Watchmen - what happens next?

Question

The twist at the end of the book (if you don't know it look away now)

So, Rorchach's diary is in the hands of the crank newspaper people and presumably they will run the story. What implications for the future do you think this will have for the world?

Matt

Answer 1

sadly very little. While it would allow rorcharch's legacy to continue, the events of the qiant squid would not be in that journal.
it may out nightowl but at this point the story is over and nothing new technologically or socilologically,would come from it.

the problem with the story has always been the ending which is realtively niaeve even then and would need to be changed for any reinterpretation (read movie , honest, honest, coming soon, alan moore loves what we've done with the characters and the production should be seemless well under our summer 2008 deadlin....why are you laughing at me?)

but the ending is quite definate, which is more than can be said for a lot of work these days.
(please insert :kewl, rocks, and wouldnt it be great is ashton kutcher, yadd yadda yadda, and how much I fancied the chicks in it within the previous paragraphs)

Answer 2

nothing different than the world today.

The russians would take over and buildup areas of brooklyn thus increasing the property values.

Russians and people from the former soviet bloc would intergrate themselves into american society and we would have russian neighborhoods like brighton that have stores catering to russian clientele.

Numerous russian clubs and lounges would pop up all over the states with more focus on new york and other large cities.

So basically the world of the watchmen wouldn't be all that different that our world today.

Answer 3

Presumably there would be an investigation into Rorschach allegation of Veidt's invovement in Blake's death. Since Blake was a US government agent, they might send someone to his Antarctic retreat, and his equipment would be discovered. Veidt's whole plan would be exposed. They would not fall for Veidt's 'moral checkmate' blather. He would be treated as a war criminal, and probably executed while the US and Russia prepared for another war.

However, there is a much better ending to the series, and I am personally disapointed in Alan Moore that he did not think of this.

His expectation that the US and Russia could be panicked into not reacting aggressively runs so counter to what we know of human nature that is is very weak and unreasonable. It is much more likely that, upon having one of its biggest cities wiped out, the US would go into instant readiness for an all out nuclear attack. (They already were, anyway.)

Russia would also have been in readiness. They might even think that now was a golden opportunity to attack the US while they were demoralized and possibly paralyzed with fear and unable to resist.

Whatever the reason, there would be a mutual exchange of nuclear missiles. All the arsenals of the world would be emptied. Every nation that had nuclear weapons would use them, and every nation would continue the nuclear bombing until their arsenals were completely exhausted. Since everything was in readiness, this would only take a few minutes to launch.

Dan (Nite Owl) and Rorschach would see this, on tv from Veidt's Antarctic retreat, where they confronted him. Laurie and Dr. Manhattan, returning in time, would also see it.

Veidt would be horrified, reduced to saying "...but I didn't mean for THIS to happen!" Dr. Manhattan would teleport everybody to NYC, in time to see the missiles falling. Laurie would ask Jon, "Isn't there anything you can do...?" He would reply, "It's too late to do anything now. This is how it MUST happen."

At the last instant, Veidt would crack, like the coward he is, falling on his knees before Dr. Manhattan and begging, "Please! I don't want to die! Save me! Save me!"

And Rorshach would whisper "No."

But then, just before the first bombs went off, Dr. Manhattan would make a gesture and surround himself and Veidt with a force bubble. Outside, Rorschach would erupt in rage, "No! You mustn't!" Dan and Laurie would cling together for one final kiss.

Then the bombs would fall. Dan and Laurie would be burned up, just like in his nightmare. Rorschach would be vaporized and leave a shadow on the wall.

But inside the bubble would be some kind of slow time, just like when Dr. Mahattan protected Laurie on Mars. Veidt would see everybody dying around him, all the bodies vaporizing, being taken to pieces by the light of the atomic blast.

Then the bombing would be over, and the bubble would fade and Veidt and Dr. Manhattan would be left standing there, facing each other, alive, the only two living beings left on Earth.

And Veidt would say, "It's over...? we survived...? and, and... but they're all gone. Everybody. There's no one left but us!"

Dr. Manhattan would ignore him. He would make a gesture, and nervous systems and circulatory systems and partially muscled skeletons would begin to appear, in the air, in the middle of the street.

While Veidt was agonizing over the death of the entire human race, Dan and Laurie would reappear. Only now, they are nude, and blue, like Dr. Manhattan himself. Bernard, the old newpaper vendor, would reappear, blue, like Dr. Manhattan, along with his wife Rosa and the black boy Bernard who read his comics. Joe and Steve, the police officers, would come back to life, blue. Doctor Malcolm Long and his wife Gloria would be reunited, no longer angry at one another, blue. Aline and Joey would be there, blue, no conflict between them any more.

They would be joined by Jacobi and Veidt's secretary, Edie Blake and Sally Jupiter, and others, all blue.

Dr, Mahattan would remark to Laurie, "Really, it's just a question of reassembling the components in the correct sequence."

Finally Janey Slater would appear, blue, and throw herself into Jon's waiting arms. "Oh, Jon! It's so good to see you again!" "Janey! I've missed you." "You kept your promise." "I'm still the same person. Nothing's changed. I still want you. I'll always want you."

Finally Rorschach would approach Dr. Manhattan, both of them blue, now. "Thank you," he would say, extending his hand. "I... I UNDERSTAND so much better, now...!" As he speaks, his face turns into a semblance of the Rorschach mask, turning into a big delighted grin. Dr. Mahattan would smile back. "My pleasure."

Veidt would gasp from where he was standing, "That's it...? Everybody...?"

Dr. Manhattan would turn a peculiar glance on him. "Yes. Everybody in the whole world. I restructured them, just as I did myself. I had to leave Earth for a while, to provoke the beginning of an all-out nuclear war. This was the only way to generate a strong enough nuclear pulse to remove everybody's intrinsic field at once."

As Veidt gapes, astonished, Dr. Manhattan continues. "I've walked across the Sun. I've seen events so tiny and so fast they hardly can be said to have occurred at ALL. ...you thought the tachyons would enable you to give me something I wasn't expecting...? " and when Veidt nods dumbly, Dr. Manhattan continues, "What have you achieved...? All you achieved was failing to prevent me saving the world."

"Where will we go, now...? What will we do?" Janey asks Jon.

Sally Jupiter bursts out laughing. "What CAN'T we do? We can do anything! We can go anywhere! We could go to Alpha Centauri, or the center of the Milky Way, or the Andromeda Galaxy!"

"It's not even necessary to go that far," Dr. Manhattan remarks. "Laurie and I have just been to Mars. It's peaceful and quiet there. "

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Dan asks, his arm around Laurie.

In unison, the human race lifts into the air, shining with an unearthly beauty. Veidt is fascinated by the sight, unable to take his eyes off of them. As their splendor fades in the distance, Veidt looks around, and realizes that he is alone and then says, "Uh, Jon...?"

As the amplified human race lands on Mars, Rorschach looks at Dr. Manhattan and asks, "Smartest man in the world, eh?" And Dr. Manhattan shrugs and says, "Yes, now...."

Back on Earth, Veidt is staring up into the skies, screaming, "Wait! What about me! What about MEEEEEEE?"

As the old saying goes, living well is the best revenge.

20 NOV 06, 1749 hrs, GMT.