HBO’s new series Watchmen has been taking the world by storm (squids not included) and many can’t help but compare it to the MCU. The Watchmen universe does away with all of the pretense and arguably naïve glorification of Marvel superheroes, and instead presents the audience with gritty, realistic characters whose aspects audiences can see within themselves.
The new Watchmen series is a speculative continuation of where the comics and Zack Snyder’s 2009 movie left off. Set in an alternate universe 2019, masked vigilantes (and cops) are a common occurrence, inter-dimensional squids rain down from the sky, and Robert Redford has been President of the United States for 30 some years. The story begins with the 1921 Tulsa, Oklahoma, race riot and sets the stage for the pervasive racial tensions still present in the city almost 100 years later
A white supremacist group known at the Seventh Kavalry has made a resurgence, sending shockwaves throughout the police department. The Kavalry hides in anonymity by donning the familiar Rorschach masks while police now conceal their identities with masks of their own. When Chief Judd Crawford (Don Johnson) is brutally hanged, Detective Angela Abar, aka Sister Night (Regina King), suspects the Kavalry is involved. Soon the mystery only deepens when an unknown family member from her past shows up, making her question everything about her present.
Watchmen uses costumes for a different reason
The “superheroes” that Watchmen portrays are unlike any other iteration in our culture today. In this world, most of the characters who wear a mask and a costume do so because it’s literally part of their job. There is a new law in Tulsa that allows the police force to create an alternate persona as a way to protect themselves from enemies. Likewise, the FBI has a special division who track down and perform sting operations on civilians who try to become masked vigilantes. And ironically, the police’s costumes become so commonplace within the story, the audience soon forgets these people are running around in absurd outfits altogether. There’s nothing special about a mechanic’s work uniform and there’s nothing special about their superhero costumes either.
In the Marvel universe, on the other hand, costumes are the mark of the superheroes’ otherness. That (along with their supernatural abilities) is what differentiates them from the rest of the world. If the characters from the Marvel movies were to walk around the city dressed like everyone else, people would pass by them without a second glance. While the police in Watchmen wear costumes out of necessity, the Marvel superheroes wear costumes as a self-aggrandizing advertisement of who they are.
There’s an inherent childish aspect to superhero costumes in general; a person who runs around in a brightly colored spandex suit is not really considered a career professional by the rest of society. Albeit the Marvel heroes today wear a lot more leather than their predecessors. But what makes the costumed characters so interesting in Watchmen is that the entire situation is treated in a nonchalant way. It’s not kitschy or silly. It’s completely accepted by all of the character in the show, which in turn makes audience take it very seriously as well. Sure, Looking Glass’s mask is flashy, but even that, audiences learn, serves a practical purpose.
They don’t have supernatural abilities
On top of everything, most of the characters in Watchmen don’t have superpowers. They are normal people with normal human capabilities. They are trained in hand-to-hand combat and firearms, and are mortal just like everyone else. The only exception to this is Dr. Manhattan. He can teleport, he’s telekinetic, and he experiences time all at once. He is omnipotent and omniscient, and essentially has the powers of a god.
The MCU, instead, is full of people with special abilities. Almost every character has a supernatural power that sets them apart from one another and the rest of the world. There are characters like Spider-Man, who can shoot webs from his wrists; Thor, who can summon and channel lightning; and Luke Cage, who has super human strength and is nigh-invincible. The laws of nature obviously don’t affect these people like normal.
The general consensus is that superpowers are what make superheroes. They are the vehicle from which heroes can be courageous and take on the world. Without them, heroes would be nothing more than people who want to do good for society and the world. But Watchmen has an interesting take on superpowers. The series makes the audience question how useful these abilities are in the first place. Dr. Manhattan has god-like powers in a world that’s being torn apart by injustice and grief. But he doesn’t use his powers to help the world. He instead turns his attention to creating new life on other planets rather of saving the one he came from. Watchmen presents real people doing real things while simultaneously critiquing that superpowers don’t always make a person better.
The characters are authentic
Likewise, the characters in Watchmen don’t act the way the audience expect superheroes to act. These people are rough, and they are flawed. Each of the characters are painfully human and express their fears and vulnerabilities. Like many in society, they come from broken homes or carry some kind of emotional trauma, and are simply trying their best to make it through their lives. The only moral standard they are held to is the same standard we hold our police to in real life: be fair and follow the law. Even then, their moral compasses fail many times over as they hide the truth and violently assault others in villainous fashion. The division between what makes a good guy and bad guy in this world is remarkably blurred.
The MCU conversely depicts righteous people doing righteous things. In this world, if you’re flawed, you’re a bad guy. If people see a hero with a flaw, it’s simply being used a subplot to show how that hero can overcome their hardships like the true hero they are. For instance, Iron Man is a character who evolves from being a pathological narcissist to someone who helps save humanity. In real life, a character arc like that would never happen. Marvel heroes are the best versions of humans with impeccable morality, serving as models of the way people should act and the power of being good. There’s something untouchably glossy about them. They’re valiant and brave, and always do the right thing in the end.
There’s something to be said about glorifying that kind of behavior, especially for children who look to these characters for moral guidance. Fans revere Marvel superheroes for being fair and just, but there is an invisible barrier that truly prevents the audience from connecting to these characters on a humanistic level. People in real life are not always fair and just, so striving for something unattainable will only hurt worse in the end. What makes the Watchmen characters better is the fact that they aren’t morally pristine. They are wholly conflicted and do bad things on a daily basis, and don’t have that same kind of god-complex. The audience is able to connect with them because they can understand their struggles of just trying to live.
Watchmen is an anti-superhero show
Watchmen makes the audience question what it means to be a superhero. The series presents viewers with normal people doing normal things, albeit in costume, showing that real superheroes are just like the audience. They curse, drink, and fight, yet still try and live up to a decent moral code when possible. But Watchmen wouldn’t be able to critique the symbolic power of superheroes if it wasn’t for the Marvel universe in the first place. The MCU has provided the foundation for Watchmen, which in turn allows them to flip it on its head. The characters on the show are superior to other superheroes, ironically because they aren’t glorified and put on a pedestal. The audience can connect to them because they can put themselves in their shoes instead of revering them as idols. This humanizing element is what sets Watchmen apart from the crowd and the superhero industry is better for it.
Next: HBO’s Watchmen: What Happens After Season 1’s Finale Revealed
