Zack Snyder'sWatchmen movie subtly confirms thatBatman isn't a part of the film's DC universe. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons'Watchmen story exists more or less within its own alternate continuity, within which many of DC's characters are actually fictional superheroes. The same is true of Zack Snyder's 2009Watchmen movie which, until the ending at least, was a relatively faithful interpretation of the source material in terms of story and character. TheWatchmen world is one in which pulp superheroes inspired a spate of vigilantism and the emergence of Dr. Manhattan allowed the United States to win the Vietnam war.
Nevertheless,Watchmen does exist within the DC Multiverse and the 2017Doomsday Clock comic series married together the world ofWatchmen with the wider DC Universe. Although there's some debate as to whetherDoomsday Clock is a sequel to the original Watchmenor a separate story altogether, the miniseries introduces Dr. Manhattan and the gang tothe likes of Superman and Batman in previously unseen ways.Doomsday Clock placesWatchmen in its own section of the DC Multiverse, but still maintains thatthe two universes see each other's vigilantes as fictional characters.
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While there's a degree of ambiguity to the relationship betweenWatchmen and the rest of the DC canon, Zack Snyder had a little Multiverse fun with his 2009 movie adaptation of Moore and Gibbons' graphic novel.Watchmen's opening credits takes the form of a montage recounting the history of the titular vigilante group. To the familiar sounds of Bob Dylan, viewers get a crash course in the background of the Watchmen and one particularly memorable scene shows Nite Owl fighting off an armed thug. The briefimage might seem innocuous at first, but looking closer, it seems the man and wife Nite Owl is protecting are none other than Thomas and Martha Wayne.
The building the incident is occurring next to has a sign saying "Gotham Opera House," and the familiar necklace of pearls can be seen around the neck of the female victim, while Thomas Wayne grips his gloves tightly. Even stranger, advertising posters for the first issue ofBatman can be seen on the adjacent wall. On the surface, this scene appears to be a double-barreledBatman Easter egg, simultaneously aping the origins of the Caped Crusader and establishing him as a fictional character.
Given that almost anything can happen in the Multiverse, however, there could be an even more fascinating interpretation of this shot. The comic books have demonstrated that the cast ofWatchmen are fictional characters in the DC Universe and vice versa, but could that be because the vigilantes in theWatchmenreality replaced them? Does the Bruce Wayne of theWatchmen world avoid becoming Batman purely because Nite Owl stops the fateful Wayne murders from ever taking place? It's certainly an interesting thought, even though Snyder most likely just intended the scene as a cool nod to a DC favorite, but maybe the world ofWatchmenwould've been very different if Nite Owl hadn't taken a midnight stroll down a theater alleyway. Alternatively, is this scene not anactual mugging, but Hollis Mason recreating a famous scene from an in-universe comic book for the benefit of the cameras?
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Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig's interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.Jim Carrey is Craigs top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.
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Zack Snyder's Watchmen Montage Explains Why There's No Batman in That Universe - Screen Rant
