Help Understanding the Watchmen Debacle

So, as you may or may not know, DC Comics has decided to announce that Dr. Manhattan, and by extension, the Watchmen are now not only a part of the Post-New 52 DC Universe, but an integral part in the shaping of the New 52 DC Universe. What I need help understanding is how exactly Dr. Manhattan has helped shape the New 52 Universe and how the Watchmen, as a whole, will impact this Rebirth Universe. I appreciate your help. Happy posting!

*If OP is incorrect, please, correct me*

Uhhhhhhhhhh, i did find this? I don't theres any way to speculate on how exactly the Watchmen are involved. Maybe Dr Manhattan destroyed part of the space/time continuum or something?

spoiler image at this link:

http://cdn.bleedingcool.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/nCqFMlW-600x800.jpg

@tcrighton: The Watchmen are not part of the New 52, until DC's recent announce. In fact, The Watchmen have always been seperated from DC. It is at first a Vertigo one-shot written by Alan Moore. The best that can be done, is to read the Justice League ongoing title, then the upcomming DC Universe: Rebirth Special #1 on May 26 to see how this incorporation will be donne.

Let's see what this will be.

I am aware of the fact that the Watchmen are not a part of the DC Universe. Like Sandman or Hellblazer, they are part of the Vertigo Universe. What I meant to say, was that it is stated that Dr. Manhattan is responsible for the missing 10 years in the New 52 Universe. I am eager to see how this will play out in Rebirth.

Geoff Johns is making a big middle finger to Alan Moore by having Dr. Manhatten be a DCU villain. Just Geoff Johns being a petty asshole, nothing more, nothing less.

It seems like an unnecessary development for DC. I don't know anything about it at all but comics companies feeling the need to crowbar everything together is sometimes/often not a great thing. I'd much rather they lived in separate universes in most instances. Even the idea of the Justice League is problematic when they are absent for the majority of the individual characters' stories...

Surely Watchmen works best as its own universe. Surely!

@rainshadow777: All true very true, and don't call me Shirley.

Another thing is it tends to devalue the currency of all heroes. Imagine a world with only Superman for a hero. Amazing, incredible and unique. But add Green Lantern, Dr Manhattan, and Wonder Woman to the neighbourhood and Superman becomes just another geezer who can fly. Big deal.

I agree, and I always ask, why? Just why? Seriously, DC is gonna piss off alot of Watchmen fans.

The contract states that if DC don't publish any Watchmen material in the space of a year, the rights to the characters revert 100% to the creators. Integrating the Watchmen into the DC universe means that by the fact of existing in the same universe, the contract is still in effect. It's essentially the easiest way to make sure that Alan Moore doesn't get the rights to his characters back.

@mattydavehalpeo: how depressing to hear this. I presume, though, that if they have the rights there are ways to create new Watchmen material (which is a bad idea anyway) without having Dr Manhattan hang out in the Batcave.

^ Pretty much this.

God I hate the decision to put Watchmen in the DCU so much.

In what way are the Justice League problematic?

God (which I don't believe in) I hate hater with no arguments !

Geoff Johns has always written top quality stories for the DC Univers. I don't see why he will start making shit. On the contrary, this brings an intersting twist to DC univers who repeats itself a bit too often with crisis and big battles against the evelest of them all, Darkseid.

Stop judging before having seen.

@jb681131: I read Rebirth #1 and loved it. I loved Flash Rebirth. I'm happy Johns is the Feige of the DCEU.

@jb681131: Im sure the story is probably good, but I just hate the principle of him making the Watchmen into the DCU. The creators after making Watchmen never intended or wanted the characters to be a part of the universe. These characters stories have already been told flawlessly and dont really have stories left to be told. We already have an example of this as Before Watchmen felt pointless and characters felt like watered down versions and varied in quality and those stories were written by some of the best in the business. Not only that but all of these characters add anything to the universe as we already have the Charlton versions. This all reeks of a way to further milk Watchmen that has been happening in recent years with things like prequel comics and condoms. I just despise this decision on DC's part.

@mattydavehalpeo: Firstly let me say that I enjoy reading Justice League so overall I think it's cool.

However when you get these heroes together I can't help but think that it kind of devalues the amazement factor of them all. They become, if not a dime a dozen, then maybe a buck a dozen. Also when the individual characters are in their own titles fighting villains and saving the world I sometimes wonder why they don't work together more.

Also, a lot of the Batman stories take place not just in a city that is unique but in a world that feels very different to the one that has Metropolis and Amnesty Bay in it. It just seems strange that the world where Bruce Wayne hangs out is also the same world where Atlantis exists and whole societies are under the sea. One is gritty and realist, the other is pure fantasy and adventure.

That's why adding Watchmen characters to the mix is a bridge too far.

It's a common argument that you've raised there, that the gritty realism of one character is a clash of styles with the fantasy of another. Think of it this way though: if a Batman-style character existed in real life, it is true that we'd still find it literally unbelievable for a Superman-style character to exist in real life.However, if a Superman-style character existed in real life, one with real superpowers and an alien origin, it's not inconceivable for a Batman character to exist. I mean if there are superpowered people, non-powered people still exist, and non-powered criminals still exist. So instead of thinking how a superhuman can exist in the same world of a gritty Gotham city, think about how gritty non-powered people are sure to exist alongside the magical city of Atlantis.

The same goes for Watchmen. I'm not happy that they've been put in the DC universe, but it's hardly inconceivable for cold war paranoia to exist in a world where heroes only showed up in 2006 (2011 - 5).

You sound like an employee at DC.

I certainly see what you're saying, and using these sorts of logical gymnastics can definitely be an advantage (eg. don't think of it as her breaking up with you, think of it that you now have your freedom!). For me there's also the element that in the world they all inhabit superpowers are not strictly an anomaly but something that the universe accepts as possible, so it's almost likely that superpowers and supernatural entities should exist in a number of different forms in a space also inhabited with, as you say, non-powered people, be they Kryptonian or Gothamite.

Can I have a job, please?

I'm an unattractive straight male but who do I have to give favours to to pull off that gig?

Unattractive? You'd fit right in!

Hahahahahaha :-D