Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino, Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jackie Earle Haley, Malin Akerman
Character mistake: Typo in lower part of newspaper in line below "Chicago Seven Acquitted" headline. It reads "13 Injured As Thousands Protest Vedict". I assume they meant "Verdict". (00:14:45)
Character mistake: While he is describing his origin, Dr. Manhattan mentions a circulatory system appearing at a military base. However, what is actually shown is a nervous system, as it depicts a brain and spinal cord.
Revealing mistake: During the final confrontation in Veidt's lair, you see the actor Billy Crudup in his SFX suit reflected in Nite Owl's goggles, not the image of Dr. Manhattan.
Trivia: When Dan and Hollis hear a TV news report referencing Rorschach, they glance at the screen in time to see grainy black and white 'file footage' of Rorschach walking quickly away and to the right of the camera position, glancing back over his right shoulder momentarily. That footage is intentionally designed to precisely mimic the infamously-disputed film of Bigfoot (known as the Patterson-Gimlin film of 1967). (00:17:50)
Question: I don't quite understand why Dr. Manhattan had to kill Rorschach. That is, I don't quite get why that was the only solution. Rorschach was a valuable member of the Watchmen, and in the type of world they were in (chaos, corruption, murder, etc) one would think that they would want to keep as many of themselves banded together as possible. Couldn't some sort of negotiation or compromise have been reached/agreed to by Rorschach instead of him being killed?
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Answer: He has spent years as a costumed vigilante despite the fact that it was illegal. He has a very strict idea of what is right ("never compromise") and has proven himself incapable of doing otherwise. So no, there was no real chance of negotiating with him - Rorschach himself made it clear he'd have to die if they wanted his silence.
Garlonuss ★
Death was not the only choice. Doc M could easily have teleported/banished Rorschach to Mars/anywhere secluded in an oxygen bubble. He could have spared his life and just made him mute or manipulate his brain chemistry/atoms to remove the memory of what happened. The point is Doc M is all powerful and could manipulate matter at his whim; death was just a plot device creating a chance of an emotive martyrdom/sacrificial ending.
Ethically speaking, exiling him to Mars or erasing his memory of the event can be considered just as cruel as killing him, because then his agency is being taken away from him. Rorshach's malcontent with the situation poses a problem for the other heroes, and since Dr. Manhattan isn't willing to let him tell the truth of what happened, he obliges Rorschach's demand that he kill him instead.
Phaneron ★