite his personal flaws, he firmly believes that choosing to end the lives of millions to prevent a war is an immoral act, equivalent to taking those same lives during the ensuing conflict. In the narrative, Dr. Manhattan ultimately ends Rorschach’s life, but before their final encounter, Rorschach sends his journal to a right-wing media outlet. The story concludes without revealing whether they publish it or not, though both film and show seem to imply that they do. HBO’s Watchmen limited streaming series continues the tale by depicting Ozymandias eventually facing justice for his actions.

Fans Continue to Debate Rorschach’s Decision

Though Unhinged and Possibly Psychotic, He Has the Moral High Ground

In my opinion, it’s quite normal to find oneself drawn to the complex world of Twitter, and many fellow enthusiasts concur that Rorschach, despite his flaws, is on point. He’s brutal and may be a psychopath, but he’s vowed to thwart evil (though he often treads perilously close to it himself), and mass destruction is evil. While immersed in Watchmen, viewers can witness a hint of uncertainty surface within Ozymandias as he ponders the cost of his actions. He starts to grapple with justifying his deeds. He starts to recognize that this greater good he’s championing is merely his own ego. Ozy is striving to be the hero. He chose who was worth sacrificing and didn’t seek input from anyone before enacting his plan. Ozy is left pondering if his utopia will truly endure.

In the comic, Ozy’s plan seems more defensible due to its potential to save countless lives. However, in the film, the numbers are less clear, and a vast number of people, equivalent to the entire population of Earth, could perish to preserve the planet. The narrative challenges viewers to ponder what sacrifices can be justified and grapple with the heavy moral implications of mass murder. Many readers share Rorschach’s viewpoint that taking lives is unjustifiable, and they feel it’s preferable to uphold principles, even if it means facing Armageddon rather than compromising. In essence, they identify with Rorschach, who believes it’s more honorable to die for one’s convictions than to yield.

Watchmen is currently streaming on Max.

2025-04-26 04:23