Lauren Kelsey Art 123: 2009

“The Superman Exists, and he is American”
The Physics of Watchmen
Creating the film adaptation of what has been called “the greatest graphic novel of all time” is no small feat. Director Zack Snyder creates a gritty, dark, and intense world out of writer Alan Moore’s classic masterwork. In Moore’s version of 1985, Nixon has been elected for a third term, and the tension between the United States and the Soviet Union is so high that the symbolic “Doomsday Clock” is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. Moore furthermore presents us with the existence of costumed heroes, the “Minutemen”, who begin to emerge just after the Second World War. Unfortunately, the public grows suspicious of the vigilantes, and by 1977, “costumed adventuring” is outlawed. However, the exiled heroes are forced to act when Robert Blake, known as “The Comedian”, is murdered by one of their own. Realistically, many elements that make up Watchmen are impossible, and are done for the sake of good Hollywood eye candy. Much of this is created by selectively altering the physics of the Watchmen universe. These lapses in physics ultimately allow the protagonists to discover their betrayer.
To start, one must consider the many ways physical force is illustrated in the film. The masked avengers, all but one having no real “super powers,” all share the trait of being unusually strong. An example of this is shown in the scene in which Laurie and Dan are cornered by a street gang. Dan manages not only to deflect a blow by one of the gang members, but also to punch a through the man’s elbow. In the same scene, Dan also breaks another man’s tibia with a kick. Unless we are to assume that Dan can punch and kick at breakneck speed, he probably would not be able to shatter bone.
Bullets also seem to gain a boost from Moore’s alternate reality, dramatically piercing through a woman’s calf and fingers in Adrian Veidt’s office. In a related note, it is highly unlikely that, without some kind of special glove, Adrian could catch a bullet shot a near point-blank range, as he does at the film’s climax. One display of force that seems to be plausible is Rorschach using a meat cleaver to (very gruesomely) dispose of a child-murderer. As demonstrated in the “metal stake” lecture, the blade can very easily pierce through a skull, if given enough momentum. The costumed heroes’ physical strength is an asset to their quest to stabilize an unstable world.
Much of the technology in the world of Watchmen is very unique. One of the largest differences between the Watchmen movie and the graphic novel is the replacement of the giant alien squid being teleported into the middle of New York. In the film, Adrian Veidt and Dr. Manhattan work together to, unbeknownst to Manhattan, replicate his power, under the guise that Adrian means to use nuclear physics to “solve the energy crisis”. Parallels can be drawn between this type of scientific development and the progress made with the Large Hadron Collider. Adrian also creates Bubastis, a genetically perfected lynx. Genetic engineering is already occurring today, as seen in the case of cats given the genes to glow under ultra-violet light.
Another distinctive tool used by the masked heroes is Archimedes, Nite Owl’s flying airship. The protagonists used Archie’s many handy gadgets in the 1970’s before costumed heroes were outlawed. University of Minnesota physics professor and comic book aficionado Jim Kakalios held a seminar at Comic-Con 2008 regarding the science behind Watchmen. In it, he discusses the feasibility of a craft like Nite Owl’s being able to fly: “If the Owlship is flying above the city skyline, it has to use energy at a rate of 4.4 megawatts…If you wanted to fly, at that energy rate, all the way to Antarctica, you’d require nearly 5000 gallons of gasoline” (Rogers). Another toy of Nite Owl’s are his goggles, which are not a huge leap from existing technology. The origins of Rorschach’s mask are not discussed in the film, but the graphic novel illustrates how Walter Kovacs finds the discarded fabric with its ever-shifting pattern. Such movement is reminiscent of a lava lamp, but has not been applied to fabrics. These enhanced technologies are not entirely unfeasible, but the viewer must suspend disbelief to fully appreciate their usefulness to the characters.
From the onset of the film, gravity plays an important role in the progression of the story. The most obvious dramatization of which is the Comedian’s multiple-story fall from his apartment window. Unfortunately, the film does not allow the viewer to analyze the fall, given that it is in slow-motion, and that the Comedian’s signature happy-face badge blocks the view of his body about halfway through the fall. Yet, it is safe to say that that fall would probably liquefy a body.
Evidence of tweaked gravity can be seen as Rorschach jumps out of Edgar Jacobi’s apartment window, hitting the ground and rolling (convincingly). What is suspicious about this scene is how easily Rorschach springs back up, ready to fight off the police, seemingly without maintaining injury. Earlier in the movie, Rorschach makes a seemingly impossible leap from one rooftop to another as he attempts to break into the Rockefeller Military Research Center. Another discrepancy regarding gravity is the use of Mars as a setting. According to Fraser Cain, Mars has 38% the gravity of Earth, yet both Dr. Manhattan and Laurie seem to have a normal gravitational pull on them. We must assume that Manhattan, besides making the atmosphere breathable for Laurie, has also corrected the gravitational difference.
Of course, one must acknowle the most obvious affront to physics, which is the existence of Dr. Manhattan. Jon Osterman’s accident with the intrinsic field subtractor (in short, disintegrator,) obliterates his body. Through some miracle of science, Jon is able to reassemble himself into a blue-skinned superhuman being with extraordinary powers. The most significant of these powers is the ability to alter matter at a subatomic level, as well as perception of time as a simultaneous event (reminiscent of the “string theory” school of thought). This makes Manhattan akin to a god; the “lynchpin of our national security”. Manhattan’s ability to teleport, and teleport other people and things, is critical to the advancement of the plot. According to an MSNBC article, teleportation has a long way to go to become feasible in this world. Scientists have successfully teleported information from one atom to another over distances of several feet; however this is a ways away from an entire human. Understanding Manhattan’s potential requires knowledge of quantum physics that most typical moviegoers do not possess.
In conclusion, the science behind the supernatural world of Watchmen is in most ways unrealistic, but still a fantastic movie experience. The masked avengers take advantage of Zack Snyder’s slack on physics to allow them to discover that Veidt is their betrayer. Veidt uses the same technology that is the source of Dr. Manhattan’s power as a weapon to distract the world from the Cold War. Thus, quantum physics is, in essence, at the core of the story. In a way, Watchmen gives us a glimpse of how science fiction of today, could be the norm in the future.

Physics in "Watchmen"
I. Introduction
a. Briefly summarize alternate reality
b. Costumed heroes’ presence and impact
i. Public rejection
ii. Original Minutemen’s powers vs. new Minutemen’s
iii. Powered hero vs. non-powered hero
c. Thesis: lapses in physics ultimately allow the protagonists to discover their betrayer.
II. Force
a. Costumed heroes’ physical strength
i. Breaking mugger’s arm with punch
ii. Kicking in locked door
iii. Rorschach w/ cleaver
III. Technology
a. Archie
b. Nite Owl’s goggles
c. Ozymandias’ research
IV. Gravity
a. The Comedian’s fall
b. Supernatural jumps
c. Mars gravity?
V. Dr. Manhattan
a. Background
i. Intrinsic field accident
ii. “Reconstruction”
b. Capabilities
i. Physical manipulation
ii. Teleportation
iii. Ultra-perception of time
c. Nuclear physics
i. Construction of nuclear device w/ Ozymandias
d. Exile to Mars
VI. Conclusion
a. Summarize major differences in alternate reality