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.
Watchmen (2009)
Ending / spoiler
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino, Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jackie Earle Haley, Malin Akerman
Dr. Manhattan, Silk Spectre, Night Owl and Rorschach all discover Adrian Veidt was behind everything, killing the Comedian and hiring the assassin for the attempt on his own life (of whom he then forced the suicide). He was working through a subsidiary of his called Pyramid Industries - Moloch and Janey Slater also worked for that company, without knowing its secret, and that's how he gave them cancer, in order to make Dr. Manhattan fear he was causing it and leave the planet.
They confront him and he explains it's all necessary in order to prevent the Watchmen interfering in his plan to prevent nuclear war and save humanity. The reactor he was working on with Dr. Manhattan generates enormous power - he plans to use that power to cause massive explosions in cities worldwide, killing millions in order to save billions. Because the reactor is based on Dr. Manhattan's abilities, the world will believe he caused the destruction in order to prevent nuclear holocaust, and unite in peace. They tell him he can't do such a thing, whereupon he reveals that it's already happened - we then see the final explosion in New York.
Although horrified, they realise that they can't reveal the secret without destroying the peace that does indeed emerge - except Rorschach, who refuses to compromise, even in the face of Armageddon. He knows this will force Dr. Manhattan to kill him, but sticks to his position, so is killed in the snow outside Veidt's base. Night Owl and Silk Spectre return home, while Dr. Manhattan decides to see other galaxies, and says he may try creating life.The final scene reveals that Rorschach sent his journal, which details Veidt's guilt, to a newspaper - debating what to fill the space with, the editor tells a journalist "run something from the crank file - I leave it entirely in your hands", and the journalist's gaze falls upon the journal...
Ashfan
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Question: Some of the costumed heroes in the film (Comedian, Ozymandias, both Silk Spectres) appear with very minimal masks or even no masks at all while in costume. How are they supposed to be able to keep their identities secret?
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Answer: The short answer is that they weren't really trying to. Ozymandias later revealed, and monopolised on, his costumed identity, Comedian was officially endorsed by the U.S.A. Government at the time so his real identity would have been public record, the first Silk Spectre publicly revealed her identity after retiring, though there is no evidence that the current Silk Spectre has. There is no evidence (even in the graphic novel) that anyone tried to hide their identity to the extent that other comic-book heroes like Batman/Superman do. The only exception being Rorschach where even his follow costumes don't know his real identity until they bust him out of prison.
Sanguis