A brief thought about Watchmen

[CRASHiC]

Link to original post: [drupal=2944]A brief thought about Watchmen[/drupal]



I'd like to take a second to look at The Watchmen's main characters and point out how utterly useless the main two are.

The Comedian- Here is a man who sees the world for what it is, sees man as an animal, and strives to be nothing but that. He has given in to the animal side of man fully, and takes pride in it. He is heavily flawed, at the end alienating himself from everyone he knew to the point to where he could only talk to a man who use to be his worst enemy.

Doctor Manhattan- Science and science only. Manhattan sees the world on only its scientific level, a collection of natural process. His flaw lies in being cold to the human race, not valuing the precious and rare entity that is life. He turns back, realizing the beauty of life but he seems to be the only one that learns from his mistakes, given, he is a perfect man. You could argue that the comedian did because of him reaching out to his enemy, but that before he could make any decisions on this epiphany he was killed.

Ozymandias- Rationality (and pride) as a sin. He had rationalized everything to such an extent that he would gladly sacrifice innocent people to save a larger population.

Rorschach- Morals taken to such an extreme that he can not see anything past them, even for the greater good.

Now we get to the seemingly main two characters, and what do they add to the comic? From what I see, very little. Perhaps they add a sense of rationality and a relatable sense to the characters, but outside of that, I don't truly see anything they truly add to the plot. Even in the final attempt to stop Ozy, Owl adds only a minor role. Most of the work is of course done by Manhattan. You could say that the girl was needed to turn Manhattan, but wouldn't the memory of his past lover have been a powerful enough force to move him to save the world? It would have certainly had enough emotional impact. Her mother on the other hand was a good way of showcasing how dirty and conflicted life can become.

I really see next to nothing Night Owl II and Silk II add to the theme or plot at all really, and feel the comic would have been much more streamlined without them.

 

[kataklysm336]

I wouldn't say that Spectre and Owl are the two main characters. If anything Rorschach and Comedian are the two main ones (Rorshach taking on the role of the "main" protagonist and Comedian's death launched it all). The way I see it is everyone represents an extreme, as you pointed out, except Owl and Spectre. They represent the norms of society, the everyman, they are the rational ones. They represent the normal side of us all, while all the other characters represent the extremes of us all.

 

[Pelikinesis]

I agree with you, CRASHiC. Nite Owl and the Silk Spectre are relatively normal humans when compared to the rest of the cast. Owl put on weight and Spectre actually hated being a vigilante in the first place.

The basic premise of Watchmen was a realistic, gritty reimagining of the superhero genre. You can't do realistic without characters who resemble what we'd like to think of as genuine human beings.

But yes, they don't contribute much to the plot, but they are necessary. Imagine what Watchmen would be like without them. Certainly you could smooth over certain plot points, but others, not so much. Like the part where Rorschach admits that he always thought of Owl as a friend. Like how Silk Spectre is tied in with the Comedian, and Manhatten.

I guess what I mean is that their "Saving the World" capabilities were pretty low, but their contributions were vital if understated. Taking them away from the story takes away most of the humanity of the story as we know it. And it's nice to have characters to relate to when the plot of Watchmen is concentrating on making your head explode.