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There are very few comic book series and graphic novels with a more lasting legacy than Watchmen. It has been listed as one of the most important and influential books ever written, with an ending that was a commentary on both political superpowers and superhero comics. With such lofty aspirations from writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins, it isn’t surprising that a few things get lost in translation.

If the ending of the Watchmen comic has you scratching your head, here is everything you need to know about it and how it differs from Zack Snyder’s film version.

The Watchmen comic book ending, explained

Rorschach is one of the last active masked heroes in a world where superheroes helped the United States win the Vietnam War and put the nation on the path toward nuclear war at the height of the Cold War. He recruits his former comrades Nite Owl and Silk Spectre to try to find out who killed Eddie Blake, a fellow hero known as The Comedian. Their investigation leads them to another former hero – Adrian Veidt aka Ozymandias – who has orchestrated everything so far in the comic book.

Ozymandias has manipulated the powerful Doctor Manhattan into leaving Earth, throwing relations between the US and the Soviet Union out of balance and driving the world toward nuclear annihilation. However, destruction isn’t his actual goal; he actually wants to unite the planet in peace, but, to do that, he needs millions of people to die.

In a plan years in the making, Ozymandias teleports a giant squid-like alien into the heart of New York City where it sets off a telepathic explosion that kills much of the city’s residents. The simulated attack convinces the world that an alien attack is imminent, uniting the United States and the Soviet Union as they prepare to defend the planet from a larger threat.

His plan goes off without a hitch. Rorschach and Nite Owl arrive at Veidt’s Antarctic stronghold too late to stop him from unleashing the psychic squid, which he had grown in his own laboratories after having it designed by a team of comic book artists. Doctor Manhattan and Silk Spectre join them shortly after. Nite Owl, Manhattan, and Silk Spectre all agree that they cannot undo the damage done by Ozymandias – the best thing to do is to leave his involvement a secret and let the positive effects of his plan play out.

The problem, as it often is in Watchmen, is Rorschach. He is unbending in his pursuit of the truth and vows to reveal what has actually happened to the world unless Doctor Manhattan kills him – which he does. In the end, Ozymandias “saves” the world in the most grim way possible.

Nite Owl and Silk Spectre assume new identities and reignite their romance. Doctor Manhattan leaves Earth for good. Ozymandias is forced to live with the lives he’s taken in exchange for the lives he has saved.

The final pages of Watchmen show that the truth may not stay buried, though. Back in New York, the editor at the fictional New Frontiersman newspaper tells his assistant to dig through the “crank file” for some filler material. Near the top is Rorschach’s journal, which details his investigation and, presumably, blows the lid off Ozymandias’ involvement in the attack on New York City.

How is the comic book ending different from the Watchman movie?

For the most part, the ending of the Watchman film is very similar to the original comic book. Ozymandias is still the primary antagonist of the film, manipulating events to try to unite the world against a larger threat. That threat, however, is very different. Instead of a giant space squid with psychic powers, Veidt sets off explosions in cities around the world and frames Doctor Manhattan for the deaths of millions. The United States and the Soviet Union declare that they will cooperate to prevent further attacks from the superhero, uniting the world and forcing Manhattan to leave the planet – after killing Rorschach, of course.

The change was partially due to the visual nature of the film – it is very hard to depict a psychic attack on a large scale on screen rather than through text in a graphic novel – but also because of the changed world the Watchmen film came out. After the 9/11 attacks in New York, the producers of Watchmen felt it would be in poor taste to show scattered bodies and torn limbs across Times Square.

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