Watchmen: There Are No Heroes Here

It is very hard to call Watchmen a superhero story because few, if any, of the main characters are "heroes", and only one of them is "super". The story takes place in an alternate 1985 (the 1985A timeline in Back to the Future Part II has a great reference to one of the alternate aspects), which has been affected by the presence of costumed crimefighters. The epic storyline reaches back to the 1930s, and examines the rise of masked vigilantes, a group of people who were inspired by superhero comics to put on gaudy outfits and fight crime outside the law. By the 70s, the public had come to revile their "heroes", and by the time of the present-day narrative, costumed crimefighters have been made illegal by an act of Congress. The story is one that uses adults in an adult world to examine adult themes, which had been pretty much unheard of in the superhero genre.

Moore wanted to examine what the world would be like if we actually had people running around stopping criminals while wearing tights. Although there is some over-the-top violence (in the sense that it likely could not happen in real life, but not over-the-top in the same sense as the movie adaptation), the characters are (almost) all human, and they cannot rely on superpowers to save them. Some of the heroes are in peak physical condition, and others have near-genius levels of intellect, but all of them could conceivably be found in our world as well. With one exception, that is. One character, Dr. Manhattan, AKA Jonathan Osterman, had the obligatory superhero "tragic accident" that turned him from man to superman. And I chose that term for a reason; Moore specifically used Manhattan as a Superman analogue. The difference between the two is that Superman is basically the world's most powerful boy scout while Manhattan is completely detatched from humanity. Moore posited that someone with godlike powers probably wouldn't be able to comprehend humanity. Granted, Manhattan is probably slightly more "godlike" than Superman, but both of them are indestructible, superstrong, and nearly omnipresent. Things that are potentially enormous problems for a human are meaningless to someone like Superman or Dr. Manhattan. What's more, the American government treats Manhattan like a weapon, which probably doesn't help his sense of humanity.

Dr. Manhattan may be the only character with superpowers, but he certainly isn't the only one with issues. Like real people, the members of the Crimebusters (the superteam that the six main characters belonged to for a short time) all have their own strengths and weaknesses. The Comedian/Edward Blake is very good at stopping crime, due to his powerful physique and love for violence, but these two things also put him in the criminal category at times (sometimes objectively, such as when he attempted to rape another costumed crimefighter, and sometimes subjectively, such as his activities in the Vietnam War). He is basically a bully who found a way to continue his love of beating up and degrading people he doesn't like. When the Keene Act passed, there was a loophole allowing former vigilantes to continue their work by doing it for the government. The Comedian didn't want to give up hurting people for a living, and under a conservative political administration, he was able to fight for values he believed in.

Rorschach/Walter Kovacs is another ultra-conservative Crimebuster who chose to continue his work after the Keene Act passed. However, he did not go to work for the government, so he is a criminal under the law (although he doesn't see himself this way; he can't, otherwise he would have to take his own life). Like the psychological tests he gets his name from, everything is black and white to Rorschach. He believes in moral absolutes and people are either good or bad. Good people need protection and bad people need to be punished. However, he believes every criminal deserves equal punishment, no matter what their crime is. For all intents and purposes, Rorschach is mentally unstable, but he is still able to discern the "innocent" from the "guilty". Then again, his definitions of those two words are nowhere near the definitons of a reasonable person.

On the other side of the political spectrum is Ozymandias/Adrien Veidt, who is probably the second-closest character to actually having superpowers. He is billed as the world's smartest man, and likely its strongest. He is in peak physical condition, extremely agile, and has an off-the-charts IQ. He became a masked crimefighter in order to make the world a better place. He ultimately gave up vigilantism because he felt he could do more as a buisnessman and philanthropist. However, these same strengths feed into his weaknesses. He is reluctant to see other people's points of view because he puts so much stock in his own. And he believes that the world can be helped in one fell swoop instead of a little aid at a time, due to his ability to rationalize.

Nite Owl/Dan Dreiberg and Silk Spectre/Laurie Juspeczyk are both "second-generation" crimefighters. Each one took up the mantle of their aliases from their originators; Dreiberg took over from a man he admired while Juspeczyk inherited the title from her mother. Dreiberg voluntarily became Nite Owl in order to feel special and important; as a man, Dreiberg is meek and impotent, but as Nite Owl, he can make a difference in people's lives. Juspeczyk on the other hand was forced into her life as Silk Spectre because her mother had trouble giving up the glory days (Incredibles reference!), which has caused Laurie to resent her mother. These two are probably the most "heroic" characters in the book because they legitimately want to help people as individuals, as opposed to wanting to help the world or punish criminals. But that doesn't mean they aren't flawed.

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