Nathan Key

"Evil, Evil Adrien Veidt.He's like Hitler, only a little less mustached."
That's what many people will say on their way out of the theater after viewing Watchmen. And anyone who skimmed through the book probably has a similar opinion- they've missed out on the subtle (and often not so subtle) hints that Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons dropped throughout the novel, pointing us to Hiroshima & Nagasaki rather than the Third Reich.

NOTE: These hints are practically missing from the film entirely- so don't bother looking for them.

The most telling hint is the logic that Adrien uses when revealing how important it is for him to perpetuate mass murder- in order to save humanity. His conversation is similar to what I imagine the American War Room was like when they were deciding to drop nuclear warheads on Japan during WWII.

* * *

Historical Fiction: President Truman and the War Room

General 1: "Mr. President, do you realize how hard our boys fought to secure Iwo Jima? We lost more soldiers capturing that island that the entire Allied Forces spent trying to invade Normandy!"

Truman: "Yes, General. I understand, but I don't see why this means that we need to destroy an entire city with nuclear weapons."

General 2: "Sir, we had to kill almost every Japanese Soldier! They wouldn't surrender. 21,000 Japanese soldiers were on that island when we landed and we only managed to save 1,000 of them. They wouldn't stop- they wouldn't surrender. Imagine what sort of battle we're in for if we try to take this to the mainland?"

General 1: "Mr. President, this bomb is going to SAVE lives. Not only American lives, sir- but Japanese lives as well. If they're willing to fight until it's hopeless, we're simply speeding up the process here and helping them see that they're outnumbered and outwitted."
Truman: "You men think that killing thousands of innocent people is the only way to ensure surrender?"

General 2: "I'm thinking about it in terms of acceptable loss. We could go in there, kill millions of Japanese and American soldiers in a ground war that could last years on end. Or, we could drop this bomb, sacrifice a few hundred thousand people and ensure their surrender within weeks."

General 1: "I think those are acceptable losses, Mr. President."

Truman: "Gentlemen, you make a compelling argument. I'll give you my decision in the morning."

* * *

OK, this isn't exactly the same conversation that Adrien Veidt has with the other Watchmen as he reveals his plan to blow up New York City (and a number of other cities, too, in the film)- but the logic is close enough to serve our purposes.

Adrien's really did want to save lives through violence and it was this same line of reasoning that allowed the United States to drop nuclear weapons on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. So when we finish reading (or watching) Watchmen, a question should be raised (and isn't whether or not Adrien is good or bad. He is fictional so ultimately it doesn't really matter. Instead, a better question to ask is whether or not our own decision to drop Little Boy and Fat Man on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was ethical and appropriate. After all, our decision cost hundreds of thousands of REAL lives, while Adrien's only represents fictional characters.

* * *

What do you think?

1. Was is a good decision to drop Nuclear Weapons on Japan?

2. If Yes, what do you think about Adrien's Decision?

3. Does the fact that Adrien is a single person making this decision rather than an entire country make any difference in how you answer?

Final Thought: Adrien is probably the biggest vigilante of them all because he doesn't simply limit himself to micro-justice, but fights for peace on a global level... interesting...

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