Doomsday Clock #3 — Questions and Theories
Doomsday Clock has been full of questions since the first issue released, and issue #3 doesn’t stop at all. In fact, it brings up new answers for old questions in addition to the new questions. But, Doomsday Clock #3 may have some of the biggest questions that affect the rest of the series.
Why did Dr. Manhattan Save The Comedian?
Dr. Manhattan and The Comedian have always had a complex relationship. One of the biggest moments between them is when The Comedian kills a woman he got pregnant in a bar after the US won the Vietnam war. Dr. Manhattan is upset by her death, but The Comedian tells him, “You watched me. You coulda changed the gun into steam or the bullets into mercury…but you didn’t lift a finger!” The Comedian called out the most powerful man in the universe, and Dr. Manhattan didn’t do anything. So, when Dr. Manhattan needed someone to stop Ozymandias from finding him, he took the man who wouldn’t have any regrets. The fact that Ozymandias killed The Comedian only helped strengthen the reason to pull him away from his time.
How is The Comedian alive?
When The Comedian was thrown out off his apartment he splattered on the sidewalk, and his button was found with his blood on it. His body was even put in a coffin for his funeral. However, it’s presented in this issue that Dr. Manhattan teleported him into the ocean of the DC world and saved him. On the beach Dr. Manhattan drops The Comedian’s button onto the sand next to him, but it has the blood on it. This parallels how at the end of the The Button story arc, with Dr. Manhattan picking up a bloodied button. So, how does this work, because if The Comedian is taken away from the Watchmen world, the plot doesn’t kick off. So, either Dr. Manhattan grabbed The Comedian, and will put him back once he’s used out his worth. Either that, or Dr. Manhattan created a new Comedian for either the DC world, or a new Comedian body for the Watchmen world.
Is the original Rorschach still alive?
While this is a question I had last issue, it has become even more prevalent now. If The Comedian was saved from the original series, who’s to say Rorschach wasn’t? Walter Kovacs was killed by Dr. Manhattan, so his chances of being alive are relatively high. And if Dr. Manhattan is only keeping characters alive to stop Ozymandias and Rorschach II, who better than the original Rorschach. Seeing Ozymandias would anger him, but not as much as seeing someone parade around pretending to be him, which we’ve seen his reaction to before in the Before Watchmen series.
Are Nite Owl and Silk Specter still alive?
Even though the Watchmen world is destroyed, that doesn’t necessarily mean all its characters are. The only way these two would be alive would be due to Dr. Manhattan though. However, I’d have to say that Nite Owl probably wouldn’t be saved. But, Dr. Manhattan has always had a deep infatuation with Silk Specter, so it’s possible he saved his love from death.
How does The Comedian know what Ozymandias did?
One small detail that could have serious implications was this line that The Comedian mutters in his fight with Ozymandias. The Comedian is clearly talking about how Ozymandias made a monster appear and kill thousands in New York. However, The Comedian was dead at the time. So, could this be a hint on how this isn’t the true Comedian? Either that, or Dr. Manhattan saved The Comedian after he left the Watchmen universe, and informed him of everything that happened.
Will Ozymandias recover fast enough?
In a news broadcast it’s stated that Lex Luthor’s attacker has been hospitalized, and he’s in “serious but stable condition.” Now, we can assume that the “attacker” is Ozymandias, because not only did he sustain the most injuries, but it seems as if The Comedian has kept a mostly low profile in this world. Ozymandias is in really bad shape when we last see him, due to his fight with The Comedian as well as him having jumped out of a window to escape. So, if his injuries are that bad, is he going to be able to keep searching for Dr. Manhattan? If Ozymandias is in serious condition, this could put a halt on his story for a while, or give The Comedian an easy chance.
Where did Bubastis go?
While this may seem like a stupid question, it’s important to remember that Bubastis is the only way Ozymandias can find Dr. Manhattan. When we last see Ozymandias, we see him passed out after jumping out of a building to escape The Comedian. Bubastis is on his chest looking at him in the last panel Ozymandias is in, but we later learn Ozymandias was taken to a hospital. So, was Bubastis brought along? If not, the trail to Dr. Manhattan could be dead, unless Batman actually decides to find him.
Who are Rorschach’s parents?
It’s the question we’ve been asking since the first issue, and we just got even more info to help figure it out. We finally get to see Rorschach’s face…and it’s nobody we’ve seen before. However, we learn that he was in New York when the monster appeared, which also killed his parents. He was also on his way back to his mother and father, moving towards where the monster appeared, and where Dr. Malcolm Long and his wife were killed. While this theory hasn’t been confirmed yet, it seems as if all the evidence is pointing that way.
How will Rorschach escape?
At the end of the issue Rorschach was tricked into a jail cell by Batman. While this scenario is very similar to Rorschach going to jail in Watchmen, Nite Owl and Silk Specter aren’t in the DC world, so Rorschach is going to need another way out. His allies aren’t in any position to help, but he has an easy out. In the cell it says “We’re all mad here,” signaling that this is the Mad Hatter’s cell. But when Batman and Rorschach are sneaking into to Arkham, the truck they ride in on has the Mad Hatter in it. The driver even comments on how he’s been in and out. So, if the Mad Hatter wasn’t in his cell yet, he could escape when the Hatter is transferred into his cell. However, if the Hatter was hiding in his cell, Rorschach could escape in the way that the Hatter has been doing repeatedly. After, we’ve seen him work with Ozymandias, even though the monster killed his parents.
What is Batman going to do?
As I mentioned earlier, Batman could find Dr. Manhattan. While Batman did trick Rorschach II into a jail cell by using fake radar equipment, that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to do anything. Batman has always been a smart character, and locked Rorschach II up for Gotham’s safety. However, Batman did read Rorschach’s journal, which documented almost the entire plot of Watchmen, including what Dr. Manhattan did. So, while Batman might not be working with Rorschach II, that doesn’t mean he’s completely dismissing Rorschach II’s goal of finding Dr. Manhattan.
