Other than that, the big blue guy causes mucho trouble for Veidt, and is the only possible threat to his plans. Remember, in alt-1985 everything’s electric, thanks to Dr. Manhattan, but this guy’s a real Fascist’s dream, the very Übermensch (Superman) that the philosopher Nietzsche was always talking about.Īlthough Watchmen makes it seem like Veidt’s real money is in superhero toys, perfume, and self-improvement, he actually makes a mint “developing the basic patent for public spark hydrants” (XI.22.4). When you combine the Hitler reference with Veidt’s perfect Aryan good looks and his murky rich, German ancestry, the effect is chilling. He can’t be all bad, right? But as Rorschach notes, Hitler was a vegetarian, too. Delusions of Grandeurĭon’t worry, young hippy Veidt is in there somewhere. part Mark Zuckerberg, part Lex Luthor, the answer is to start a corporation, and name it after yourself. How can one man save humanity from itself? Well, if you’re Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. But during the first and only Crimebusters meeting in 1966, he learns from the Comedian that nothing they do makes any difference, as the world hurtles straight ahead toward nuclear apocalypse. So Ozy starts doing the superhero thing, and breaks up a few drug cartels and crime syndicates. We all have blind spots, even a guy like Veidt, a superhero and villain and alleged smartest man in the world. He tries too hard, you know? Why can’t he just make up his own superhero name and do his own thing, like Rorschach? Oh no, Veidt has to become Ozymandias, and claim a nonexistent lineage back to ancient times. As great as Veidt thinks he is, this might be the chink in his armor. In 1958, at 19 years old, Veidt trots out his alter ego for the first time: Ozymandias, which is Greek for Rameses, the Egyptian ruler. The only problem is that his identity as Adrian Veidt doesn’t provide enough ego for his egomania. As always, the core element to Veidt’s personality is his egomania. He returns to the States a changed teenager, ready for his next phase. Delusions of grandeur much?Īfter taking a side “trip” through Tibet, Veidt expands his mind and discovers it’s the Pharaohs he should emulate, not Alexander the Mediocre. Where does he go? Vegas? Paris? Hollywood? Milan? No, Adrian Veidt heads to Northern Turkey, and begins to trace the steps of Alexander the Great, the man he wants to become, and even exceed. Next, Veidt takes his Einstein intellect and movie star looks on the road. This serves him well, but he’s also got a double dose of hubris (that’s a bookworm’s favorite word for arrogance). Young Veidt’s got moxie, we’ll give him that. Instead of taking his inheritance and buying the world’s largest slip-n-slide, he gives it all away, just so he can “demonstrate the possibility of achieving anything, starting from nothing” (XI.8.8). The son of extremely wealthy immigrants (fleeing Nazi Germany on the eve of WWII, perhaps?), Veidt ends up an orphan at 17. As an entity of its own though, it is absolutely brilliant, and I highly recommend it.Adrian Veidt (Ozymandias) Golden Boy, Orphan Edition I may like this series better than either so far (based on the first 5 episodes), but I couldn't even hazard an opinion on the debate as to whether it is to the source material. As for its relation to the graphic novel and movie, I read/watched them but it was years ago and honestly I don't remember much of anything about either one except they were both quite good. The cast is first rate, most notably Jeremy Irons as a peculiar aristocrat and the phenomenal Regina King as the ultimate ass-kicker. The complex morality is echoed in the complex plotting, with a bunch of dark characters in a very strange, dark, violent world and a story arc chockfull of mysteries. In modern times, the cops takes white supremacists way more seriously than they do in our reality, which is why people are screaming about "wokeness." But it's far more complicated than that, because its masked cops ignore civil rights and can be fairly lawless, which - guess what?! - is not what we social justice types are after. The series brilliantly creates a world similar to ours but with a unique parallel history in which events happened but with different starts or ends.
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