Watchmen series: Older Ozymandias and the Minutemen

A new update on the upcoming HBO’s series “Watchmen”, reveals that Jeremy Irons will play an older version of Ozymandias and the Minutemen might make an appearance.

Details for the upcoming HBO series Watchmen has been kept under lock and key since word that the comic might become a live action TV series way back 2015. So far only minor details have been released, such as the cast and a released promo teasing a team of vigilante-hunting police officers.

Originally a 12-issue comic series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, “Watchmen” was made into a polarizing movie in 2009 by Zack Snyder, the king of polarizing films (honestly I loved the movie and can’t understand the hate for it). The dark and ultra-violent story follows a group of retired superheroes who return to vigilantism after the death of their former teammate, Edward Blake a.k.a. “The Comedian”. In the end they discover a very Thanos-like plot of mass extermination.

The TV series adaptation was officially green-lit to start production with Damon Lindelof as the showrunner in 2017. Lindelof stated that the project will be neither an adaptation of the source material nor a direct sequel to the movie but a story set in the same universe taking place decades later. With that vague description, it’s possible that what happened in the film or comics won’t be acknowledged.

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Dead characters might return, and the decimation of New York and other cities might never have happened. This is a chance to resurrect fan-favorite Rorschach, who was disintegrated by Dr. Manhattan. Honest to the end, it was Rorschach who outs Ozymandias’s plan to the public by sending his journal to the press. His actions unraveled everything that was meant to happen in secret, meaning he outsmarted the world’s smartest man.

Dead or not, I’d be surprised if they don’t include Rorschach in some way, because let’s be honest, a large chunk of the fanbase will divert from the series without him.

Ozymandias

Jeremy Irons joined the Watchmen cast back in June, but it’s only just now been confirmed that he’s playing an older version of Adrian Veidt a.k.a. “Ozymandias”. In both the comics and film, Ozymandias is a manipulative, Egyptian-loving genius who was a significant member of the Watchmen team. Worried about an upcoming WWIII, he decides to form a peace between the superpower nations of the world by creating a single enemy they can unite against and kills millions of people in the process.

Even though it’s just now being reported that Irons is playing Ozymandias, fans already assumed as much. They accurately guessed Irons’ role because of his character’s codename, “The Blond Man”, and character description, which read:

"“An aging imperious Lord…highly intelligent and won’t let you forget it…. used to being obeyed and always correct. Arrogant, erudite and patrician. Physically fit, he’s never missed a workout in his life.”"

Ozymandias being the first character to be confirmed might give away some plot. The character was obsessed with saving humanity from itself and wasn’t above committing murder to do it. As history has shown, wars never end, only have brief intermissions and its possible that the world is once again on the brink of nuclear war.

Is HBO borrowing from real life? Will the Watchmen be fighting North Korea?

If a national threat is coming then Ozymandias, being the decent guy that he is, will definitely be working to stop this. Early set photos show a newspaper headline declaring Adrian Veidt’s death. This suggests that he most likely faked his death and is in hiding; removed from the public eye to formulate whatever plan he has. He and Loki would get along like peas and carrots.

Another explanation for the headline could be a hint of something or someone pursuing him with ill-intent. No word has been said yet of the series’ villain, but maybe this is the first clue. A foe dangerous enough to scare Veidt into hiding.

Minutemen and Hooded Justice

Another exciting piece of news is that the Minutemen will appear in the series in what appears to be an in-story documentary titled “American Hero Story: Minutemen”. Set photos show a prop bus painted with an advertisement on the side featuring Hooded Justice, a Minutemen team member.

An important backdrop to the “Watchmen” story is that the Watchmen team is a second generation of superheroes, following the footsteps of the Minutemen. Hooded Justice was the first-ever masked vigilante in the “Watchmen” universe. His identity was never revealed, even to his teammates, but his actions inspired more costumed heroes to come out and join him.

The appearance of the Minutemen, and Hooded Justice especially, could take the series in an unexpected direction. In the original story we didn’t see that much of the first team, it wasn’t until the spin-off comics, “Before Watchmen: Minutemen” came out in 2012 that they got more backstory.

An in-story documentary of Minutemen suggests that showrunner Lindelof is not just using the “Watchmen” comics but also the “Before Watchmen” storyline, and Hooded Justice’s specifically.

Set photos appear to only show Hooded Justice. Is this an implication that he’ll play an important role? Either as someone of influence from the past or as a figure who appears later? He was severely underused in the film, having only one line.

A character very similar to Rorschach, he was considered mentally unstable and surrounded in mystery, vanishing when the superheroes were disbanded. The ambiguity of the character offers a lot of leg room. He essentially had no beginning or end, only a middle and that opens a lot of doors for a story.

However, the fact that Irons is playing an old Ozymandias pretty much rules out the Minutemen appearing in the present time. They’d be way too old to fight crime but that doesn’t rule out flashbacks. Just look at what The Haunting of Hill House did with flashbacks, it was amazing.

The Comedian and Agent Blake

Alongside Hooded Justice, the team included Captain Metropolis, Silk Spectre, Nite Owl, Silhouette, Dollar Bill, Mothman, and The Comedian. After the Minutemen, came the Watchmen, whose members included Rorschach, Nite Owl II, Ozymandias, Silk Spectre II (the original Spectre’s daughter), Dr. Manhattan and an aging Comedian.

The Comedian could arguably be the most important character in the Watchmen universe. Blake dies early on, but his presence remains heavily within the other characters. He’s the motivation for a great deal of what happens and influences more drama than anyone else.

It’s unknown if Blake will appear in the new series, however, a new character has recently come up with a similar name: Agent Blake. The actress from Fargo and Legion, Jean Smart, will appear in Watchmen as a mysterious FBI agent tasked with tracking down vigilantes. Obviously, she’s not Edward Blake but her name suggests a connection.

Blake worked for the government as an assassin after he retired from being a costume hero. Perhaps Smart will play a relative of his, she too works for the government. If not a relative, it’s possible that the usage of the same name isn’t a blood connection but a personal relation.

Is her name being Blake a hint of her personality or motivation? Volatile, cruel, cynical and insightful were traits belonging to The Comedian and quite possibly to Agent Blake as well.

This theory seems unlikely, but one possible explanation is that Edward Blake’s daughter, Laurie Jupiter, took on the name Blake and is, in fact, the Agent Blake. Knowing Laurie though this seems incredibly unrealistic; she was too self-centered to adopt the name of her dead tortured soul of a father who abused her mother.

Other cast members include Don Johnson, Frances Fisher, Regina King, Louis Gossett Jr., Adelaide Clemens, Andrew Howard and Tim Blake Nelson in undisclosed roles and James Wolk has been cast in a reoccurring role.

Watchmen is set to premiere sometime in 2019.