The Watchmen is a fictional story about a group of vigilante crime fighters during the 1970's to 1980's. The story actually begins by discussing the original vigilantes from the 1950's in a tremendously detailed back story referenced in passing to explain the current events in the story. There are six essential characters who each possess one dominating trait of that reveals the nature of man or humanity for that matter. When brought together the Watchmen reveal humanity's chaotic form and then thin line that can be rationalized for both good and evil by both good and evil. In the end, you have to destroy humanity in order to save it and The Watchmen are one of the greatest portrayals of the seeds of destruction that all humans contain inside themselves and controlling those seeds from germinating is the ongoing struggle of our race.
Dr. Manhattan
Dr. Manhattan looks like one of the "Bluemen" but was in fact a victim of a nuclear experiment turned accident. Before the accident Dr. Manhattan was a sort of recluse or workaholic leaving all details pointing toward his work until he met his first girlfriend Janey Slater. However, like most Women tend to do she distracted him from his work to the point he became careless which is the reason for his nuclear accident. She also abandoned him during the final stages of his transformation and he himself abandoned humanity as time dragged on. If the wind blew in a destructive way Dr. Manhattan did not care to notice if it affected anyone around him although he was all powerful to be aware if it did. Manhattan represents the cynicism of emotional detachment in the lives of some human beings.
Nite Owl
Nite Owl is sometimes argued as a liberal or one embracing liberalism. I would violently disagree with that assumption. Nite Owl knows right from wrong and his willing to commit to violence when diplomacy fails. He not only uses violence defensively but also offensively in order to prevent crime. Although he was more of a science technology geek with moral principals he is also a pragmatist. This is shown when he gives in to Rorschach's methods of search and torture to get criminals to reveal information. Among all the characters, Nite Owl is considered the most mentally stable although he also shares the desire to fight a never ending battle against evil, he continues to genuinely help people. Nite Owl represents human idealism in an imperfect world which he chooses to accept the lesser of two evils to fight evil.
The Comedian
The comedian is one of the most repulsive characters in the graphic novel series but yet a favorite by many. The Comedian has a self serving notion about his role in the US government yet continues to work for a cause he considers is a joke. I think many people look at their lives and careers in much the same way. However, the Comedian abuses his power and authority to fulfill his own desires and rationalizes everything he does to fit his life choices. An example of the Comedians persona is when he tries to rape Sally Jupiter and she sincerely screams"No!" and the Comedian replies, "No means yes". The scary revelation is, no does mean yes in many peoples minds who we interact with everyday. The Comedian ultimately represents the duality of human nature in that he is both good and evil but ultimately flawed.
Laurie Juspeczyk aka Silk Spectre II
Laurie Juspeczyk like many people is bitter about her fate in life and is antagonized by her childhood memories. Silk Spectre was the result of a twisted union of two flawed characters who both created a dynamic reflection in Laurie of what both parents (Sally Jupiter and Edward Blake) always thought of being but whose natural nature could not allow for. Even though she is a very capable fighter and brave women who does honorable deeds for the service and defense of others she is at a loss emotionally. As a result, the Silk Spectre more or less represents the innocence of being to all conformists of society.
Ozymandias
Adrian Veidt was formerly the superhero Ozymandias who always referenced his inspiration from the examples of Alexander the Great and the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II. Ozymandas fought criminals for a time when notoriety fed his ever growing ego of his own powerful actions until it was not enough to counter his conclusion that evil could never be destroyed. In a way this reality of truth drove him mad to the point he tried to destroy evil permanently along with humanity. Although Veidt is is inherently good he is flawed beyond the understanding of a twisted rationalization of burning a village in order to save it. He is credited with being the most intelligent man in the world who hides his true nature behind his distracting philanthropy. In the end, Ozymandias represents the ambivalence of human nature with the the choices of all being made by one elitist view point.
Rorschach
Rorschach is Watchmen's corrupted hand of justice in that he was the judge, jury and executioner to any "suspected" criminal he encountered. Of all the Watchmen Rorschach was truly a vigilante. As a child Rorschach was born Walter Kovacs as the bi product of his mother's carelessness profession as a prostitute from which he endured his upbringing. Growing up he saw the scum of the earth visit his mother and use her up as she let them. From this Rorschach saw that most people are used this way without their conscent and he became disgusted by those who would treat innocents the same way in which his own mother allowed and profited by. As obvious as it might look, Rorschach is not a flawed character just because he uses the same cruelty of criminals in order to stop criminals. Of all the Watchmen characters Rorschack is in fact the truest form of justice that all victimized people feel when wronged. They wish to avenge themselves or their loved ones as Rorschach's character continuously does. Rorschach represents absolutism of humanity with no room for seeing anything beyond black and white and will not sacrifce the few in order to save the many.
