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Laura Arjon
Professor Jackie
English 114B
1 March 2015
Who is the Real Hero?
The book Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons portrays a group of masked
superheroes that were famous in the past but due to the Keene Act they were forced to retire from
their suits and live a normal life. Even though in present day they do not live off their masked
avenger name they still watch over the city for any incidents going on. One of the masked
avengers was murdered in the very beginning of the book and the retired avengers are all
informed about the death; throughout the book they go through many obstacles to try to figure
out who was the killer and end up realizing that it was one of their own partners in the group. In
the masked group each member has their own way of seeing who is a true hero through the way
they act. The characters in the novel such as Rorschach, Adrian Veidt, and Dr. Manhattan each
have a secret identity. Adrian Veidt and Dr. Manhattan maybe seen as the heroes in the book but
by the way they are shown by killing innocent civilians does not make them a stereotypical hero.
As for Rorschach he is the opposite, he tries to kill off the bad criminals and save the innocent
lives of humans but the way he acts is controversial to being the villain.
The character Rorschach is a unique character and it is very difficult to figure out what
his true meaning of being a superhero is. Rorschachs characteristics of being good and evil can
be interchangeable because of the way he acts in situations. In the story timeline Rorschachs
reputation around town is that he is considered a criminal; hes crazier than a snakes armpit and
wanted on two counts murder one (Moore and Gibbons 1.4). The civilians around town are all
scared of him but most of them want him dead or in jail because of the deaths he has caused.

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For example, the way he is dressed by wearing a long dark brown coat that goes down to his
knees, a hat, and a mask to cover his entire face he could easily be thought of a villain by the
showing of his appearance. By having a mask cover his face means that he does not want anyone
to know who he is which is equivalent to being a villain. A typical villain would not want anyone
to know who he is so he does not get caught. Rorschach could be mistaken of a villain because of
his face being completely covered. However, throughout the entire book Rorschach is just trying
to figure out who killed his partner The Comedian and warning the members of the
Minuteman group that there could be a masked killer. During this situation his morals of trying
to be a superhero are twisted because of hurting other people and killings he does while trying to
warn others. Another example is when he is on his way to tell his other group mates about The
Comedians murder and he comes along a local bar to get information. He even exclaims, Ive
just broken this gentlemans little finger(Moore and Gibbons 1.18). Rorschach broke his pinky
because the man was just making fun of him but he just wanted to know if anyone had any clues
of the killer. Also, his own partners dont believe in him that there is someone out there trying to
kill them all. Throughout the book Rorschachs morals and ethics are unclear because when he
doesnt get the respect he wants from others he just takes the easy way and murders them. His
moral of trying to save his group mates and other civilians is the right thing to do but he does it
in a bad matter. Rorschach is a true hero in the book Watchmen because he shows true
characteristics of being heroic but the way he acts is not a typical heroic stereotype, which is
very unique about the type of hero Rorschach is. One specific example of the way he acts as a
hero is when he gave up his own life to save humanity when Dr. Manhattan kills him at the end
of the book. He is a true hero because the way he thinks of putting others before himself; it is just
the way he reacts to certain things he does not approve of. The characters of the book do not
have a clear meaning of their morals and ethics.

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Many characters in the graphic novel do not portray the same ethics and morals as the
typical stereotype superhero. In the article by Erica Rapp she also explains that the characters
have different qualities of a typical superhero when she states, Contrasting these characters to
other superhero groups is another way of showing how the Watchmen characters fulfill a
different role in society (2). Adrian Veidt a member of the masked superheroes in the novel is
characterized with having a huge business of action figures of himself and being categorized as
the smartest man (Gibbons 1.17). Veidt does not have the characteristics of being a superhero
because his morals are twisted throughout the book fooling the reader into thinking that he is just
like the others from the masked group. The actual definition of a hero is someone who
distinguishes courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities(Dictionary of
American Slang). Veidt might be seen as the smartest man in town but he does not show any
qualities of a hero. Unfortunately, Veidt was the twisted mask killer who murdered The
Comedian and betrayed his own superhero group. In order to ensure that his master plan wasnt
ruined, Veidt also spread a rumor that Dr. Manhattan is harmful to humans because he gave those
close to him cancer. Everything that Veidt did was part of his scheme so that no one could get in
his way of his epic plan of bringing world peace. His ethics through out the storyline were to
manipulate his own teammates so they did not interfere with his master plan. Lastly, the
characteristics of many heroes can be twisted and manipulated into thinking one is a hero.
In the graphic novel the superhero Dr. Manhattan has his own unique way of protecting
the ones he cares for and those who deserve to be punished. Dr. Manhattan was once a normal
guy whose hobby was to repair and sell watches but one day his father threw away his
merchandise and forced Dr. Manhattans career choice in becoming a specialist in atomic
physics. Then, Dr. Manhattan starts working in his profession that he was persuaded into, but
unfortunately one day while he was working on an experiment a malfunction went wrong and

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Dr. Manhattans life became completely different after that. He turns into a superhuman who is
muscular with every power in the universe he can use from good to evil. Dr. Manhattan is not
considered a superhero for his morals because he has no self-respect and no care for others but
himself and the ones that he loves. Dr. Manhattan can be mistaken for a stereotypical hero
because he has every power and tool to help him in any situation. The civilians of New York did
not look up to Jon who is also known as Dr. Manhattan. Some people thought he could be god
with all of the powers he had but most people knew he couldnt control his powers and were
scared of him rather than looking up to him. Furthermore, while Dr. Manhattan was working
with the Minuteman group he only used his powers to help himself and not others. In the book
when Dr. Manhattan only cares about himself because whenever he wants to get away from
humanity he just leaves to Mars without telling anyone. On the other hand, in the novel Dr.
Manhattan did have a large part in helping stop the Vietnam War that president Nixon made him
go to. This is an example that Jon lacks in heroic characteristics. Another example of Dr.
Manhattan having his ethics and morals twisted is when him and The Comedian were teamed up
together and Dr. Manhattan watched The Comedian gun down a pregnant woman. During this
time of the scene The Comedian tells Dr. Manhattan you dont really give a damn about human
beings, Ive watched you(Gibbons 2.15). The characters of the book realize that Dr. Manhattan
does not have any respect or morals towards anybody. When he watched The Comedian murder
the pregnant woman he could have easily done something to protect her from being killed but he
didnt do anything; he just watched. There are many examples that explain why he is not a
typical superhero but he is a super villain.
Throughout the book each character is categorized as being a superhero in a masked
group but they each have their own personality. As the two big names in the book who have all
the power are recognized as being the super villains because they show no care for the humanity

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of being heroic. However, the character Rorschach dresses like a villain and may act as a villain
but he is the one of the only ones who shows heroic gestures by scarifying himself for everyone
to be safe and calm. Watchmen by Alan Moore and David Gibbons give the readers a new
perspective of what a hero is.

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Works Cited
Moore, Alan, and Dave Gibbons. Watchmen. New York:Warner Books, 1987. Print
Rapp. Erica R. Watchmen: Deconstructing the Superhero. 2012.
Hero. The Dictionary of American Slang. 1 March 2015. <dictionary.com
http://dictionary.refreance.com/browse/hero>