Dr. Manhattan (also known as Dr. Jonathan Osterman):
Physicist Dr. Jonathan "Jon" Osterman was transformed into a blue-skinned god-like being after he was disintegrated in an "Intrinsic Field Subtractor" in 1959. He was accidentally locked inside, and when the Subtractor started up automatically Jon was blown into atoms, with nothing left of his body. Within a few months, his disembodied consciousness managed to reconstruct a physical body for itself. He was pressed into service by the U.S. government, earning the name Dr. Manhattan.

"In my opinion, the existence of life is a highly overrated phenomenon."

Brought to Justice:

The Comedian (also known as Edward Morgan Blake):
The Comedian presents a more interesting case. Although Blake may have created himself in the image of a brutal, meaningless world, his pose as a comedian makes him ultimately unable to affirm anything. Blake’s laughter is of the mocking sort, which denigrates, rather than celebrates, its subject matter. Although he has confronted nihilism, he is unable to move beyond it. This is what motivates his costumed career: unable to create, he instead takes pleasure in destruction, and being a superhero gives him license to do so.

"Just a matter of time, I suppose..."

Brought to Justice:

Rorschach (also known as Walter Joseph Kovacs):
The mind of Rorschach is indeed a dark place, yet it’s ruled by a simple principle with a long and venerable heritage: evil must be punished. And it must be punished not because doing so makes the world a better place, but simply because it is evil and thus is deserving of punishment. Rorschach thus exemplifies the retributive theory of punishment. He maintains that wrongdoers must be punished for no other reason than that they did wrong; they deserve it. A retributivist dishes out just dessert; you get what you deserve, and what you deserve is dictated by the heinousness of your deeds.

"None of you seem to understand. I'm not locked in here with you - you're locked in here with me."

Brought to Justice:

Nite Owl (also known as Daniel Dreiberg):
Although Rorschach may be the most compelling character in Watchmen — and Ozymandias is definitely the shiniest — Dan Dreiberg, the humble Nite Owl, is the most virtuous. Out of the three, he lives the most fulfilled life, a truly flourishing life. He was Rorschach’s one-time friend and partner but escaped the faceless one’s joyless, reckless lifestyle.

"We were supposed to make the world a better place! What the hell happened to us?"

Brought to Justice:

Silk Spectre (also known as Laurel Jane "Laurie" Juspeczyk):
Laurie Juspeczyk was born in 1949. Sally Jupiter pushed her daughter into the "family business" of crime fighting. Laurie never held much interest in becoming her mother's successor, but went along with Sally's wishes anyway. Growing up, the auburn-haired Laurie knew Laurence Schexnayder was not her real father, and always believed, incorrectly, that her real father was Hooded Justice.

"I am used to going out at 3 am and doing something stupid."

Brought to Justice:

Hooded Justice (rumored to be Rolf Müller):
Hooded Justice, whose real identity is never revealed, was the first ever masked adventurer and the lead influence for Nite Owl and the rest of the early costumed heroes. He wore a hood and a noose, had the body of a wrestler, and was a charter member of the Minutemen. He is the only masked vigilante whose final fate is never fully resolved. It is suggested he may have been killed, but this theory is never proven.

"Get out."

Hollis Mason (also known as the first Nite Owl):
When we say that Hollis is honest, we may mean that he will tell the truth when it is expected of him. But that doesn’t seem enough, does it? Does it matter why
Hollis is behaving honestly? He could tell the truth because he believes that will get him further in life or that he will be punished in the afterlife if he doesn’t. In other words, his honesty is somewhat tainted by its motivation. Knowing this, we may not even say any more that Hollis is honest, just that he is very practical.

"Hey, watch with the language! This was the left hook that took out Captain Axis! Remember?"

Brought to Justice:

Sally Jupiter (also known as Sally Juspeczyk):
Sally is an existential feminist, insofar as she chose her own path in life by becoming the original Silk Spectre. Since it was a rather daring path, it is unlikely that she felt pressured to choose it out of obedience to social norms. No stringent laws prevented Sally from pursuing her adventurous path.

"I'm 67 years old. Every day, the future looks a little bit darker. But the past... even the grimy parts of it... keeps on getting brighter."

Brought to Justice:

Captain Metropolis (also known as Nelson Gardner):
As a child, Nelson Gardner was sickly and asthmatic, but years of training allowed him to get past his condition and eventually played football in college before joining the U.S. Marines as "Marine Lieutenant USMC Nelson Gardner: Free-Lance Consultant". He later adopted the Captain Metropolis persona and, using the skills he acquired in the military, attempted to eradicate organized crime in urban areas. In the Fall of 1940, he founded a superhero team called the Minutemen which was composed of Silk Spectre, Hooded Justice, Silhouette, Nite Owl, The Comedian, Mothman and Dollar Bill.

"Somebody has to save the world."

Brought to Justice:

Mothman (also known as Byron Lewis):
Byron was a bored playboy who fought crime to add spice to his life. During the '50s, the House UnAmerican Activities Committee forced all active costumed vigilantes to reveal themselves to one of their representatives. Mothman was eventually cleared, but the investigations were seen as both lengthy and ruthless.

"Me, I hope we keep out of it. Just thinking about war, it scares me..."

Brought to Justice:

Dollar Bill (also known as Bill Brady):
An excellent college athlete from Kansas, Dollar Bill was employed as a masked vigilante by one of the major banks. His name and costume were specially designed to represent the bank. In 1951, when he was trying to stop a bank robbery, his cape was caught in one of the revolving doors. Caught and helpless, he was then shot in the head at close range - ending his 11 year masked career and his life in the process.

"Dollar Bill was one of the nicest and most straightfoward men I ever met."

Brought to Justice:

Ozymandias (also known as Adrian Veidt):
Of all the characters in Watchmen , Ozymandias most closely resembles Nietzsche’s Übermensch, but even here the resemblance is not complete. Although by committing mass murder he appears to break with conventional morality, his actions simply conform to utilitarianism, which endorses the principle that “the end justifies the means. ” Nevertheless, we can agree that Ozymandias is a close approximation of what Nietzsche meant by the Übermensch.

"I wanted to match his accomplishment, bringing an age of illumination to a benighted world."

Brought to Justice:

Big Figure (identity unknown):
Big Figure was a dwarfish gangster with a penchant for cigars. In 1965 he was apprehended through the actions of Rorschach and the Nite Owl. He was then incarcerated in Sing Sing prison. When Walter Kovacs was arrested for the murder of Edgar Jacobi he was immediately threatened upon his arrival in prison by Big Figure and his small army of henchmen. Even in prison "Figure" still commanded his organization on the outside.

"We thought we'd bring you a little housewarming gift."

Brought to Justice:

Moloch the Mystic (also known as Edgar William Jacobi):
A crime boss who ran an underground vice den and constructed a solar mirror weapon as part of his nefarious schemes. Over the course of his criminal career, he clashed with Nite Owl, Ozymandias, and Doctor Manhattan. Eventually captured, he spent the 1970s in prison where he converted to Christianity and gave up his life of crime. He worked for Dimensional Developments, a company run by Adrian Veidt, where he contracted cancer. Following his release he lived alone in New York City, until his murder in 1985 as part of Ozymandias' plot.

"I have cancer. You know the kind you eventually get better from? That ain't the kind I got."

Death Penalty: