Comic book adaptations became the defining force of pop culture in the 2010s, but there was still trepidation about touching a masterpiece as influential as Alan Moore’s legendary graphic novel Watchmen. Named by TIME as one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, Watchmen inverted the superhero narrative by intertwining the history of caped crusaders with American history, resulting in a nightmarish present where vigilante justice was dominant, the nation was on the brink of war with the Soviet Union, and Richard Nixonwas about to enter his third term as President. Instead of trying to make a period piece that reflected the exact reality that the original classic had been released in, Damon Lindelofcreated a spiritual successor with HBO’s Watchmen, which served as a continuation of the canon established back in 1985. The result is the most daring science fiction show that HBO has ever released, which swept the Emmy Awards in a first for comic book adaptations.
The biggest issue with 2009’s Watchmen film, directed by Zack Snyder,was that it was so enamored with the style of the superheroes themselves that it didn’t contain the venomous criticism that Moore had for what they represented. Since Moore had used Watchmen to take a stand against nuclear armament, authoritarianism, and police brutality, Lindelof updated the HBO show to reflect the issues of the current era, including America’s history of political corruption and white supremacy. While it ends up tying into the original text in a way that is as surprising as it is fulfilling, Watchmen also serves as a declarative statement that has sadly become even more relevant in the years since it first premiered.
HBO’s ‘Watchmen’ Isn’t a Typical Comic Book Adaptation
Instead of baiting the viewer with nostalgia, Watchmen starts by introducing new characters that fit into a modern world left devastated by the events of the original story, in which Adrian Veidt (Jeremy Irons), the superhero known as “Ozymandias,” unleashed a devastating squid attack on New York City to prevent a nuclear war. The new protagonist, Angela Abar (Regina King), is a member of the police force who masks her identity because of a coordinated effort in which white supremacists attacked several officers in their homes. Angela is aware of the events that occurred in the original Watchmen, but has gone on to live her own life with her husband, Cal (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). It’s through Angela’s investigation into her own heritage that Watchmen is able to question where Moore’s characters ended up, and how they factor into a new society that has become even more stratified.
Damon Lindelof’s HBO series earned the Marvel star an Emmy.
What’s even more impressive than the maneuvering of comic book mythology is that Watchmen is legitimately informative about U.S. history; the show draws attention to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, in which “Black Wall Street” was burned down by a racist mob that destroyed a significant chunk of history. This is something that is rarely mentioned in the American education system, particularly in Southern states that have a severely slanted curriculum when it comes to the nation’s past. The event itself isn’t just explored in Watchmen in visceral, disturbing detail, but purposefully woven into the plot and how it relates to one of the most famous and mysterious characters in canon. Since superhero films often begin with a moment of tragedy that the characters are forced to overcome, Watchmen is able to channel real anxieties about the American present to answer one of the biggest lingering questions that Moore never had the opportunity to.
‘Watchmen’ Is an Adaptation That Makes Thoughtful Updates to the Source Material
Hooded Justice is a character who is credited in Watchmen as being the first modern superhero, but his identity is kept under wraps until “This Extraordinary Being,” one of the greatest episodes in the history of HBO. “This Extraordinary Being” understands something fundamental about superheroes because of the notion of a secret identity, as it offers them the protection of living a different life. The reveal that Hooded Justice is actually Angela’s grandfather, Will (Jovan Adepo), twists the story by showing that the character only put on a mask to cover up his race. On a greater level, superheroes, the most defining figures within contemporary pop culture, are revealed to have emerged as a means to fight racism without risk of consequence, and serve as another example of Black achievements being lost to time. It’s a powerful statement that works especially well because of the amazing use of black-and-white within the episode to show the fluctuation of time.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
Watchmen comes full circle in its ending by finding a creative way to explore Dr. Manhattan, a character whose relationship with time makes him difficult to depict traditionally. HBO’s Watchmen improves upon the original text’s biggest flaw by offering something tangible for Dr. Manhattan to relate to in the real world, which justifies his decision to continuously involve himself in human affairs. It’s not only a thematically ambitious series, but a visually striking, exciting work of propulsive genre filmmaking that packs more thrills into nine episodes than most shows that ran for multiple seasons. Watchmen is the type of adaptation that the industry needs more of; it’s reverential of the original text and why it was so popular, but channels contemporary insights into a narrative that speaks to the current generation.
