The Biggest Questions About Doomsday Clock #2
Doomsday Clock #2 is out, and it’s pretty dang good. If you want to read my review of it you can find that here. But, Doomsday Clock #2 had a lot that happened, and most of those things are without answers. So here are my biggest questions and theories about Doomsday Clock #2. Also, there are going to be MAJOR SPOILERS for Doomsday Clock #2.
Is the Watchmen Earth destroyed?
Towards the beginning of the issue we learn that the four hours until the missile launch were up, and the last shot we get in Manhattan is of the civilians being burned from the missile. So, if all the missiles have been launched, does that mean the world is over? This would mean that not only would Ozymandias would not only have to convince Dr. Manhattan to reverse time and stop the missiles. But this also ties into my next question…
Are Nite Owl and Silk Specter dead?
We don’t know their location after they left their former lives at the end of Watchmen, so it’s possible they were killed in the initial explosions that we see. But, if they were somewhere else, somewhere safer we could see them later in the series. There’s also the chance that Dr. Manhattan saved his former lover from an untimely death, with Nite Owl most likely in tow.
Who is Reggie?
This question ties into the question introduced in the first issue on the identity of Rorschach II. This gives us another piece of evidence on who Rorschach II is, except for the fact that nobody mentioned in Watchmen was named Reggie or even Reginald. But, this could also be someone that Rorschach II cares for, as Ozymandias’s phrasing is quite loose.
Why does the public hate Batman?
Now, the caped crusader has never been fully loved in the public eye, but the people of Gotham seem particularly against him now. While the given explanation is the Supermen theory which also caused anger against Rex Mason (Metamorpho) and Kirk Langstrom (Man-Bat), it seems like there could be more. This is another interesting thing because this is coming during the same time as Batman: White Knight is still being released, which deals with how Batman isn’t a great hero and has the public turn on him.
Where did Archimedes crash land?
We see that Archimedes crash landed right into Gotham, but it seems as though it crashed into a very specific part of it, the Joker’s Circus. This is the circus that the Joker bought in The Killing Joke, as can be told due to three specific markings. Those markings are the tower, the Ferris wheel, and the hall of mirrors. The only problem lying between the two images is the placement of the Ferris wheel and the tower, but that could be due to the perspective.
How is the Comedian alive?
This is the big bombshell of issue #2, like the introduction of Rorschach II was for issue #1. So, why is he here? His button was found in the Batcave, and caused Reverse Flash to die after claiming he saw God. Could this energy have caused the Comedian to come back to life? This also prompts the question, is Walter Kovacs, the original Rorschach, alive in this world as well?
What was the green fire that destroyed the All-American Steel factory?
At the end of the issue, in the additional reading we see some headlines on the side of an article, and one of the two notable states “Bizarre ‘green’ fire destroys All-American Steel factory.” This is most likely tied to the golden age hero, Green Lantern. However, this is Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern. He derives his powers from the Starheart, and the power manifests as green fire. Alan’s origin was also in All-American comics, another similarity to the factory.
What is the Doomsday Clock counting down to?
The other news headline is for the actual doomsday clock in the DC universe has been moved to three minutes until midnight. This is interesting because earlier this year, the real world doomsday clock was moved to two and a half minutes. But, we’ve also got the final page of the comic, which has moved the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock up by one minute. This shows that each concurrent issue will move the hand by one, as from the starting point until the Superman symbol is 12 spots, representing the 12 issue limited series. This is in addition to the presence of blood dripping from the top of the page, just like in Watchmen. So, what is this counting down to, if the destruction of the Watchmen world only moved the hand by a minute.
