The Best Character From Watchmen (2009)

If I was given the opportunity to rent out a theater and play one movie, I would choose ‘Watchmen’. I have always been a comic book fan and this movie is probably my favorite of them all. March of 2009, the movie based on the comic by the same name, grossed more than $185 million.

Taking place in 1985, the world is in the middle of the Cold War and counting down the days until nuclear war begins. The movie follows a group of ex-vigilantes after their ‘hero’ days are forced to end. Seeing a need to stop crime a few ordinary citizens decided to become a masked army of sorts referred to as the watchmen. As explained in the movie, the idea of the watchman came from the gangs. The gangs dressed up and pulled heists, and no one could identify them because of the masks. Eventually, some of the cops decided to put on a mask themselves and go around the law to enforce the law. Once the first generation grows old, a new generation takes over the tradition. After some time people started to protest the government's support of the Watchman.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Who watches the Watchmen?

I’m going to go a bit fast with this so bear with me.

Our story kicks off when the Comedian gets murdered. The comedian, Eddie Blake, was a first-generation watchman known for violent and often unjustified behavior. He is shown being attacked, then thrown out of the window of his apartment. Once the police clear out, we meet our next watchmen Rorschach, who grapple hooks casually into the crime scene. Rorschach wears a mask which resembles the inkblot test for which he is named. After he comes to the conclusion that someone is out murdering the watchmen, he goes to warn the others. One of the people who he warns is Dr. Manhattan, also known as John. Dr. Manhattan had an accident in a lab, like in most comic books, and his molecules got scrambled, basically giving him the power of a God. There are a lot of other characters that can be brought up but for the sake of keeping this short and sweet, I'm sticking with these three for now.

Throughout the movie, there is a consistent theme which is, where is the line between good and evil. When does something morally unacceptable, acceptable?

In one scene, the Comedian is shown fighting on the front lines in the Vietnam war. He is shown basically gunning down anyone he sees while happily smoking a cigar.

After the U.S. wins the war, we see the Comedian celebrating at a bar in Vietnam. A local woman storms in to confront him and it is revealed that she is pregnant with Eddie’s child. They get in a fight and the pregnant woman uses a smashed bottle to cut the Comedian’s face. The Comedian, with very little hesitation, shoots and kills the woman. The question being, was this murder less justified than the murder of the men on the battlefield?

Dr. Manhattan was the closest thing to a God on the earth. He could see all time simultaneously and could breathe on Mars.

Dr. Manhattan was believed to be the main thing deterring Russia from starting a nuclear war. He is shown actively working to prevent war and the mass murder of millions. In the scene previously mentioned, Dr. Manhattan witnessed the fight between the Comedian and the pregnant woman.

Dr. Manhattan- "She was pregnant. And you gunned her down. "

Edward Blake- "That's right. And you know what, you watched me. You could've turned the gun into steam, the bullets into mercury, the bottle into goddamned snowflakes but you didn't, did you? You really don't give a damn about human beings. You're driftin' out of touch, Doc. God help us all.”

Although Dr. Manhattan had the power to stop the Comedian, he simply watched. Is Dr. Manhattan justified in allowing a murder to happen if he could have prevented it?

Lastly, Rorschach, one of the most well written comic book characters ever. He is very clearly being portrayed as a villain in the story until about halfway into the movie. His first appearance in the movie ends with him saying,

“…look up and shout "Save us!"... and I'll whisper "no."

A pivotal moment for his character is when he is explained to a shrink, who was ironically giving him a rorschach test, the first time he killed a man. He was working a case where a little girl had gone missing. Rorschach was led to a house where he found the remains of the girl, and her leg being eaten by two dogs. When the murderer got back to the house Rorschach took an axe to his head numerous times.

“You see, Doctor, God didn't kill that little girl. Fate didn't butcher her and destiny didn't feed her to those dogs. If God saw what any of us did that night he didn't seem to mind.”

Rorschach is completely comfortable in his decision to kill this man. No judge, no jury, just execution. Was he justified in his decision to kill him?

Every character has their own moment to contribute to the theme of what is and is not morally acceptable. Want to know what character was the best though?

Sally Jupiter aka Silk Spectre

Sally was a first generation watchman who later pressured her daughter Laurie to take her place. It is shown the movie the Comedian beating and attempting to rape Sally. Years later, Sally cheats on her husband with the Comedian and becomes pregnant with Laurie. Laurie goes to visit her mother on the day of the Comedian's funeral, unaware at the time that he is her father. Sally is alone, drinking at 2:00pm, and looking at foreign adult comics of herself.

She shows remorse for Eddie dying , which immediately upsets her daughter.

Laurie Jupiter- "Poor Eddie? After what he did to you? "

Sally Jupiter- "You’re still young, you don’t know. Things change. What happened, happened forty years ago. I'm 65 years old. Every day the future looks a little bit darker. But the past, even the grimy parts of it, well, it just keeps on getting brighter all the time.”

She explains that what is wrong at one moment, might later be seen as right. Life isn’t what you think it is going to be, and the decisions that you make when you are younger, are going to seem like the wrong ones until it is put in the right light. She then goes on to say one of my favorite quotes from the movie,

“Things are tough all over, cupcake. It rains on the just and unjust alike.”

What is and is not morally acceptable? Who is right and is wrong? The answer; it doesn’t matter. Eventually, everything will be viewed with a different context and perspective.