Page for the versions of the Watchmen characters that are specific to Zack Snyder's 2009 film adaptation of the graphic novel.
For the source material and other Watchmen works, see here.
SPOILERS ARE UNMARKED
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Watchmen
Dr. Manhattan
Jon Osterman / Doctor Manhattan
"In my opinion, the existence of life is a highly overrated phenomenon."
Portrayed by: Billy Crudup
The only truly superpowered character in the story, Jon Osterman is a physicist who gained godlike powers due to a Freak Lab Accident. He's used his powers to revolutionize the world, but as time has passed he has turned more emotionally distant to the people around him and indifferent towards humankind in general, and just doesn't seem to care about anything anymore, or do anything unless he's told to.
- Adaptational Skimpiness: Yes, somehow. The film cuts out the backstory behind Manhattan's nudity (the increasing skimpiness of his costume in the comic is used to visualize his growing detachment from his humanity) and his "hero costume" even when he first starts out as an adventurer is just his speedo.
- Adaptational Wimp: Incredibly downplayed. He's still an incredibly powerful Reality Warper with the ability to see into the future, but unlike the comics, he claims to not be omniscient.
This makes sense given the different medium he's currently in unlike a comic book, where the reader could read and view two different events on different pages simultaneously, the same can't be said for watching a film; the viewer can only rewind and fast-forward to see a particular scene, and even using the "scene selection" feature only allows them to see the scene at a certain point. - Dull Surprise: He speaks in a monotone and keeps a straight face for almost the entire time. This is deliberate, showing his increasing detachment from humanity, though the mask slips from time to time.
- May–December Romance: He's 20 years older than Laurie Jupiter, although his superhuman condition seems to prevent him from aging.
- Mind over Matter: He can move and reshape anything with his mind, down to the atomic and molecular levels. It goes from blowing up humans into Ludicrous Gibs to building himself a giant crystalline Clock Punk palace on Mars.
- Not So Stoic: Besides the "leave me alone" outburst, he's just as shocked as Laurie is when they find out her father is the Comedian.
- Physical God: Literally called and considered a god by the population, with his powers supporting said beliefs. Jon himself disagrees, believes God does not exist and if he did, then he certainly was not him.
- Power Echoes: Averted. While in the comics he was given a different colored speech bubble to imply his voice sounded different, in the movie post-powers he still sounds pretty much the same as he did when he was mortal.
- Reed Richards Is Useless: He's already changed the world into a more overt Alternate History in the comics thanks to his ability to synthesize new and clean energy sources. In the film, he's only now started working on said new energy sources and as a result Watchmen movie 1985 New York City looks not much different from Real Life 1985 New York City.
- Reluctant Mad Scientist: Especially here.
- Serkis Folk: As Doctor Manhattan, he is rendered entirely in CGI with his actor in a full-body motion capture suit.
- Superman Substitute: Literally gets compared to Superman, due to being the most powerful superhero in the world.
- Vocal Dissonance: Billy Crudup (an actor best known for playing the humble everyman) uses his characteristic soft, gentle speaking voice while playing Doctor Manhattan—an omnipotent living god. The contrast between his voice and his formidable appearance goes a long way toward making Manhattan come across as an ordinary man who had the power of the divine foisted upon him against his will.
Nite Owl
Daniel "Dan" Dreiberg / Nite Owl II
"The hell happened to us?! What happened to the American Dream?!"
Portrayed by: Patrick Wilson
Dubbed by: Alexis Victor (European French)
The successor of Hollis Mason in the Nite Owl mantle. He used his inherited family's fortune to create a suit, gadgets and an aircraft to fight crime.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl II may not look just like in the graphic novel, but considering Dan was a male version of Beautiful All Along once Laurie pulled off his glasses in the original too, it's hard to see this as a problem.
- Adaptational Badass: While certainly no wimp in the comic, the movie makes him a lot more formidable in the hand-to-hand department to the point he even gives Ozymandias more of a fight than Rorschach and he is able to perform more impressive moves such as Karate and Taekwondo kicks and BJJ throws and holds.
- Adaptational Heroism: This version is considerably less accepting of Ozymandias' reasoning as to why the plot to destroy New York must go unrevealed, and beats the shit out of a non-resisting Veidt after Rorschach is murdered to prevent him from spilling the beans. Also takes the time to deliver a short "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Ozy before he and Silk Spectre leave.
- Batman Parody: Even moreso with this version's costume, which closely resembles movie incarnations of Batman.
- Crimefighting with Cash: He used his wealth to create himself a suit, gadgets and an aircraft to fight crime.
- Genius Bruiser: He relies less on gadgets and more on martial arts compared to the comics.
- Heroic Build: Unlike the comic, Dan ain't chubby, and is quite the chiseled athletic hunk that would make the Dark Knight nod in approval. Patrick Wilson did put on considerable weight for the role but is still quite athletic and fit.
- Movie Superheroes Wear Black: His costume has black and gold-ish colors instead of the comics' brown and grey.
- Mr. Fanservice: Much more so than his comic counterpart as he gets several nude scenes and an extended sex scene with Laurie, all of which show off Patrick Wilson's surprisingly nice rear.
- Nice Guy: Just like the comics, Dan is a really friendly and sweet-natured guy who even Rorschach is forced to admit he likes.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Delivers one to Ozymandias after Rorschach is killed by Dr. Manhattan. Granted, he can only do it because Veidt doesn't fight back, but it's still satisfying to see.
- Only Friend: Played up in this version, where he follows Rorschach when Rorschach leaves to tell the world what Veidt did, and thus actually sees Rorschach get killed. He gives off a very Big "NO!" in response. In comparison, comic Dreiberg doesn't follow him and we have no idea how he actually feels about Rorschach's death.
- Stylish Protection Gear: The Snow-Owl suit. It looks less silly
◊ compared to the comics◊ (and also less owl-like). - Thememobile: The Owlship, his aircraft with owl eyes-shaped windshields.
Silk Spectre
Laurel Jane "Laurie" Jupiter / Silk Spectre II
"I used to be a masked avenger too, you know; I'm used to getting up at 3 in the morning and doing something stupid."
Portrayed by: Malin Åkerman
The daughter of Sally Jupiter and Jon Osterman/Dr. Manhattan's second girlfriend. She took the mantle of Silk Spectre when her mother retired.
- Adaptation Name Change: She takes the "Jupiter" surname, in spite of her comics counterpart (Laurie Juspeczyk) hating it.
- The Immodest Orgasm: While most of it is inaudible thanks to Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" blaring over the whole scene, it's easy to tell thanks to Malin Akerman's, erm... unsubtle performance and the fact that Laurie appears to scream in pleasure with every thrust when she and Dan have sex in the Owlship. Her climax coincides with her accidentally activating Archie's flamethrowers, drawing random civilians' attentions to the sky.
- May–December Romance: Dr. Manhattan is 20 years older than her, although his superhuman condition seems to prevent him from ageing.
- Ms. Fanservice: Sexy outfit? Check. Nude scenes? Double check.
- Parental Issues: Even before the issue of her biological father, the two flashbacks Dr. Manhattan makes resurface in her mind are about Sally and Laurence being in a marital dispute.
Ozymandias
Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias
"Do you see? It's your super powers retreating from war. I've saved the Earth from hell. We both have. This is as much your victory as it is mine. Now we can return. Do what we were meant to."
Portrayed by: Matthew Goode
An idealistic crimefighter who is endowed with extraordinary levels of intelligence and has a fascination for Ancient Egypt. He has honed his body and mind to near-superhuman perfection, created a multibillion dollar corporate empire and mastered science to change the world.
- '80s Hair: His... floppy... side-banged... thing is the only really egregious example in the film, and it stands out all the more strongly because of it. He still manages to induce all kinds of perverse sexual lust anyway, because it looks just so damn good on him.
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: He seems less at ease and more guilt-ridden with the outcome of his evil plan than he is in the comics.
- Adaptational Curves: In the comics, he's the model of western perfection: blond, square-jawed and athletic, greatly resembling Steve Rogers. In the film, he's a bit lanky and has a thinner face — not that this prevents him from beating the crap out of the Comedian, Nite Owl and Rorschach.
- Adaptational Dumbass: Due to being a Composite Character with Captain Metropolis, he inherits some of the latter's painful naivete, making him come across as a bit less intelligent than his counterpart in the book. Most notably: he's the one who proposes forming the Watchmen ("The Crimebusters" in the book) out of an earnest belief that America's biggest social problems can be solved by a motley crew of costumed vigilantes—only to be (quite understandably) mocked to his face by the Comedian. In the book, this was Captain Metropolis' idea. While Ozymandias did at least attend the Crimebusters' first meeting to hear him out, it's made clear that he never truly believed Metropolis' simplistic view of the world, and devised his plan to end the Cold War via mass murder because he had long since accepted that busting petty criminals could only go so far.
- Adaptational Villainy: To a degree. In the comic, he only blows up New York, while in the movie he blows up several major cities throughout the world!
- Ambiguously Gay: His computer has a file in it titled "Boys".
- Also, in the title sequence, he's seen walking into Studio 54 and warmly greeting David Bowie and Mick Jagger (whose infamously Homoerotic Subtext music video for "Dancing in the Street" came out around that time). The Village People are also onscreen for good measure.
- On the other hand, he is seen watching heterosexual porn on one of the many screens he has in front of him when Nite Owl and Rorschach confront him at the end of the film, so Ambiguously Bi and Camp Straight are not out of the question.
- Badass Boast: Delivers one, mixed into a very thinly veiled threat, to the captains of industry who argue with him over solutions to the world's energy crisis. He lets them know just how rich and powerful he is:Veidt: The world will survive...and it deserves more than you've been able to provide. So let's cut to it, shall we? Privately I'm worth more than all of your corporations combined. I could buy and sell you three times over, which is something you should factor into your decision should you choose to make our disagreement public. I think you know the way out.
- Big Bad Friend: Even moreso then the comic since this version of Adrian has maintained a good relationship with Nite Owl.
- Broken Ace: This version shows him extremely troubled and sorrowful at the end.
- Composite Character: Ozymandias is combined with Captain Metropolis, who's Demoted to Extra. In this version, he's the one who proposes the creation of the Watchmen ("The Crimebusters" in the comic book) in the early 60s, and he's the one who presents an ambitious plan for Saving the World to the other heroes — only to get mocked by the Comedian.
- Counter-Attack: His fighting style seems entirely based around counter-attacking his opponents, never throwing a punch or kick first.
- Crimefighting with Cash: He used his wealth to fight crime when he was part of the Watchmen.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: His fights against Rorschach, Nite Owl and The Comedian go completely in his favor with none of the heroes able to land even a single blow on him.
- The Faceless: He is shown fighting the Comedian before pushing him out of the window but Veidts' face is kept in shadow to avoid spoilers.
- Germanic Depressives: Veidt comes off as rather dour and bitter, with an aloof smirk the closest to a smile he seems to actually be capable of (in contrast to his much warmer, more genial comic book counterpart).
- Movie Superheroes Wear Black: His comics' purple robes are replaced with a form-fitting dark purple and gold body armor. With nipples.
- Obviously Evil: Downplayed in that he's a legitimate Well-Intentioned Extremist like his original iteration, but it's pretty easy that he isn't on the up-and-up and has been scheming behind the scenes compared to the original thanks to his incredible aloofness and more obvious troubles with the state of the world.
Rorschach
Walter Kovacs / Rorschach
"This city is afraid of me. I have seen its true face."
"None of you seem to understand... I'm not locked in here with you... YOU'RE LOCKED IN HERE WITH ME!"
Portrayed by: Jackie Earle Haley, Eli Snyder (as a kid)
"Never compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon."
A grim vigilante who wears a mask with shifting inkblots that resemble an actual Rorschach test, which he considers as his true face. He had been one of the members of the Watchmen, but continues his one-man battle against crime long after costumed vigilantes become both detested and illegal.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Even as rough as he is, Jackie Earle Haley as Walter without his mask looks much better than his comics counterpart, who is described in-universe by Dr. Long as "fascinatingly ugly".
- Adaptational Badass: Comic Rorschach is ultimately a very ineffectual fighter, relying only on straight forward boxing moves, improvised weaponry and bullying tactics until he's forced to deal with someone who's had actual training in combat and isn't the least bit intimidated by him. In the film, he's a straight up martial artist, due in no small part to Jackie Earle Haley being a black belt in Kenpo Karate and Taekwondo, performing high kicks and managing to beat the shit out of some of the cops who comes for him at Moloch's apartment before he's finally subdued. Not to mention how efficiently he defends himself in prison against a murder attempt at the refectory.
- Adaptational Personality Change:
- Adaptational Jerkass: Rorschach is more hostile and angry than his emotionless comic counterpart, with Jackie Earle Haley intentionally portraying him like a rabid dog. On the other hand...
- Adaptational Nice Guy: He's more polite to Laurie in the film, using her name rather than her superhero moniker when she asks, and doesn't make insinuating remarks about her mother. Comic Rorschach's reactionary political views, particularly his misogyny, are in general toned down.
- Anti-Hero: One of the Trope Codifiers for comics characters. Rorschach is a Knight Templar who operates with an extreme Black-and-White Morality, punishing criminals outside the jurisdiction of the law.
- Audience Surrogate: Rorschach is the first costumed fighter we meet onscreen and initially seems the most like a protagonist of a traditional superhero story with his grappling hook, his intimidation tactics, his cool mask, like a rougher version of Batman.
- Batman Parody: Rorschach is pretty much intended as a depiction of Batman without the wealth or the high-tech gadgets. Instead embracing the Anti-Hero and Knight Templar side of the Dark Knight.
- Breakout Character: Already was this among comic book readers, but Jackie Earle Haley's interpretation brought this to a whole new level by being one of the most acclaimed things about the film.
- Creepy Monotone: To an extent. He generally speaks in growls.
- Dying Alone: Averted here. Dreiberg is present for his death and mourns him.
- Grappling-Hook Pistol: He has such a gadget, and even uses it against a cop when he's cornered at Moloch's apartment.
- Parental Issues: Watching his mother prostitute herself when he was a kid surely didn't help.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: He's a misogynist, most explicitly shown by his proclivity for "whore" as an insult, and he refers to Silhouette's homosexuality as an "indecent lifestyle."
- Tragic Bromance: With Nite Owl, who yells in frustration and horror once Rorschach dies. While his tough-guy persona prevents him from admitting it at first, Rorschach does care deeply for their friendship.
The Comedian
Edward "Eddie" Blake / The Comedian
"What happened to the American Dream? It came true! You're looking at it!"
Portrayed by: Jeffrey Dean Morgan
"It's a joke! It's all a joke! Mother forgive me."
A member of both the Minutemen and the Watchmen, Eddie "The Comedian" Blake is a cigar-chomping, gun-toting vigilante turned paramilitary agent. Despite being touted as a patriotic figure, he is deliberately amoral and cynical, and has little regard for social conventions or human life. He considers the world as a sadistic joke that only he can understand.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Downplayed. His scar is more prominent in the comics, necessitating him wearing a full-face mask to hide his identity better. Here, it's inconspicuous enough for Blake to continue wearing only his domino mask to hide his identity.
- Age Lift: Sally Jupiter and Eddie had their Minutemen-era ages lifted for the film, as Gugino and Morgan could not convincingly play the characters that young. Eddie changed from 16 to 19 in early screenplay drafts before they settled on him being 22. This makes his 67 (instead of 62) at the time of his murder in 1985.
- Attempted Rape: He tried to rape Sally/Silk Spectre in the Minutemen era. Hooded Justice came in just in time to prevent it and beat the crap out of him.
- Disproportionate Retribution: His most brutal on-screen acts take place in response to attacks upon his person... which he provoked.
- Face Death with Dignity: When his killer comes for him, he responds with a calm "Just a matter of time, I suppose", and in his final moments before he's thrown out the window, he laughs his Last Words."It's a joke! It's all a joke! Mother forgive me."
- Go Out with a Smile: His Last Words are spoken with an accepting chuckle.
- Jerkass Has a Point: His major trademark. The Comedian is a complete asshole, but much of the things he says to antagonize others often have some — or much — truth to it. For example, he was one of the first to notice Dr. Manhattan's humanity beginning to falter when Manhattan didn't even try to stop him from killing the Vietnamese woman pregnant with his child (aside from weakly protesting for him to not do it). Even Ozymandias admitted that his analysis about the futility of the masked vigilantes to resolve the real problems of the world was right.
Minutemen
Nite Owl I
Hollis Mason / Nite Owl I
Portrayed by: Stephen McHattie (in the 1980s), Clint Carleton (in the 1940s)
The first vigilante to bear the "Nite Owl" alias. He was part of the Minutemen.
- Animal-Themed Superbeing: Animal Alias variety. The film adds some points on top of his cowl to resemble owl tufts, since his costume really isn't owl-like at all in the comics.
- Decoy Protagonist: He's the first vigilante to appear in the opening credits montage but by the events of the main story, he is retired and doesn't get involved with the main storyline.
- Humble Hero: Hollis casually speaks of Dan as being a Superior Successor to him, to Dan’s mild discomfort.
- Retired Badass: In the Director's Cut and Ultimate Cut, he does fight back, with the blows cutting to brief flashbacks of him landing punches on masked villains when he was in his prime, but in the end there's just too many thugs for him to take on at once. There's even a brief Hope Spot for him (and an Oh, Crap! for the thug) right at the start, where he catches the first punch before laying out the thug.
- Silver Fox: He looks rather good in his old age, courtesy of Stephen McHattie's good looks, though he's still visibly elderly.
- Spared by the Cut: His murder at the hands of some drugged up thugs isn't in the theatrical cut.
- Time-Shifted Actor: Stephen McHattie played him in old age, while Clint Carleton played him when he was younger in the 1940s in the film's opening and in flashbacks.
- Uncertain Doom: In the theatrical cut it's not clear if he suffered the same fate as his other versions. And if he didn't, whether he would have been in the blast range of the New York explosion at the end.
Silk Spectre I
Sally Jupiter / Silk Spectre I
"Things are tough all over, Cupcake. It rains on the just and the unjust alike."
Portrayed by: Carla Gugino
A founding member of the Minutemen and the mother of Laurie.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Carla Gugino as the elderly Sally Jupiter is far prettier and healthy looking than how the character was drawn, as she originally looked frail, and I Was Quite a Looker is a major part of her personality in the comics.
- Age Lift: Sally and the Comedian had their Minutemen-era ages lifted for the film, as Gugino and Morgan could not convincingly play the characters that young. Sally went from being 19 to being 25.
- Lady Drunk: Loves her spirits, especially in this version.
- Stocking Filler: Justified by the fact that pantyhose weren't yet common in the 1950s. She does wear stockings and suspenders in the comic.
Captain Metropolis
Nelson Gardner / Captain Metropolis
Portrayed by: Darryl Scheelar
A masked adventurer who joined the Minutemen.
- Age Lift: His actor was 46 when the film was released, and while his actual age isn't revealed in the comics he seemed to be somewhere in his late twenties to mid thirties when the Minutemen were active.
- Decomposite Character: Due to having a reduced presence in the film version, his role in the original comic of attempting to form a second superhero team after the Minutemen disbanded is given to Ozymandias.
- Demoted to Extra: Ozymandias forms the team (re-named "The Watchmen") instead of him, and he becomes a non-speaking character who briefly appears in the Minutemen's two group photo shots in the opening sequence. Most of his backstory has been left out, though him being a homosexual who was involved with Hooded Justice is briefly referenced by the Comedian as Hooded Justice beats the latter up for his rape attempt en Sally/Silk Spectre.
Dollar Bill
Bill Brady / Dollar Bill
Portrayed by: Dan Payne
A bank-sponsored superhero mascot and a member of the Minutemen.
- Cape Snag: One day, when he tried to stop a bank robbery, his cape got caught in a revolving door, allowing the bank robbers to shoot him to death.
- Captain Patriotic: The dollar is a symbol of the USA, the blue, white and red colors of his costume evoke the American flag, and he's a Captain America Expy (in costume, at least, since he's not superpowered).
- Expy: His costume and its colors are pretty obviously evocative of Captain America.
- Demoted to Extra: His whole Corporate-Sponsored Superhero backstory isn't expanded upon at all in the film. He is only seen in the group photo shot and immediately after his death, both times in the film's opening credits.
- Primary-Color Champion: The dominant colors of his costume are blue and red.
Hooded Justice
Hooded Justice
Portrayed by: Glenn Ennis
A masked adventurer and Minuteman whose identity has never been revealed.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: His pro-Nazi views go unmentioned and he doesn’t have a Slut-Shaming line after he saves Sally from being raped.
- Demoted to Extra: He only appears in the group photo shot in the opening credits, in the "Last Supper" Steal party for Sally Jupiter's retirement and in the flashback where he prevents the Comedian from raping Sally. His comics backstory was left out, though him being a homosexual who was involved with Captain Metropolis is briefly referenced by the Comedian as he beats him up.
- Mythology Gag: He speaks with a vaguely German accent, in reference to the In-Universe speculation that he was East German bodybuilder Rolf Muller.
- Only Known By His Nickname: His real identity is unknown.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: While the comics it’s mentioned he vanished when the heroes were forced to give up their identities here there’s not even any mention of that (he isn't mentioned when Roscharch discusses both living and dead heroes early on) to indicate what happened to him.
Mothman
Byron Lewis / Mothman
Portrayed by: Niall Matter
A Minuteman who was eventually committed to a lunatic asylum.
- Animal-Themed Superbeing: Animal alias variety.
- Bedlam House: The film's opening credits show him being subdued by psychiatrists and taken away to an lunatic asylum.
- Demoted to Extra: As with many of the other Minutemen, he only appears in the film's opening credits and his backstory is not expended upon. His Berserk Button, Rich Boredom, being Hauled Before A Senate Subcommittee as well as the reason why he's committed to a lunatic asylum are completely left out.
- Man Bites Man: He bites the arm of one of the psychiatrists who are taking him to a lunatic asylum. It doesn't go through the cloth but the psychiatrist still visibly screams.
- Red Is Heroic: a red clad idealistic hero.
Silhouette
Ursula Zandt / Silhouette
Portrayed by: Apollonia Vanova
A bored lesbian Jewish aristocrat who joined the Minutemen.
- Bury Your Gays: She was murdered along with her female partner. "Lesbian Whores" was written in blood over their bed.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: She is shown shot dead while in the embrace of her lesbian lover, who was also killed. It's never made clear which woman was killed first, but in the end, for the purpose of this trope, it doesn't really matter.
- Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: She's the Dark to both Sally's and her nurse girlfriend's Light.
- Lipstick Lesbian: Although she has short hair and her outfit contrasts heavily with her nurse of a girlfriend, she still looks quite feminine.
- The V-J Day Kiss: On Victory Day in 1945, she kisses the nurse in place of the sailor, who walks past them, even briefly glancing at them before moving on. This apparently started a relationship, as that same nurse was seen sitting with Silhoutte at the Minutemen's "Last Supper" Steal dinner for Sally's retirement, and then was murdered along with Silhouette later in the film's title sequence.
Supporting Characters
Janey
Janey Slater
Portrayed by: Laura Mennell
The ex-girlfriend of Jon Osterman/Dr. Manhattan and a fellow physicist.
- '50s Hair: Her haircut in the flashbacks to 1959 is era-appropriate.
- Woman Scorned: She didn't take Jon leaving her for the much younger Laurie Jupiter very well, to say the least.
President Nixon
President Richard Milhous Nixon
Portrayed by: Robert Wisden
The US President, who continues to govern in a fifth term by 1985.
- Alternate History: He's still in charge partly because he was reckless enough to send the god-like Dr. Manhattan to turn The Vietnam War into a Curb-Stomp Battle in favor of the USA, disregarding the dire implications of disrupting the international balance of power and riling the USSR up to prepare themselves for an all out fight. In addition, the Watergate Scandal seemingly didn't happen, and he found a way to quickly repeal term limits.
- Historical Domain Character: Obviously, although with a hefty dose of Historical Villain Upgrade.
Moloch
Edgar Jacobi / Moloch
Portrayed by: Matt Frewer
A retired supercriminal the Minutemen fought against.
- Due to the Dead: He comes at the Comedian's funeral to pay his respects. Rorschach suspects him of something and vigorously interrogates him. Moloch then reveals that Eddie came at his home to confess just how terrible he felt after all the horrible things he did in his life, which moved Moloch in some way.
Big Figure
"Big Figure"
Portrayed by: Danny Woodburn
A dwarfish gangster with a penchant for cigars. He was apprehended by Rorschach and Nite Owl and incarcerated in Sing Sing, where Rorschach was eventually incarcerated as well fifteen years later.
- Age Lift: He looks elderly in the comics, while Danny Woodburn was just around 45 when the film was made.
- Bad Boss: Orders one of his goons to saw off the lock to Rorschach’s cell, while the arms of another goon were stuck between the cell.
- Best Served Cold: He's been waiting to take revenge on Rorschach for fifteen years, and the occasion arises when the vigilante is put behind bars in the same prison as him. He didn't count on Rorschach to be so badass and ruthless however, and it backfires on him.
- Cigar Chomper: He's rarely seen without a cigar in his mouth or close to it.
- Evil Gloating: He is quite pleased and taunting with Rorschach at his mercy. Unfortunately for him it turns out to be Tempting Fate.
- Ironic Name: He's known as "Big Figure", and he's a dwarf.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: He acts tough and cocky when facing Rorschach through prison bars and with burly mooks by his side. Once the bars are cut through and both mooks are dead, he realizes that he probably shouldn't mess with him one-on-one and tries to run away from him. He doesn't get far.
- Mister Big: He's a dwarf, and commands over at least two normal-sized and strong incarcerated thugs. He even provides the page's picture.
- Non-Action Guy: The moment he's left at the mercy of Rorschach without any more thugs to protect him, he's screwed.
- Only Known By His Nickname: He's only known as "Big Figure".
William Long
Dr. William Long
Portrayed by: William Taylor
Rorschach's court appointed shrink at Sing Sing.
- Adaptation Name Change: According to the Under the Hood featurette found on home media releases, his given name is William rather than Malcolm as it was in the source material.
- Adaptational Jerkass: Dr. Long is more dour and blunt than his comic book counterpart. One of the first things that he tells the newly incarcerated Rorschach is how those other inmates will "eat you alive". He has an overall less encouraging attitude and cares little about Kovacs as a person. While the comic book version really wanted to help and understand Kovacs, the film version likely sees Rorschach as little more than an opportunity for some good book material.
- All There in the Manual: He goes unnamed in the film and is credited as "Prison Psychiatrist", but is named as Dr. William Long in the Under the Hood featurette.
- Critical Psychoanalysis Failure: He went into his sessions with Rorschach with the genuine hope he could help him get better, but in the end, he was just utterly clueless about how to cure him.
- Demoted to Extra: He only has one session with Rorschach in the film, ending with him saying that he can't help Rorschach. His wife is Adapted Out and his only other scenes when Rorschach stormed into his office to reclaim his masks and other involves his death.
- No Body Left Behind: He's disintegrated by Ozymandias' bomb in the climax.
Bernard
Bernard
Portrayed by: Jay Brazeau
An elderly man who owned the newsstand Walter Kovacs is a regular customer of.
- Cool Old Guy: He lets Bernie come at his newsstand and read comic books for free everyday.
- No Body Left Behind: He's disintegrated by Ozymandias' bomb in the climax along with Bernie, who he holds in his arms.
Bernie
Bernie
Portrayed by: Jesse Reid
A young African-American boy who hangs out at Bernard's newsstand sitting on a spark hydrant to warm his back while reading the Tales of the Black Freighter comic books.
- Black and Nerdy: He wears Nerd Glasses, seems to be a loner and gets mocked for reading comic books.
- No Body Left Behind: He's disintegrated by Ozymandias' bomb along with Bernard in the latter's arms in the climax.
- Ungrateful Bastard: He never thanks Bernard for letting him read comics for free all day long, and even tells in Bernard's face that they suck after finishing them.
Laurence Schexnayder
Laurence Schexnayder
Portrayed by: Frank Cassini
Sally Jupiter's ex-husband.
- Demoted to Extra: He only shows up in the "Last Supper" Steal shot of the Minutemen's party for Sally's retirement in the film's opening credits, and in two flashbacks of a marital conflict between him and Sally in Laurie's childhood. Nothing is said about his role in the foundation of the Minutemen and the handling of their PR, with perhaps one exception — his body language seems to say that he disapproves of what the Minutemen do in the aforementioned "Last Supper" Steal scene.
- Dysfunctional Family: Laurie's two childhood memories featured in the film show him in a marital conflict with Sally.
The Child Murderer
Gerald Anthony Grice
Portrayed by: David McKay
A man who kidnapped Blair Roche, a six year old girl, and killed her. Rorschach is after him.
- Adaptational Villainy: The film version of Grice implies he is being driven by pedophilia, while the comic version was clearly driven by greed.
- Asshole Victim: He is an implied pedophile who murdered a young girl, so when Rorschach kills him, you wont feel bad for him at all.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: In the comics, Rorschach leaves him to burn alive after dousing him and his apartment on gasoline and setting it on fire. In the film, Rorschach splits his skull open with a meat cleaver after he admits to the murder, with Rorschach saying: "Men get arrested; dogs get put down."
- Hate Sink: He is very clearly intended to be a disgusting, repulsive human being that the viewers are supposed to hate.
- The Sociopath: He is a remorseless child killer, so he is definitely this.
- Villains Want Mercy: When Rorschach is about to kill him, he turns into a sobbing mess, begging for mercy.
- Would Hurt a Child: He fed a six year old girl to his own dogs, so yeah.
