Rorschach (character): Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

'''Rorschach''' ('''Walter Joseph Kovacs''') is a fictional [[antihero]] and one of the [[protagonist]]s in the [[graphic novel]] [[Limited series (comics)|limited series]] ''[[Watchmen]]'', published by [[DC Comics]] in 1986. Rorschach was created by writer [[Alan Moore]] with artist [[Dave Gibbons]]; as with most of the main characters in the series, he was an analogue for a [[Charlton Comics]] character, in this case [[Steve Ditko]]'s the [[Question (character)|Question]]. Moore also modeled Rorschach on [[Mr. A]], another Steve Ditko creation on whom the Question was originally based.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a29565670/watchmen-hbo-backlash-controversy-white-supremacy/ |title=The Right-Wing Troll Backlash Against HBO's Watchmen Is Hilariously Stupid |first=Matt |last=Miller |date=October 24, 2019 |website=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]] |access-date=November 5, 2019}}</ref>

While ''Watchmen'' has an [[ensemble cast]], many consider Rorschach to be the [[primary protagonist]] as he drives most of the plot forward and serves as the series' narrator.<ref name="National Post">{{cite news|last=Medley|first=Mark|title=A comic book neophyte's guide to ''Watchmen''|newspaper=[[National Post]]|date=March 3, 2009|url=https://nationalpost.com/arts/story.html?id=1345804|access-date=March 17, 2013}}</ref><ref name="UTF1">{{cite web |url=http://www.unleashthefanboy.com/comics/before-watchmen-rorschach-1-review/24102|last=Alvarez|first=Daniel|title=''Before Watchmen: Rorschach'' #1 Review|date=August 15, 2012|publisher=Unleash The Fanboy|access-date=March 17, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Inescapable Collapse">{{cite web |url=http://archive.lewrockwell.com/luongo/luongo16.1.html|last=Luongo|first=Thomas|title=The Inescapable Collapse of ''Watchman''|date=December 9, 2010|publisher=[[LewRockwell.com]]|access-date=March 17, 2013}}</ref> In the beginning of the story, he is introduced as the only masked [[vigilante]] to remain active on his own terms and initiative, a criminal outlaw as opposed to other former superheroes now covertly employed by the U.S. government. A ruthless crime-fighter, Rorschach believes in [[moral absolutism]]—[[good and evil]] as pure ends, with no shades of gray—which compels him to seek to punish any evidence of evil at all costs. His mask displays a constantly morphing inkblot based on the ambiguous designs used in [[Rorschach inkblot test]]s, also his namesake, with the mask's black and white coloring consistent with his [[Splitting (psychology)|sense and view of morality]].

The original character was positively received, with multiple references in other comic titles and appearances in other media. He reappears in the ''[[Before Watchmen]]'' comic book [[prequel]] including his own miniseries. Rorschach made his live-action debut in the 2009 film ''[[Watchmen (film)|Watchmen]]'', played by [[Jackie Earle Haley]], who also voices him in the video game ''[[Watchmen: The End Is Nigh]]''.

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=== Events of ''Doomsday Clock'' ===

The events of ''Doomsday Clock'' begin with [[Robert Redford]] winning the 1992 election by using the details of Kovacs' journal, which he gained from the ''New Frontiersman'', leading the citizens of New York to rally against Ozymandias, while the United States faces an inevitable nuclear war. [[Rorschach (Reggie Long)|Reggie Long]], son of Kovacs's prison psychologist Dr. Malcolm Long, later takes on the Rorschach mantle after being driven insane by Veidt's monster and learning self-defense techniques from former Mothman [[List of Watchmen characters#Mothman|Byron Lewis]], and mistakenly believing that his father and Rorschach had been friends after reading parts of his reports on him.<ref name=":0">{{cite book|title=[[Doomsday Clock (comics)|Doomsday Clock]] ''#1''|date=November 2017|publisher=[[DC Comics]]|author=Johns, Geoff|author-link=Geoff Johns}}</ref>

A new character takes on the name of Rorschach in the 2017 series ''[[Doomsday Clock (comics)|Doomsday Clock]]'' by [[Geoff Johns]] and [[Gary Frank (comics)|Gary Frank]].<ref>{{Cite web |title='Doomsday Clock' Gives First Clue to the New Rorschach's Identity |url=https://comicbook.com/dc/news/doomsday-clock-gives-first-clue-to-the-new-rorschachs-identity/ |website=DC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Polo |first=Susana |date=March 28, 2018 |title=New Rorschach has ties to the old one, Doomsday Clock confirms |url=https://www.polygon.com/comics/2018/3/28/17169734/rorshcach-doomsday-clock-dc-comics-origin-story |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 29, 2018 |title=Doomsday Clock's Rorschach Origin Has a Twist Even Rorschach Is Unaware Of |url=https://www.cbr.com/doomsday-clock-rorschach-origin/ |website=CBR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 29, 2018 |title=Doomsday Clock: Batman's True Plan for Rorschach Is... Diabolical |url=https://www.cbr.com/doomsday-clock-batman-rorschach-arkham-plans/ |website=CBR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=las 18:40 |first=byJoshua Yehl Actualizado el 28 de Marzo de 2018 a las 17:46 Publicado el 28 de Marzo de 2018 a |date=March 29, 2018 |title=Geoff Johns y Gary Frank explican el origen del nuevo Rorschach |url=https://latam.ign.com/doomsday-clock/48080/feature/geoff-johns-y-gary-frank-explican-el-origen-del-nuevo-rorschach |website=IGN Latinoamérica}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 28, 2018 |title=New Rorschach Identity Revealed by DC in Doomsday Clock |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/comics/new-rorschach-identity-revealed-by-dc-in-doomsday-clock/ |website=Den of Geek}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 26, 2018 |title='Doomsday Clock' #6: Geoff Johns teases what's next for Rorschach, Black Adam & more |url=https://www.newsweek.com/doomsday-clock-6-issue-geoff-johns-gary-frank-dc-comics-994983 |website=Newsweek}}</ref> The events of ''Doomsday Clock'' begin with [[Robert Redford]] winning the 1992 election by using the details of Kovacs' journal, which he gained from the ''New Frontiersman'', leading the citizens of New York to rally against Ozymandias, while the United States faces an inevitable nuclear war. Reggie Long, son of Kovacs's prison psychologist Dr. Malcolm Long, later takes on the Rorschach mantle after being driven insane by Veidt's monster and learning self-defense techniques from former Mothman [[List of Watchmen characters#Mothman|Byron Lewis]], and mistakenly believing that his father and Rorschach had been friends after reading parts of his reports on him.<ref name=":0">{{cite book|title=[[Doomsday Clock (comics)|Doomsday Clock]] ''#1''|date=November 2017|publisher=[[DC Comics]]|author=Johns, Geoff|author-link=Geoff Johns}}</ref> The identity of this new Rorscach is not revealed until issue four.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 December 2023 |title=Batman | GamesRadar+ |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/tag/batman/ |website=gamesradar}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=28 March 2018 |title=DC ROUND-UP: DOOMSDAY CLOCK #4 reveals Rorschach's identity in its strongest showing yet |url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/dc-round-up-doomsday-clock-4-reveals-rorschachs-identity-in-its-strongest-showing-yet/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=4 April 2018 |title=Doomsday Clock Reveals Exactly Who's Been Wearing Rorschach's Mask and Why |url=https://gizmodo.com/doomsday-clock-reveals-exactly-whos-been-wearing-rorsch-1824265121 |website=Gizmodo}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=DOOMSDAY CLOCK Reveals the Identity of the WATCHMEN's New Rorschach - Nerdist |url=https://nerdist.com/article/watchmen-doomsday-clock-rorschach-new-identity-revealed/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726215419/https://nerdist.com/article/watchmen-doomsday-clock-rorschach-new-identity-revealed/ |archive-date=2019-07-26 |website=nerdist.com}}</ref>

=== Events of ''Rorschach'' ===

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[[File:Rorschach film.png|thumb|right|[[Jackie Earle Haley]] as Rorschach in the film ''[[Watchmen (film)|Watchmen]]'']]

* Rorschach appears in [[Watchmen (film)|''Watchmen'']], portrayed by [[Jackie Earle Haley]],<ref>{{cite web|last=SuperHeroHype|title=''Watchmen'' Cast Confirmed!|publisher=SuperHeroHype|date=July 25, 2007|url=http://www.superherohype.com/features/articles/94431-watchmen-cast-confirmed|access-date=March 24, 2013}}</ref> with Eli Snyder, the son of the film's director [[Zack Snyder]], playing the young Rorschach in flashbacks.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Franklin|first=Garth|title=Special Feature: Zack Snyder On ''Watchmen''|publisher=[[Dark Horizons]]|date=November 7, 2008|url=http://www.darkhorizons.com/news08/081107k.php|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20091008005621/http%3A//www.darkhorizons.com/news08/081107k.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 8, 2009|access-date=November 8, 2008}}</ref> While Rorschach in the film adaptation is relatively faithful to his graphic novel counterpart, there are still some differences in description and storyline. Rorschach's age in the film is 35,<ref>{{cite AV media|people=[[Zack Snyder]] (Director)|title=Watchmen|medium=Film|publisher=[[Warner Bros.]]/[[Paramount Pictures]]|date=March 6, 2009|quote='''Newscaster''': The masked vigilante Rorschach has been apprehended and identified as Walter Kovacs, a 35-year old white male.}}</ref> whereas in the graphic novel he is 45 years old (although this was most likely an error in production as his certificate marks him as forty-five).<ref name="Watchmen #6"/> He is depicted in the film as being right-handed (justified by Jackie Earle Haley being right-handed) as opposed to left-handed.<ref name="Watchmen film">{{cite AV media|people=Zack Snyder (Director)|title=Watchmen|medium=Film|publisher=Warner Bros./Paramount Pictures|date=March 6, 2009}}</ref> In the graphic novel, Rorschach consistently talks in a thudding [[pidgin]] while this is toned down in the film, with Rorschach talking in a more growling manner. His psychological instability in the film is downplayed, and he appears to be stronger than his graphic novel-self<ref name="Book Vs. Film">{{cite news|last=Robinson|first=Tasha|title=Book Vs. Film: ''Watchmen''|newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=March 6, 2009|url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/book-vs-film-watchmen,24746/|access-date=March 24, 2013}}</ref> as he manages to ward off some attacking policemen, even after falling from an apartment window. He is also shown to openly disapprove of Nite Owl and Silk Spectre's relationship. In the film, rather than Rorschach, Nite Owl II is the one who warns Ozymandias of the possible mask-killer, although Rorschach was revealed to have visited him earlier. Rorschach's method of killing Grice differs also. In the film he uses the meat cleaver that killed Blair Roche to continuously hack the kidnapper,<ref name="Book Vs. Film"/> uttering after killing Grice, "Men get arrested. Dogs get put down!".<ref name="Watchmen film"/> The number of times Rorschach visits the criminal underworld, Nite Owl and Moloch are reduced, and some of these scenes are also altered. Rorschach's landlady, and anything concerning his apartment are left out; when obtaining his costume after the prison break, instead of wearing a spare one in his apartment, he regains his previous one in the prison.<ref name="Geekbox">{{cite web|last=Scott|first=Ryan|title=''Watchmen'': What's different?|publisher=The Geekbox|date=March 2, 2009|url=http://www.geekbox.net/archives/2009/03/02/watchmen-whats-different|access-date=March 25, 2013|archive-date=December 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121218062418/http://www.geekbox.net/archives/2009/03/02/watchmen-whats-different/|url-status=dead}}</ref> While Rorschach's meeting with Dr. Malcolm Long is shown, this has been reduced to one meeting; also, Long's dark [[subplot]] where Rorschach's story affects his personal life and philosophy are omitted. Snyder admitted that while he did not film the scene he "would have loved to."<ref name="MTV">{{cite web|last=Carroll|first=Larry|title=''Watchmen'' Director Reveals Key Differences Between Graphic Novel, Film|publisher=[[MTV]]|date=February 24, 2009|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1605765/key-differences-between-watchmen-comic-film.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427185745/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1605765/key-differences-between-watchmen-comic-film.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 27, 2012|access-date=March 25, 2013}}</ref> Rorschach's confrontation with Dr. Manhattan is extended. Unlike in the novel, Nite Owl is present for Rorschach's death, becoming enraged at Ozymandias after witnessing the spectacle. Snyder felt he "needed a moment at the end" and explained that he changed this scene because he wanted to show a glimpse of the "sweet" relationship between Rorschach and Nite Owl that was established in the film.<ref name="MTV"/>

* Rorschach appears in the animated film ~~voice~~[[Watchmen Chapter I]], voiced by [[Titus Welliver]].▼

▲Rorschach appears in the animated film voice by [[Titus Welliver]].

===Video games===