Watchmen is a one-season TV series that is a spin-off of the 1986 DC Comic Watchmen which premiered in October of 2019. The show is set in Tulsa, OK in somewhat of an alternate reality. Highlighting racist events that occured in Tulsa’s history, the show pits masked vigilantes against an organization called the “Seventh Kavalry.” These vigilantes appear as policemen and women, yet must wear masks to protect their safety after the racist Kavalry group terrorized the police force. The show features more sci-fi and superhero/supervillain plots, but for the purpose of this text review, we will focus on the diverse racial aspect of the series.
The original Watchmen comic featured all white characters, except for the god-like superhero Dr. Manhattan who was blue. However, the HBO series features various African-American characters, namely the main character Angela Abar, known as “Sister Night” and played by Regina King. This, paired with the show’s reflection on the Tulsa race massacre of 1921, the mass attack of black people in their homes and businesses, gives Watchmen a lot of depth in terms of racial injustice.
At the beginning of the show, we can see the masked police force responding to a reawakening of Kavalry attacks. The vigilanties work hard in an attempt to investigate and stop the racist group, who seem quite recognizable at first. However, as the series progresses, we see the deeper impact of this racist way of thinking. For example, Abar goes into her daughter’s classroom for a sort of career day, when a little boy brings up a racist remark that triggers Abar’s daughter. Additionally, we come to see that one of the nicer-looking characters, the governor, ends up working with one of the main villains in support of the Kavalry.
Perhaps the most powerful aspect of Watchmen’s showcase of racial injustice is its connection to the real world. Obviously, the vast majority of what goes on in the series is more of an alternate reality. However, the first scene of the show reenacts the real Tulsa massacre including the Ku Klux Klan’s actions. With the increased focus on racial injustice and police brutality, the masked police officers with restricted weapons and rise of a Klan-like organization scarily does not seem as alternate.