Wrong, as usual.
The United States' lack of action
in Eastern Europe...
...proves that the Soviet Union's aggression
at the Afghan border...
...will not be opposed publicly
by the United States.
lssue: The Soviet Union continued
its recent series of military exercises...
...conducting a bomb test today
in the Bering Sea...
...just 1 500 miles
off the southern coast of Alaska.
President Richard Nixon
issued this warning to the Soviets:
The United States does not start fights.
Let it be clear we maintain our strength...
...in order to maintain peace...
...so any adversary
should ask themselves:
''Do the consequences
of attacking America...
...outweigh the potential benefits?''
As a result of the Soviet activity...
...the watchdog group
of nuclear scientists...
...moved the Doomsday Clock
up to five minutes until midnight:
destruction by nuclear war.
Question:
on a scale of zero to 1 0,
zero meaning impossibility...
...1 0 meaning
complete metaphysical certitude...
...what are the chances the Russians
will actually attack the United States?
Pat Buchanan.
Zero.
The Soviets
would never risk going to war...
...when we have a walking nuclear deterrent
on our side.
You're referring, of course,
to Dr. Manhattan...
...but does Dr. Manhattan's existence
guarantee world peace? Eleanor Clift.
Well, it hasn't
stopped the Soviet Union...
...from stockpiling record amounts
of nuclear weapons.
You don't think it's just posturing?
Maybe the reason
why the Soviets...
...are doing these bomb tests...
...is because they feel threatened
by Dr. Manhattan. of course.
Maybe the whole world feels like that.
Soviet ships have violated
the territorial waters-
Just a matter of time, l suppose.
lt's a joke. lt's all a joke.
Mother, forgive me.
l was a hero, goddamn it!
...an act clearly meant to send
a signal to the government in Saigon...
...that violence and oppression
is not the way to peace.
Fuck you, pigs!
Good luck, Mr. Gorsky.
Get out of here, vigilantes!
No!
Edward Blake. Sixty-seven
years old. Six-two, a solid 225.
Guy was built like a linebacker.
Yeah, l saw the body.
For a guy his age,
he was in terrific shape.
You mean apart from being dead?
That's plate glass.
You'd have to step on the gas
just to put a crack in it.
Had to have been thrown.
Check the bedroom?
Yeah. Drawers opened, tossed through.
Mattress flipped. Probably robbery.
or made to look like one.
See this?
- Shaking hands with the president.
Whoa.
Think Blake was a spook?
Government or black ops?
l think...
...this is way bigger than both of us.
Rorschach's journal, October 1 2th, 1 985.
Dog carcass in alley this morning.
Tire tread on burst stomach.
This city's afraid of me.
l've seen its true face.
The streets are extended gutters...
...and the gutters are full of blood.
And when the drains finally scab over...
...all the vermin will drown.
The accumulated filth of all their sex
and murder...
...will foam up around their waists...
...and all the whores and politicians
will look up and shout, ''Save us. ''
And l'll whisper, ''No. ''
Now the whole world
stands on the brink...
...staring down into bloody hell.
All those liberals and intellectuals...
...and smooth talkers...
...and all of a sudden,
nobody can think of anything to say.
Beneath me, this awful city.
lt screams like an abattoir
full of retarded children...
...and the night reeks of fornication
and bad consciences.
Tonight, a comedian died in New York.
Somebody knows why.
Somebody knows.
lt all started with the gangs.
You know, people tend to forget that.
Pirate outfits, ghosts.
They thought it was funny:
dress up and pull heists.
As soon as we'd arrest them,
they'd be back on the street.
Nobody could pick them out of a lineup
because of the damn masks.
So a few of us cops, we get together...
...and we figure, what the heck,
we'll mask up, too.
We'll finish what the law couldn't.
Pretty soon, the papers get wind of it.
They ran with it...
...and oh, boy, we're a national pastime.
lt was me, Dollar Bill, Mothman...
...Captain Metropolis, Hooded Justice...
...Silk Spectre and the Comedian.
oh, don't get me started on him.
l must be drunk already,
telling you this sob story again.
l think you were trying to make a point.
Well, my point is that we had it too easy.
lt wasn't fair what happened to you guys-
You guys who picked up where we left off.
- with Nixon forcing you out.
Nixon, oh, that prick. To think l voted
for that prick five times.
Hey, it was him or the commies, right?
oh, wow, it's almost midnight.
Gotta go.
Truth?
You were a better Nite owl
than l ever was, Danny boy.
- Hollis, we both know that's bullshit.
- Hey.
Watch it with the language.
This is the left hook
that floored Captain Axis, remember?
Yeah.
Next week?
HoLLlS: Well...
...you know, you don't have to
keep humoring me like this.
lf you got a hot date or something...
Hey, us retired guys
have to stick together, right?
You ever miss it?
No. You?
oh, heck, no.
Be seeing you.
Hello, Daniel.
Rorschach.
Helped myself to some beans.
Hope you don't mind.
No, no. Course not.
You want me to heat those up for you?
Fine like this.
How have you been keeping?
Out of prison.
So far.
Daniel...
...look at this.
ls this bean juice?
RoRSCHACH: Human bean juice.
Badge belonged to the Comedian.
Blood too. He's dead.
Let's talk downstairs.
lt could have been a burglary.
Maybe the killer didn't know
who the Comedian was.
An ordinary burglar?
Kill the Comedian? Ridiculous.
l heard he'd been working
for the government since '77...
...knocking over Marxist republics
in South America.
Maybe it was a political killing
or something.
Maybe.
Maybe someone's picking off
costumed heroes.
You don't think that's a little paranoid?
That what they say about me now?
Paranoid?
Look, Comedian made
a lot of enemies over the years...
...even among his friends.
Speaking of friends, how's Hollis Mason?
He wrote that book. Said some bad things
about the Comedian in it.
l don't like what you're implying,
and l like being followed even less.
Maybe l was keeping an eye on you,
in case someone's gunning for masks.
- You were never that sentimental.
- Attack on one is attack on all of us.
What do you suggest we do about it?
Retribution.
- Watchmen are over.
- Says Tricky Dick.
Says me.
Nobody knows who you are.
You can give it up,
try and have a normal life.
That what you have now?
A normal life?
When you walk down the street
in a city dying of rabies...
...past the human cockroaches...
...talking about their heroin
and child pornography...
...do you really feel normal?
Least l'm not the one
still hiding behind a mask.
No.
You're hiding in plain sight.
Be seeing you, Dan.
A maintenance hatch
will let you out two blocks north.
Yeah, l remember.
Came here often,
when we were partners.
Those were great times, huh,
Rorschach?
- What happened?
- You quit.
Mr. Veidt...
...to date,
you're one of only two Watchmen...
...ever to reveal their true identity
to the world...
...the first being Hollis Mason.
And you've certainly profited greatly
by it...
...turning your superhero alter ego,
ozymandias, into a billion-dollar industry:
Toys, lunchboxes, genetic engineering.
l understand there's a movie
in the works.
- l'm not hearing a question, Mr. Roth.
RoTH: l'm sorry. Do you think-
The Watchmen resent me
for prostituting their struggle?
lt's a fair question.
Yes, it's crossed my mind...
...some of my old colleagues
might see it that way...
...just as you're clearly aware
that biased journalism...
...sells more magazines.
The merchandising arm of Veidt lndustries
is funding our work with Dr. Manhattan.
We recently expanded our research facility
in Antarctica...
...in the hope of developing cheap,
renewable sources of energy...
...that we might eliminate
the world's reliance on fossil fuels.
Now, it doesn't take
a political scientist...
...to see that our Cold War
with the Russians isn't ideological...
...it's based upon fear.
Fear of not having enough.
But if we make resources infinite...
...we make war obsolete.
l would hope the other Watchmen
understand that...
...wherever they may be.
Thanks for your time.
- You look good, Adrian.
- Dan.
lt's been too long.
So Rorschach thinks
someone's hunting the Watchmen, huh?
You think it's possible?
Statistically, one murder
doesn't equal a trend.
Rorschach's a sociopath, Dan.
And so was the Comedian.
He was practically a Nazi.
You know that better than anyone.
l'm not here because l miss him.
lt's occurred to Rorschach...
...that we're the only ones
who know each other's identities.
Actually, the whole world knows yours.
That's why l'm warning you first.
Thank you, Dan...
...but l fear there's something
much more real to worry about...
...than Rorschach's mask killer.
lf the Russians do launch their nukes,
can Jon really stop them?
The Soviets have 51 ,000
warheads stockpiled.
Even if Jon stops 99 percent of them...
...the 1 percent that get through
could still kill every living thing on Earth.
Even Dr. Manhattan
can't be everywhere at once.
Rorschach's journal,
October 1 3th, 1 985...
...8:30 p. m.
Meeting with Dreiberg
left bad taste in mouth.
A flabby failure who sits
whimpering in his basement.
Why are so few of us left active...
...healthy and without
personality disorders?
The first Nite Owl
runs an auto-repair shop.
The first Silk Spectre
is a bloated, aging whore...
...dying in a California rest resort.
Dollar Bill got his cape stuck
in a revolving door...
...where he got gunned down.
Silhouette, murdered...
...a victim of her own indecent lifestyle.
Mothman's in an asylum in Maine.
Only two names remain on my list.
Both share private quarters
at Rockefeller Military Research Center.
l shall go to them.
l shall go tell the indestructible man
that someone plans to murder him.
Good evening, Rorschach.
Dr. Manhattan, you know why l'm here.
Yes...
...but you're going to leave disappointed.
Rorschach. You shouldn't be here.
You're a wanted man.
Nice to see you too, Silk Spectre.
l have a real name l've been using.
Try it.
Whatever you say, Laurie.
What are you doing here?
The Comedian is dead.
Rorschach wants me
to look into my future...
...see if the killer is ever
publicly identified.
Already warned Dreiberg.
Came to warn you too.
Even if l wanted to help...
...my future is blocked
by some kind of temporal interference.
- l cannot see it clearly.
- lnterference? Caused by what?
ln all likelihood, nuclear holocaust.
lf the United States and Soviet Union
engage in all-out war...
...the resulting blast wave would produce
a sudden burst of tachyons...
...particles which travel backward
through what you perceive as time...
...therefore obscuring my vision
of the present.
l must return to my work.
Wait a minute.
What if that's why
someone wants us out of the way?
So we can't do anything to stop it?
Goodbye, Rorschach.
Took a lot of effort
to get in here to see you.
l'm not leaving-
- till l've had my say.
Seems like there's a lot of things
you don't tell me these days.
l didn't wanna worry you prematurely.
lf Adrian and l can solve the energy crisis,
war may be averted.
But you always say time is simultaneous.
lf that's true,
then how can you change the future?
lf only you could perceive time as l do.
Please let me show you.
Magic. Dreams. That is what l had before.
l was a hero, goddamn it!
lt's not my fault you got old.
What do you have to complain about?
l'm putting food on the table
for you and your child.
Call your friend Eddie.
Maybe he can give you a better life.
- lt was a mistake. one time.
- Man tries to rape you-
Stop!
Your mind goes to dark places...
...and you wonder
why l keep the worst from you.
- Say hello to Dan for me.
- What?
You wanna ask me
to go to dinner with you...
...like we used to...
...but you won't.
You know l can't.
So you'll call Dan...
...which is only natural.
You deserve the comfort of an old friend.
Dan Dreiberg's table.
Did you know that
he and H.J. were-? l had no idea.
You remember that crazy guy?
What'd he call himself?
Captain Carnage.
Used to pretend he was a supervillain
just so he could get beat up?
Yeah, he tried that on me once.
l just walked away.
He starts following me down the street
in broad daylight...
...yelling, ''Punish me! Punish me!''
l'm just saying, ''No, get lost. ''
God, whatever happened to him?
oh. Um...
He pulled that on Rorschach...
...and Rorschach
dropped him down an elevator shaft.
oh, my God. That's not even funny.
- lt's a little funny.
- Yep.
WoMAN: l'm glad l ordered
the four-legged chicken.
lt's really good to see you again.
lt's great seeing you too.
Why'd we do it, Dan? Dress up like that?
- No one else would.
- Yeah, but do you remember my costume?
All that tight latex?
l mean, it was awful.
Uh... Yeah, yeah, awful.
But didn't wanna disappoint Mother.
Wanted her little girl to be just like her
and fight bad guys.
l think the Keene Act was the best thing
that ever happened to us.
Well, we'll live longer anyway.
What?
Jon thinks, unless he can do something
about it...
...that there's gonna be nuclear war.
Soon.
But l don't know what to think.
l mean, it's all...
...quantum mechanics
and parallel realities with him.
l never even know
what universe he's actually seeing.
He just keeps getting further away
from me.
Everyone.
l can't even tell
if he actually cares about me anymore...
...or if he's just pretending.
lf he's pretending, it means he cares.
Hold on, l'll get the door.
Thanks, Dan.
- Got it?
- Yeah.
l'm sorry.
l invite you out to dinner to catch up
and have a few laughs...
...but there don't seem to be many laughs
around these days.
What do you expect?
The Comedian's dead.
Laurie? ls that you?
Thought you'd be used
to traveling that way by now.
Well, l'm not.
l hate it when Jon teleports me.
Well, it beats flying coach.
Margarita?
Mother, it's 2:00 in the afternoon.
Remember that guy
that writes me letters?
He sent me an item of memorabilia.
lt's a Tijuana bible.
This little eight-page porno comic
they did in the '30s and '40s.
- He sent you this?
- Sure. They're very valuable, like antiques.
Mother, this is gross.
l think it's kind of flattering.
Why do you always call me Mother
when you're mad?
l know why you're here.
l can still read, you know.
l saw it in the paper.
Eddie Blake's funeral is today.
Finally got his punchline, l guess.
- Poor Eddie.
- Poor Eddie? After what he did to you?
oh, Laurie, you're still young.
You don't know.
Things change.
What happened happened 40 years ago.
l'm 67 years old.
Every day, the future
looks a little bit darker.
But the past...
...even the grimy parts of it...
...keep on getting brighter.
l've got spots in my eyes.
Stop it, Eddie.
- Thank you, Weegee.
- Thank you, Mr. owl.
Tomorrow, 3:00, my studio.
- Little place on 21 st.
- Sounds good.
Wow, a real photo session.
Wonder how my hair will look?
oh, go ahead. l'll be there in five.
Eddie.
What the hell are you doing here?
You knew l was changing.
Sure l did.
Come on, baby.
l know what you need.
You gotta have some kind of reason
for dressing in an outfit like this.
l said no, Eddie.
- No spelled Y-E-S.
- No spelled N-o.
- All right?
- Come on, sweetheart.
Eddie...
You little bastard.
This what you like?
- This what makes you hot?
- What?
Things are tough all over, cupcake.
lt rains on the just and the unjust alike.
The Comedian was a little bit of both.
And he always thought
he'd get the last laugh.
Thou knowest, Lord,
the secrets of our hearts.
Shut not thy merciful ears
to our prayers...
...but spare us, Lord most holy,
o God most mighty...
...o holy and merciful savior.
Thou most worthy judge eternal.
Suffer us not at our last hour
for any-
Fireworks. You gotta be kidding me.
You know, you'd think this goddamn
country had had enough fireworks.
You know, if we'd lost here in Vietnam...
...l think it might have driven us crazy.
You know, as a country.
But we didn't, thanks to you.
You sound bitter.
Me? Bitter?
Fuck, no. l think it's hilarious.
oh, Jesus Christ.
- Mr. Eddie?
- Just what l fucking needed.
The war is over now.
We must talk about this baby.
There's nothing to talk about.
See, l'm leaving.
l'm gonna forget about you...
...and your horrible, sweaty,
little piece-of-shit country.
Get the fuck out of here.
- No.
- Get the fuck out of here.
You will remember.
You will remember me and my country...
...forever!
My face!
Blake. Don't.
Blake!
She was pregnant...
...and you gunned her down.
That's right...
...and you know what? You watched me.
You could have turned the gun to steam,
the bullets to mercury...
...the bottle into goddamn snowflakes,
but you didn't, did you?
You really don't give a damn
about human beings.
You're drifting out of touch, Doc.
God help us all.
Medic!
Most holy and merciful savior.
He cometh up and is cut down,
like a flower.
ln the midst of life, we are in death.
Welcome to the first meeting-
- This is bullshit.
For a guy who calls himself the Comedian,
l can never tell when you're joking.
Watchmen. That's the real joke.
lt didn't work 1 5 years ago,
and it ain't gonna work now...
...because you wanna play
cowboys and lndians.
Maybe we should agree
on no drinking at meetings.
Rorschach and l have made headway
on the gang problem by working together.
A group this size seems like
a publicity stunt. l'm not in it for the ink.
We can do so much more.
We can save this world...
- ... with the right leadership.
- Yeah.
And that'd be you, right, ozzy?
l mean, hell,
you're the smartest man on the planet.
lt doesn't take a genius
to see the world has problems.
But it takes a room of morons to think
they're small enough for you to handle.
You know, mankind's been trying to kill
each other off since the beginning of time.
Now we finally have the power
to finish the job.
Ain't nothing gonna matter once
those nukes start flying. We'll all be dust.
Then ozymandias here...
...will be the smartest man
on the cinder.
For as much as it hath pleased...
...almighty God to take onto himself
the soul of our dear departed brother...
...let us therefore commit his body
to the ground.
Earth to earth, ashes to ashes...
Watchmen! Police!
Police to protect the people!
Attention, citizens.
We are trying to maintain order.
You must clear the streets
until the police strike is over.
lf you could-
Please, there's no need for violence.
Goddamn it. All right.
That's how you wanna do it?
There's no need for violence.
Fuck you. Fuck you!
oh, this is getting heavy.
Goddamn, l love working
on American soil, Dan.
Ain't had this much fun
since Woodward and Bernstein.
How long can we keep this up?
Congress is pushing through some new bill
that's gonna outlaw masks.
our days are numbered.
Until then, it's like you always say:
We're society's only protection.
- From what?
- Are you kidding me? From themselves.
- Son of a bitch.
No, Comedian, wait!
Get your stinking hands off me.
What the hell happened to us?
What happened to the American dream?
What happened to the American dream?
lt came true!
You're looking at it.
Edgar William Jacobi.
Also known as Edgar William Vaughn.
Also known as Moloch.
What are you talking about?
l'm a retired businessman-
Lie again, Moloch, l break another finger.
l did my time.
l'm not Moloch anymore.
- What do you want from me?
- Heard you attended Blake's funeral. Why?
l just felt l should...
...pay my respects to the Comedian.
- How'd you know he was the Comedian?
- He broke in here. A week ago.
He had his mask off.
- He was drunk.
- Enemies. For decades.
- Why should he visit you?
- l don't know.
l woke up in my bedroom
and there he was.
He was upset.
He was crying.
Crying? The Comedian?
He was babbling, not making any sense.
l was pissing in my pants.
l thought he was gonna kill me.
What did he say?
lt's a joke.
lt's all a fucking joke.
You know, l thought l knew how it was.
l thought l knew how the world was.
l've done some bad things.
l did bad things to women. l shot kids.
ln 'Nam, you know.
But that was fucking war.
This...
l never done anything like this.
God, here l am...
...spilling my guts...
...to one of my archenemies.
But the truth is...
...you're the closest thing to a friend l got.
What the fuck does that say?
Shit.
And your name...
...your name was on the list...
...along with Janey, you know,
whatever the fuck her name is.
Manhattan's old girl.
Mother, forgive me.
And then he left.
l swear l don't know
what the hell he was talking about.
Funny story.
Sounds unbelievable.
Probably true.
So that's it?
- l'm clean?
- You?
Clean?
Amygdalin.
This phony medication
made from apricot pits.
- lt's illegal.
- Come on.
Please don't confiscate that.
l'm trying anything.
l have cancer.
What kind of cancer?
You know the kind
you eventually get better from?
That ain't the kind l got.
Rorschach's journal. October 1 6th.
Want some of this?
Fifty bucks, l'll suck your cock.
- Thought about Moloch's story.
- Come on.
Could all be lies.
A revenge scheme
planned during his years behind bars.
Fuck you. l make more in a week
than you make in a year, you fucking homo.
But if it's true...
...what could have possibly
scared the Comedian...
...enough to cry in front of Moloch?
What was it he saw?
And that list he mentioned.
Edward Blake. The Comedian.
Born 1 91 8.
Buried in the rain.
Murdered.
ls that what happens to us?
No time for friends?
Only our enemies leave roses.
Violent lives ending violently.
Blake understood.
Humans are savage in nature.
No matter how much you try
to dress it up...
...to disguise it...
...Blake saw society's true face.
Chose to be a parody of it. A joke.
l heard joke once.
Man goes to doctor, says he's depressed.
Life seems harsh and cruel.
Says he feels all alone
in threatening world.
Doctor says treatment is simple.
''The great clown Pagliacci is in town.
Go see him.
That should pick you up. ''
Man bursts into tears.
''But doctor, '' he says. ''l am Pagliacci. ''
Good joke.
Everybody laugh.
Roll on snare drum.
Curtains.
What time do you have to be
at your interview?
Don't worry.
We've got plenty of time.
Your finger's like licking a battery.
God, Jon, stop. What are you doing?
Please don't be upset.
l always thought you liked this.
No.
l don't- No.
l don't want that.
l don't know
what stimulates you anymore.
Look, l know you were just trying-
Are you working in here
while we're in bed together?
My work with Adrian
is at a critical stage right now.
- l didn't think it was necessary to-
- To what?
To what? To tell me which one of you
is giving me a pity fuck?
My attention was completely focused
on you.
lf you think there's a problem
with my attitude...
...l am prepared to discuss it.
You know how everything in this world
fits together except people.
What am l to you?
Another puzzle to be solved?
Have your men stand back.
l'm teleporting the reactor to Karnak now.
You're my only remaining link
to the world.
l don't want that responsibility anymore.
He's all yours.
Don't worry, Jon. She'll be back.
No, she won't.
He's been called
many things: Hero, weapon...
...linchpin of our national security...
...deterrent to nuclear war,
or a man to end worlds.
Later tonight, Dr. Manhattan...
...will answer my questions and yours
in an exclusive interview...
...brought to you commercial-free
by Veidt Enterprises.
Who is it?
lt's Laurie.
Sorry. l just had this new lock installed.
l didn't know where else to go.
oh, it's okay. Come in.
What's wrong?
l left Jon.
oh, God.
l'm so sorry.
l don't know why l'm here. l just...
l don't know anybody else.
l don't know anybody
except for goddamn superheroes.
That's okay.
You probably just had an argument
or something.
No, Dan.
You don't know what it's been like
living with him.
The way he looks at things now,
it's like he doesn't...
...remember what they are.
lt's like this world, this real world...
...to him,
it's like walking through mist.
And people are just shadows.
Shadows in a fog.
God, how did everything
get so tangled up?
l'm sorry, Dan.
This is twice now
l've ruined your evening.
Come on. l'm glad you came over.
l was just gonna see Hollis
for our weekly beer session.
You're more than welcome to join.
ln fact, l insist.
Terrific. Dr. Manhattan arrives
and no one thinks to tell me.
He just-
- We don't have time for makeup.
That blue is too light for television.
ls that dark enough?
Yeah, that's dark enough.
Seymour.
Bernie, how's tricks?
See this guy behind me?
Been bugging me all week.
Girl.
What we got here?
Here's a list of Pentagon-approved
no-go areas.
Afghanistan will obviously come up,
but just play it cool...
...and try not to get
into any tight corners.
- a renowned nuclear physicist,
who, through a terrible accident...
...was gifted with extraordinary powers,
capable of bending matter to his will.
Today, the world knows him
as Dr. Manhattan.
Welcome.
Thank you.
That's right.
Ms. Black, you have the first question.
Dr. Manhattan, as you know...
...the Doomsday Clock
is a symbolic clock face...
...analogizing humankind's proximity
to extinction...
...midnight representing the threat
of nuclear war.
As of now, it stands at four minutes
to midnight.
Would you agree that we're that close
to annihilation?
My father was a watchmaker.
He abandoned it when Einstein discovered
that time is relative.
l would only agree
that a symbolic clock...
...is as nourishing to the intellect...
...as a photograph of oxygen
to a drowning man.
So you're saying there is no danger.
Even in a world without
nuclear weapons, there would still be danger.
And would you say, as so many claim...
...that you are, in fact, a god...
...given you see the past
and future simultaneously?
l can only see my own past...
...my own future. l am not omniscient.
Doug Roth, your question?
Speaking of your past, Dr. Manhattan...
...do you remember a man
named Wally Weaver?
Yes. We were both physicists together
at the Gila Flats Research Base.
He died of cancer.
- He was a good man.
RoTH: How about Edgar Jacobi...
...also known as the supervillain Moloch?
You encountered him several times
in the '60s: battles, conflicts.
Did you know that he has cancer as well?
l wasn't told.
And what about
General Anthony Randolph?
He was your handler when you first
started working for the government.
Cancer.
You're suggesting l was the cause.
From where l'm standing,
it's starting to look pretty conclusive.
Even if that's the case, it's irrelevant.
A live human body
and a deceased human body...
...have the same number of particles.
Structurally, there's no difference.
All right. Let's settle down, please.
What about Janey Slater?
You think it makes a difference to her?
Janey?
Your ex-girlfriend?
She was a physicist too.
You saw each other for 1 1 years.
Doug, one question at a time.
She has cancer as well.
Doctors have given her six months.
lsn't that right, Miss Slater?
You were the world to me, Jon.
You were my whole life.
Do you remember how many times
you said you loved me?
Janey, l wasn't told.
l stuck by you after the accident.
l gave you everything.
This is how you repay me?
- Janey, l wasn't told. l didn't know.
- Damn you, Jon. Goddamn you.
Janey, wait.
- That's it. This interview is over.
Get up there.
Get those cameras off.
Everybody back off.
Everybody back off.
l need some backup here. Leave him alone.
Please, if everyone
would just go away...
...and leave me alone...
Do you care to comment?
l said, leave me alone!
l am looking at the stars.
They're so far away...
...and their light takes so long
to reach us...
...all we ever see of stars
are their old photographs.
lt is July, 1 959, and l am in love.
That's great.
- You can pick it up tomorrow.
- okay.
- Seventy-five cents.
- okay, thank you.
Thank you.
Gosh, Jon, l wish he gave us a little notice.
l'm sure l made a face.
oh, no, no.
l'm sure that you'll look beautiful.
Her name is Janey Slater.
She is a physicist, like me.
l am 30 years old.
We were introduced by a good friend
of mine from college, Wally Weaver.
lt is February 1 2th, 1 981 .
Wally dies of cancer,
of which they now say l am the cause.
That night, Janey and l make love
for the first time.
A month from now,
the accident awaits me.
oh, l'll catch up with you guys.
l think l left my watch inside.
Hey. Let's just wait a second.
l cross the room to the
lntrinsic Field Center. l find my watch.
When l get to the door...
...Wally is turning white.
The program's locked in.
We can't override the time lock.
l am terrified.
Jon?
l'm sorry, Jon...
...but l can't-
Janey, don't leave me!
Don't leave me!
lt is May 1 2th, 1 959,
when l'm introduced to Janey.
She buys me a beer...
...the first time a woman
has done this for me.
As she passes me the cold,
perspiring glass...
...our fingers touch.
Yes, Jon, good.
Now it's just a question of reassembling
the components in the correct sequence.
l feel fear...
...for the last time.
A token funeral is held.
There is nothing to bury.
Janey frames the snapshot.
lt's the only photograph of me
anyone has.
A circulatory system is seen
by the perimeter fence.
A few days later...
...a partially muscled skeleton
stands in a hallway...
...and screams for a moment
before vanishing.
oh, God.
Jon?
ls that you?
Nations around the world
reeling from this morning's announcement...
...possibly the most significant event
in recent history.
We repeat, the superman exists,
and he is American.
They call me Dr. Manhattan.
They explain the name
has been chosen...
...for the ominous associations
it will raise in America's enemies.
They are shaping me
into something gaudy...
...something lethal.
ln January, 1 97 1 ...
...President Nixon asks me to intervene
in Vietnam...
...something that his predecessors
would not ask.
A week later, the conflict ends.
Some of the Vietcong forces
wanna surrender to me personally.
Hollis Mason, a retired costume hero,
writes a book.
ln it, he calls my arrival
the dawn of the superhero.
l am not sure if l know what that means.
You see, at the time, l was misquoted.
l never said, ''The superman exists
and he is American. ''
What l said was, ''God exists,
and he is American. ''
Now, if you begin to feel an intense...
...and crushing feeling of religious terror
at the concept...
...don't be alarmed.
That indicates only
that you are still sane.
lt is Christmas, 1 963.
Janey tells me she is afraid, and worried.
She says l am like a god now.
l tell her l don't think there is a God...
...and if there is, l'm nothing like him.
l tell her l still want her...
...and that l always will.
As l lie to her, it is September 4th, 1 970.
l am in a room
full of people wearing disguises.
A very young girl looks at me and smiles.
She's beautiful.
After each long kiss, she plants a smaller,
gentler one upon my lips...
...like a signature.
Janey accuses me of chasing jailbait.
She bursts into angry tears,
asking if it's because she's getting older.
lt's true.
She's aging more noticeably every day...
...while l am standing still.
l prefer the stillness here.
l am tired of Earth.
These people.
l'm tired of being caught
in the tangle of their lives.
They claim their labors
are to build a heaven...
...yet their heaven is populated
with horrors.
Perhaps the world is not made.
Perhaps nothing is made.
A clock without a craftsman.
lt's too late.
Always has been...
...always will be...
...too late.
Mr. President...
...the Soviets have moved their tanks
to just short of the Afghan border.
They are testing us...
...to see if we manufactured
Dr. Manhattan's disappearance...
...to coax a move out of them.
How soon can we be ready
for a preemptive strike?
Two days.
We have a 54 percent chance
of wiping out the entire U.S.S.R...
...before they get their missiles airborne.
Assuming conservative projections...
...of how many Soviet warheads
we destroy beforehand...
...we'll lose all of the East Coast.
The last gasp...
...of the Harvard establishment.
Let's see them think their way
out of fission.
With anticipated wind patterns,
the fallout drift would head south.
Mexico would catch the worst of it.
Most of the farm belt
might remain unaffected.
Not so bad...
...all things considered.
Mr. President...
...what would you like to do?
Take us to DEFCON two.
Begin fueling the bombers.
Dr. Manhattan has two days.
After that...
...humanity is in the hands
of a higher authority than mine.
Let's just hope he's on our side.
Without Dr. Manhattan around...
...to bully the Russians into peace,
Mr. Veidt...
...people are going to need good,
old-fashioned energy to rely on.
You can understand.
The world can't just quit on oil
and nuclear power cold turkey.
You'll dismantle
our entire economy overnight.
You're right, Lee. And why free energy?
Well, ''free'' is just another word
for ''socialist. ''
We might have to
make a public inquiry...
...into any past communist affiliations
you might have had.
Mr. lacocca, gentlemen...
...l respect your position...
...and what you've accomplished
as captains of industry. l do.
You wanna know my past? Hm?
okay. Happily.
lt's a matter of public record that by 1 7,
both my parents were dead...
...leaving me alone.
l guess you could say
l've always been alone.
They say l'm the smartest man in the world,
but the truth is l've often felt stupid...
...at being unable to relate to anyone.
Well, anyone living, that is.
The only person
with whom l felt kinship...
...died 300 years
before the birth of Christ.
Alexander of Macedonia,
or Alexander the Great, as you know him.
His vision of a united world was...
Well, it was unprecedented.
l wanted...
...needed to match
his accomplishments...
...so l resolved to apply antiquity's
teachings to our world today.
And so began my path to conquest.
Conquest not of men...
...but of the evils that beset them.
Fossil fuels, oil, nuclear power...
...are like a drug, and you,
along with foreign interests...
- ... are the pushers.
- Now, listen.
No.
You listen.
The world will survive...
...and it deserves more
than you've been able to provide.
So let's cut to it, shall we?
l'm worth more
than all of your corporations combined.
l could buy and sell you, something
you should factor into your decision...
...should you choose
to make our disagreement public.
l think you know the way out.
Gentlemen.
The toy people wanna talk to you about
new villains for the ozymandias line.
- Seems all the old villains are dead.
- Mr. Veidt?
- l think l have some ideas.
- Mr. Veidt?
l think we got off on the wrong foot.
He's got a poison capsule.
Don't bite down, you son of a bitch.
Who sent you? l want a name.
Give me a name!
Suicide pill.
Potassium cyanide.
Guy was dead before he hit the ground.
Thanks, hon.
Then Rorschach was right.
This wasn't some lone nut.
lt's an organization:
well-funded, well-equipped.
But who'd wanna kill us now?
l don't know, but it's not safe out here.
So no word from Jon?
No.
Well, listen...
...why don't you come stay with me?
oh, no.
That's sweet, but l wouldn't wanna impose.
oh, no. No.
Think of it as doing me a favor.
l wouldn't have to worry about you
being out there.
okay.
Rorschach's journal, October 21 st, 1 985.
On 43rd and 7th, saw Dreiberg
and Jupiter leaving diner.
They didn't know me without my mask.
An affair?
Did she break Manhattan's heart
to engineer his exile...
...make room for Dreiberg?
Does Manhattan even have a heart
to break?
Veidt's assassin was a local lowlife
named Roy Chess.
At his apartment, l found clues.
Seems he worked
at Pyramid Transnational.
l've seen the logo before...
...at Moloch's.
Someone tried to shoot
the world's smartest man today, Moloch.
Guy worked for Pyramid Transnational.
More than a just delivery service,
l take it.
Last time l was here, l saw a pension check
written from the same company.
l'm guessing it's a front set up
by whoever wants us masks dead.
Now, no more lies, Moloch.
Who runs Pyramid?
FlNE
Rorschach.
This is the police.
We know you're in there.
No. No!
lf there's anybody in there with you,
send them out unharmed.
No. No, no, no!
Framed. Walked right into it.
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Never, never surrender.
All right.
l hope you're ready, hero.
When you are.
one...
...two...
...three.
Come on.
Son of a bitch.
- Christ, he stinks.
- Get that mask off him.
- l got it.
- No. No!
My face! Give me back my face!
The masked vigilante Rorschach
was apprehended...
...and identified
as Walter Kovacs, a 35-year-old white male.
Little's known about Kovacs,
but he was charged with the murder...
...of Edgar Jacobi, found shot in the head
in his home in the Bronx.
Police officers were injured
and Jacobi's home was set ablaze...
...during the violent course
of the capture.
Rorschach!
l'm gonna fuck you
like l fucked your mother!
Come on out, Rorschach!
Walter Kovacs.
ls that your name? Walter?
Well, let me explain
your situation here, Walter.
You cooperate with me...
...and l may be able to convince them
that you should be treated medically.
ln a hospital. l believe
that would be good for you.
But the authorities wanna put you
with the general population.
- Prison's a prison.
- Uh-huh. Yes.
But the difference is, down there...
...you'd be eaten alive.
You're responsible for a lot of them
being in prison here, Walter.
Tell me what you see.
A pretty butterfly.
What about now? What do you see here?
Mom?
ls he hurting you?
You got a fucking kid in here.
l get that at home.
Bastard.
l should have had that abortion.
Some nice flowers.
l heard this guy's mom's a whore.
Did you catch any diseases from her?
Huh? Whoreson. Listen to me, retard.
Hey, you think she'd suck my dick
for a dollar?
Clouds.
Tell me about Rorschach.
Will you do that, Walter?
You keep calling me Walter.
l don't like you.
You don't like me.
All right, why is that, exactly?
You're fat.
Wealthy. Liberal sensibilities.
You wanna know about Rorschach?
l'll tell you about Rorschach.
l was investigating a kidnap case.
Blaire Roche.
Six-year-old girl. l was young then.
Too soft on criminals.
l let them live.
Broke a man's arm to get a tip.
Led me to the missing girl's location.
l knew the girl was here...
...but when l searched the place,
l saw nothing.
And then l found her.
lt was dark when the murderer got back.
As dark as it gets.
oh, God.
Who's out there? Who is it?
Who is it?
What? What the fuck?
Who the fuck are you?
What the fuck do you want?
You killed my dogs, man!
You think l had something to do
with that girl? l found that.
What evidence have you got?
That's nothing.
okay. l confess.
l kidnapped her. l killed her.
Arrest me.
What? Arrest me!
l did it! l said l did it!
Christ.
Look, l've got a problem, man.
Fucking take me in. l need help.
No, don't. Don't do that.
Take me in. Don't! No!
Men get arrested.
Dogs get put down.
Tremors of impact shook my arm.
Warm blood splashed my face.
Whatever was left of Walter Kovacs
died that night with that little girl.
From then on, there was only Rorschach.
See, doctor, God didn't kill that little girl.
Fate didn't butcher her
and destiny didn't feed her to those dogs.
lf God saw what any of us did that night,
he didn't seem to mind.
From then on, l knew:
God doesn't make the world this way.
We do.
Hey, Rorschach.
Hey, you're pretty famous, right?
Rorschach, l heard your mother
was a whore.
Hey, you know what?
l'm pretty famous too.
- Ain't that right? That's right.
That's right.
Maybe l can give you an autograph.
What you say, big boy?
None of you seem to understand.
l'm not locked in here with you.
All right, that's it!
You're locked in here with me.
Laurie!
Shit.
Hold on.
- Fuck.
l got it, l got it, l got it.
l'm so sorry. l was snooping
and must have hit the wrong button.
- Are you hurt?
- No, no.
- okay.
- l'm fine. l just feel so bad.
No, don't worry.
lt's happened before.
Comedian did it back in '77.
Archie survived that.
Archie?
oh. Well, uh, short for Archimedes...
...Merlin's pet owl.
Stupid nickname.
How did you ever afford
all this stuff, anyway?
Well, my dad was in corporate banking
and left me a lot of money when he died...
...which always surprised me.
l mean, he was...
l think he was disappointed
l went into crime fighting...
...instead of following him.
Guess l was just more interested in
birds and airplanes, mythology and...
Must be nice having a secret identity.
A secret place that nobody knows about.
You can just come down here and hang out
without anyone checking up on you.
Nobody watching you.
Wanna try those on?
There we go.
Wow, these rock.
They amplify the spectral range.
Thermal imaging.
They work even better in the dark.
You can see me, right?
l can see everything.
l remember, no matter how black it got...
...whenever l looked through those goggles,
everything was as clear as day.
This must be the way Jon sees the world.
We should probably head up.
Food's getting cold.
Put those away when you're done.
Soviets are
finding themselves bogged down...
...in bloody house-to-house fighting.
Casualties on both sides
are said to be in the hundreds.
Civilian deaths are also alarmingly high.
Dan.
Jon sees a lot of things...
...but he doesn't see me.
Well, uh...
Sorry.
Come here.
What's the matter?
- lf you could just move a little...
- okay.
Yeah. There you go.
Soviet ambassador to the U.N.
had no comment...
...when asked if Dr. Manhattan's
disappearance...
...has fueled Soviet aggression
in Afghanistan.
Dan, what's wrong?
Sorry, l...
Yeah, l just need a couple minutes.
oh, hell.
lt's been a long time, Rorschach.
Big Figure.
Small world.
l like that.
But you know, it is a small world in here.
And l've been in it for,
how long now, Lloyd?
Almost 1 5 years, Mr. Figure.
That's right.
Fifteen years since you
and that owl fella put me away.
So...
...Rorschach, that guy you burned is dying.
Could go any minute.
You know, by my count, there are more
than 50 people in here that you put away.
l been talking to every one of them
and they're all dying to get a piece of you.
This place is gonna explode!
Then, you die by inches.
Tall order.
l'm gonna tear this guy a new hole.
Relax, Lawrence. Soon.
Come on.
Dan?
ls everything all right?
l'm tired of being afraid.
Afraid of war...
...afraid of the mask killer...
...and afraid of this goddamn suit...
...and how much l need it.
Me too.
So to hell with it.
Let's take Archie out.
You're serious.
l used to be a masked avenger too,
remember?
l'm used to going out at 3 in the morning
and doing something stupid.
Rapid burner. Be advised, all units.
Tenement fire at 5th and Grand.
Rapid burner.
Let's go.
l can see it.
All right, hold on.
Dan, there are kids in there.
Everyone, stay where you are
and remain calm.
We're gonna get you out of there.
The roof's starting to cave.
Get me in there.
l'm gonna get you close.
Let's go.
Watch your step.
All right.
We're all set.
ls that everyone?
Bye.
Bye!
l can't believe we did that.
- They'll lock us up with Rorschach.
- Who cares?
World War lll could start tomorrow.
Right?
Right.
Come back here!
He's dead, Rorschach.
While everyone's distracted, we thought
we'd bring you a housewarming gift.
Something from the machine shop.
Hey, boss, you notice?
None of that ''small world,
tall order'' crap.
He knows once we slice open his lock,
he's next on the block.
Fat chance.
You're dead, Rorschach!
We got a prison full of killers out here.
What do you got?
Your hands, my pleasure.
Can't reach the lock. Should l cut the bars?
This riot won't last.
l been waiting 1 5 years for this.
l'm sorry, Lawrence, but you're in the way
of my revenge.
Nothing personal, big guy.
Boss! Wait!
Now you find out what the score is.
one-nothing. Come and get me.
Come on.
So l've been thinking.
l feel that we have an obligation
to our fraternity.
- l think we ought to spring Rorschach.
What?
Someone set him up.
And this whole cancer thing with Jon,
it just doesn't make sense.
You didn't get it.
Yeah, but breaking
into a maximum-security prison...
- ... is a little different than putting out a fire.
- Yeah, you're right.
lt'll be more fun.
Hurry, Lloyd. l wanna
smell this son of a bitch cooking.
Yes.
No.
Never disposed of sewage
with a toilet before. obvious, really.
Two-nothing. Your move.
Get out of the way!
No. No.
Where's my face?
Don't kill me.
Your turn, doctor.
Tell me, what do you see?
Don't move!
Rorschach.
Daniel. Miss Jupiter.
Excuse me. Have to visit men's room.
oh, for chrissake.
Are you all right?
Yeah. Just...
...heavy, you know?
War, jailbreak.
Don't worry about it. okay?
Everything's gonna be fine.
- Hello, Laurie.
- Jon.
- TV said you were on Mars.
- l am on Mars.
You and l are about
to have a conversation there.
What are you talking about?
You're going to try to convince me
to save the world.
- Laurie, don't.
- Dan, trust me.
l have to go.
Beautiful, isn't it?
Forgive me. These things sometimes
slip my mind.
lt won't happen again.
That's comforting.
oh, my God.
l'm on Mars.
We need to hit up
underworld contacts, squeeze people.
Sure, why don't we just pick names
out of a phone book?
You forgot how we do things, Daniel.
You've gone too soft. Too trusting.
Especially with women.
okay, no. Listen, l've had it with that.
God, who do you
think you are, Rorschach?
You live off people
while insulting them...
...and no one complains because they think
you're a goddamn lunatic.
l'm sorry.
l shouldn't have said that, man.
Daniel...
...you are a good friend.
l know it can be difficult
with me sometimes.
Forget it.
lt's okay, man.
Let's do it your way.
oh, God.
Pyramid Transnational.
Anyone heard of it?
oh, you bastards.
l buy everyone a round
and you sell me out like this?
Back off, or l'll stick this glass
in your squidgy face.
Everybody stay calm.
We'll try to keep this brief.
Roy Chess. on Pyramid payroll.
Tried to kill Adrian Veidt. Dead now.
Did you know him?
No.
Yeah, yeah!
- l hired him. l knew him from the inside.
- You're a felon.
l was. l've been straight
ever since l got out, l swear.
l barely knew Chess that well,
but l was told to hire from the old life.
- Told by whom?
- My contact, Miss Slater.
Janey Slater works for Pyramid too?
Yeah, she was real nice. She said hiring
ex-cons was part of the company program.
Give people a second chance.
God, please let go! l'm telling the truth!
Janey Slater, Manhattan's old girlfriend.
Adrian might help us
find out who's underwriting Pyramid.
Follow the money.
This is where we hold our conversation.
ln it, you ask me
to stop the imminent nuclear war.
But why would l save a world...
...l no longer have any stake in?
Then do it for me.
lf you really care.
When you left me, l left Earth.
Does that not show you that l care?
My red world here, now...
...means more to me than your blue one.
Let me show you.
Bombers are fueled and ready, sir.
lt's time, gentlemen.
Take us to DEFCoN one.
Not in penthouse. Not in office.
What nocturnal proclivities
entice a man with everything...
...out into the night at this hour?
l'm gonna look for Adrian's itinerary.
Maybe he keeps on file.
- Something's not right.
- Agreed.
Janey Slater, Moloch, Roy Chess
all work for Pyramid.
Moloch said the Comedian mentioned list
with his and Slater's name on it.
Whoever owns Pyramid
could be giving these people cancer.
Setting Manhattan up.
Funny.
Ancient pharaohs looked forward
to the end of the world.
Believed cadavers would rise,
reclaim hearts from golden jars.
Must currently be holding breath
in anticipation.
Pharaohs?
Got a psych profile on Manhattan.
See what the corporate head-peepers say.
''Subject continues
to retreat emotionally.
lf the only remaining ties
were to be severed...
...we predict total detachment
from the human condition. ''
l'm in.
No.
Congratulations, Mr. Veidt.
Dr. Manhattan's energy reactor is online.
Your support and your enthusiasm...
...is what has led to this triumph.
on behalf of the research team,
we salute you.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
What in life
does not deserve celebrating?
This is the new Karnak.
This represents the culmination of a dream
more than 2000 years old...
...a dream now assured
because of your unquestioning assistance.
And for this...
...l am ashamed...
...ashamed that you must now share
such inadequate a reward.
To the pharaohs...
...their greatest secrets
entrusted to their servants...
...buried alive with them
in sand-floored chambers.
Sleep well, gentlemen.
our new, peaceful world
will be indebted...
...to your great sacrifice.
Bubastis.
Rorschach's journal. Final entry.
Veidt's behind everything.
Why?
What's his endgame?
l cannot imagine
a more dangerous opponent.
Used to joke he was fast enough
to catch a bullet.
He could kill us both alone in the snow.
That's where we're going now:
Antarctica.
Whether l'm alive or dead
upon this reading...
...l hope the world survives long enough
for this journal to reach you.
l live my life free of compromise...
...and step into the shadow
without complaint or regret.
Rorschach, November 1 st.
Can't you just tell me how
this ends and save us the trouble?
lt ends with you in tears.
Tears? So you don't come back to Earth.
At some point, yes.
The streets are filled with death.
Jon, please.
You have to stop this. Everyone will die.
And the universe will not even notice.
ln my opinion, the existence of life...
...is a highly overrated phenomenon.
Just look around you.
Mars gets along perfectly well
without so much as a microorganism.
Here, it's a constantly changing
topographical map...
...flowing and shifting around the pole
in ripples 1 0,000 years wide.
So tell me...
...how would all of this be greatly improved
by an oil pipeline?
By a shopping mall?
So it's too much to ask for a miracle?
Miracles, by their definition,
are meaningless.
oh, God, Jon!
- only what can happen does happen.
- Just stop your bullshit.
Land this thing. Now.
JoN:
As you wish.
You know what?
You can send me back to Earth
to fry with Dan and my mom...
...and all the other worthless humans.
But know that you were wrong.
You said this ended with me in tears...
...and look: nothing.
Maybe you were wrong about everything.
You complain that l refuse to see life
on life's terms...
...yet you continuously refuse
to see things from my perspective.
- You shut out what you're afraid of.
- l'm not afraid.
You want me to see things your way?
Go ahead, show me. Do that thing you do.
Magic. Dreams. That is what l had before.
l was a hero, goddamn it!
lt's not my fault you got old.
What do you have to complain about?
l put food on the table
for you and your child.
Call your friend Eddie.
Maybe he can give you a better life.
Even the grimy parts of it...
...keep on getting brighter.
You're Sally Jupiter's kid.
You're the Comedian, right?
You were pretty cool in there.
You know, your mom, she was one
of the all-time champion beauties.
- You got her eyes, you know. You got-
- Take your hands off her.
Hey, doll. Long time no see.
Not long enough in my book, Eddie.
Get in the car.
Now.
Are there no depths you won't sink to?
Jesus Christ, Sally.
Can't a guy talk to his...
...you know, old friend's daughter?
Drive.
lt was a mistake. One time.
Guy tries to rape you, and years later,
you let him finish the job?
What? Were you drunk or just lonely?
Am l ever gonna live this down?
Laurie.
No.
No, not him.
The Comedian...
...was your father.
No.
No! No! No!
My life is just...
...one big joke.
l don't think your life is a joke.
Yeah, well...
...l'm sorry if l don't
trust your sense of humor.
Will you smile...
...if l admit l was wrong?
About what?
Miracles.
Events with astronomical odds
of occurring...
...like oxygen turning into gold.
l've longed to witness such an event,
and yet l neglect...
...that in human coupling...
...millions upon millions of cells
compete to create life...
...for generation after generation...
...until finally, your mother...
...loves a man...
...Edward Blake, the Comedian,
a man she has every reason to hate...
...and out of that contradiction,
against unfathomable odds...
...it's you-
only...
...you.
- that emerged.
To distill so specific a form...
...from all that chaos...
...is like turning air into gold.
A miracle.
And so...
...l was wrong.
Now dry your eyes, and let's go home.
We got a bearing on that artificial structure.
Heat signature's off the charts.
- Veidt.
- l don't like the way Archie's kicking.
- The engines.
- They're icing up. Hold onto something.
Daniel, you're coming in too low.
Don't wish to interfere,
but perhaps should pull up sharply-
l know! l'm trying.
l'm trying to pull him up, goddamn it!
l'm gonna redirect the heat from
the flamethrower to speed up deicing...
...but it's gonna take a while
and we don't have time to wait.
You need something warmer.
Fine like this.
What is it, girl?
Mm.
Adrian's a pacifist.
He's a vegetarian, for chrissakes.
He's never killed anyone in his life.
Hitler was vegetarian.
You're squeamish, leave him to me.
We won't get second chance.
Gentlemen.
- Welcome.
- Adrian, we know everything.
Then what's there to discuss, Dan?
Plenty. You killed Comedian.
May he rest in peace.
Blake figured it out first.
Nixon had him keeping tabs on us,
making sure we weren't rocking the boat.
Blake found out what l was doing
here in Karnak...
...and by the time he visited poor Moloch,
he was cracking badly.
Even l couldn't predict he'd be the one
to have a change of heart.
So...
...l had to kill him.
Then l neutralized Jon. No easy task.
l put roughly $2 billion
into tachyon research...
...to block Jon's vision of the future.
You used his psych profile
to manipulate him.
Got him to leave the planet.
l've known Jon long enough
to see he isn't devoid of emotion.
His subtle facial twitches wouldn't be
noticed by the layman, but to me...
...he might as well have been sobbing.
All l needed to do was tug on the thread.
The sudden flood of emotion Jon felt...
...when he came to believe
he'd given cancer to the people he loved...
...was all the excuse he needed
to leave Earth.
Your bullshit assassin.
You paid him to throw us off.
Mr. Chess gave his life
in the service of a higher cause, Dan.
l put a cyanide capsule in his mouth...
...leaving only one loose end:
You, and your mask-killer theory...
...one you followed
with the tenacity of a true sociopath.
l tipped off the police.
once you were in prison,
l was able to move forward.
Sorry to disappoint you.
We were supposed to make the world
a better place.
Dan, that's exactly what l am doing.
Nuclear war?
Human extinction?
of course, my moral safeguards
gave me pause at the necessary sacrifice.
A few key regions around the globe-
New York, Los Angeles, Moscow,
Hong Kong.
- disintegrated in an instant.
Fifteen million people killed...
...by Dr. Manhattan himself.
The world's punishment
for flirting with World War lll.
Jon wouldn't do that.
A fact no one outside this room
ever has to know.
The energy breakthrough l was working on
just came to fruition.
All these years, Jon was helping me
replicate his power...
...unaware of how l planned to use it.
You see...
...the Comedian was right.
Humanity's savage nature
will inevitably lead to global annihilation.
So in order to save this planet...
...l had to trick it...
...with the greatest practical joke
in human history.
- Killing millions.
- To save billions.
A necessary crime.
You know we can't let you do that.
''Do that,'' Rorschach?
l'm not a comic-book villain.
Do you think
l'd explain my masterstroke to you...
...if there were even the slightest possibility
you could affect the outcome?
l triggered it 35 minutes ago.
Jesus Christ, Henry.
Why the hell
didn't we get a launch detection?
lt's not the Soviets, sir.
lntel indicates the energy signature...
...was generated by...
...Dr. Manhattan.
Jon.
lnterference.
Cataclysmic interference.
l can't believe it happened.
This wasn't caused by nuclear warheads.
lt was me.
l...
...did this.
- What do you mean, you did this?
- Not directly.
lt was made to look like l did it.
Adrian.
Speak of the devil.
Jon-
l know.
Must stop him.
Killed Blake, killed millions.
Wait here.
Adrian, stop this.
The tachyons were clever...
...but even if l can't predict where you are,
l can turn the walls to glass.
l should thank you.
l'd almost forgotten the excitement
of not knowing...
...the delights of uncertainty.
Forgive me, girl.
You're such an asshole.
Veidt, you bastard.
- lf you've hurt her, l'll-
- Dan...
...grow up. My new world
demands less obvious heroism.
Your...
...schoolboy heroics are redundant.
What have they achieved?
Failing to prevent Earth's salvation...
...is your only triumph.
JoN:
l'm disappointed in you, Adrian.
l'm very disappointed.
Reassembling myself
was the first trick l learned.
lt didn't kill osterman.
Did you really think it would kill me?
l have walked across the surface
of the sun.
l have witnessed events
so tiny and so fast...
...they can hardly be said
to have occurred at all...
...but you, Adrian, you're just a man.
The world's smartest man...
...poses no more threat to me...
...than does its smartest termite.
What's that?
Another ultimate weapon?
Yes.
You could say that.
- came under attack.
Millions of lives were suddenly ended...
...in an act of evil
perpetrated by Dr. Manhattan himself.
Since the attacks,
l have been in constant contact...
...with the premier of the U.S.S.R.
Putting aside our past differences...
...we have both pledged to unite...
...against this common enemy.
With the rest of the world...
...we will prevail.
This is a day we shall never forget.
And yet we go forward
to defend the human race...
...and all that is good
and just in our world.
Thank you. God bless us all.
Do you see?
Two superpowers retreating from war.
l've saved the earth from hell.
We both have.
This is as much your victory as it is mine.
Now we can return...
...do what we were meant to.
We were meant to exact justice.
- Everyone's gonna know what you've done.
- Will they?
By exposing me, you would sacrifice
the peace so many died for today.
- Peace based on a lie.
- But peace...
- ... nonetheless.
- He's right.
Exposing Adrian would only doom the world
to nuclear destruction again.
No. We can't do this.
on Mars...
...you taught me the value of life.
lf we hope to preserve it here...
...we must remain silent.
Keep your own secrets.
Don't even think about it.
Rorschach.
Wait.
Never compromise.
Not even in the face of armageddon.
That's always been the difference
between us, Daniel.
l've made myself feel every death...
...see every innocent face
l've murdered to save humanity.
- You understand, don't you?
JoN: Without condoning...
...or condemning...
...l understand.
out of my way. People have to be told.
You know l can't let you do that.
Suddenly you discover humanity?
Convenient.
lf you'd cared from the start,
none of this would have happened.
l can change almost anything...
...but l can't change human nature.
of course
you must protect Veidt's new utopia.
What's one more body
amongst foundations?
Well, what are you waiting for?
Do it.
Do it!
No!
l'm leaving this galaxy
for one a little less complicated.
l thought you said you cared
about life again.
l do.
l think maybe l'll create some.
Goodbye, Laurie.
Come on.
Come on!
Dan...
...a world united and at peace.
There had to be sacrifice.
No! You haven't idealized mankind,
you've deformed it.
You've mutilated it.
That's your legacy.
That's the real practical joke.
We repeat, there is
nothing wrong with your television set.
You are about to participate
in a great adventure.
You are about to experience
the awe and mystery...
...which reaches from the inner mind
to the outer limits.
Sure you don't want a drink?
l'm okay.
Cheers.
There's something l need
to get off my chest.
l know that Eddie Blake was my father.
Laurel.
What you must think of me.
l'm sorry l never told you.
l should have...
...but l don't know, l just felt ashamed.
l felt stupid.
lt doesn't matter.
People's lives take them strange places.
They do strange things...
...and, well,
sometimes they can't talk about them.
l know how that is...
...but l just want you to know...
...that you never did anything wrong
by me.
You asked me why l wasn't mad at him.
Because he gave me you.
Thanks, Mom.
l love you.
- Hello, Miss Jupiter.
- oh, Sally, please.
Excuse me. Gotta go freshen up.
l'll be right back.
- So how's it going up here?
- Good. How's it going down there?
Good. l think l've got everything working.
All of Archie's systems are upgraded.
Finished the tinkering for now...
...so all we gotta do is take her out.
Well, that sounds like a date.
Are we gonna be all right?
Long as people think Jon's
still watching us, we'll be all right...
...in the end.
l know what Jon would say:
Nothing ends.
Nothing ever ends.
Seymour, we got nothing
to write about anymore.
Everyone in the country...
...every country in the world
are holding hands...
...and singing songs
about peace and love.
lt's like living in a goddamn
global hippie commune.
Well, Ronald Reagan says he's gonna
be running for president in '88.
We could run a piece on that.
Seymour, we don't dignify absurdities
with coverage.
This is still America, damn it.
Who wants a cowboy in the White House?
okay. l could look for something
in the crank file.
Crank file.
Whatever. Take some initiative.
Run whatever you like.
l leave it entirely in your hands.
Rorschach's journal, October 12th, 1985.
Tonight, a comedian died in New York.