80: Watchmen (2009)

About this episode

The episode discusses the film 'Watchmen' set in an alternate 1985 where the murder of a superhero leads to an investigation revealing the complexities of its characters.

Set in an alternate 1985 where the U.S. and Soviet Union are on the brink of nuclear war, the film begins with the murder of Edward Blake, better known as the Comedian. His death triggers an investigation by Rorschach, a vigilante with a brutal sense of justice. As the story unfolds, we meet the rest of the retired “heroes”: the detached and godlike Dr. Manhattan, the disillusioned Nite Owl, the bitter Silk Spectre, and the calculating Ozymandias. Each character reveals a different face of mo...

Topics covered

• alternate history
• superheroes
• nuclear war
• vigilantism
• character analysis

Keywords

• Watchmen
• 1985
• superheroes
• Rorschach
• Dr. Manhattan
• nuclear war
• vigilante

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Watchmen

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