Look, Zack Snyder had a history with comic book adaptations before he tackled the DCEU with films like Man of Steel and Justice League. But in what was arguably his biggest comic book movie at the time, he left out a key plot point that fans really wanted to see. He always believed it wouldn’t translate to the big screen, but a recent HBO superhero series has completely proven him wrong – not only could it work, but it’s become a genuinely beloved moment. And honestly, it’s no shock that the HBO show is now considered one of the best DC adaptations ever made.
In 2009, Zack Snyder adapted the famous graphic novel Watchmen, created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. He used a similar filmmaking technique to Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City, closely recreating panels from the original work using green screen technology. However, while Rodriguez was applauded for his stylish take on Frank Miller’s noir world, Snyder faced criticism for seemingly missing the deeper meaning and plot of Watchmen. Fans of the graphic novel were also unhappy with the changes he made to the story’s ending.
Watchmen on HBO Brings Back the Squid Attack From the Comics
Zack Snyder left out the giant psychic squid attack from the Watchmen comic book when he made the movie. Both the comic and the film feature Ozymandias’s plan to kill millions of people to trick the world into peace. His idea was to unite nations against a fake enemy. While the comic book used a psychic squid as this enemy, the movie had Doctor Manhattan create the illusion of nuclear explosions instead.
Zack Snyder defended his choice to have Doctor Manhattan, rather than a giant squid, be the cause of the global conflict. Some viewers questioned using a character so closely tied to America to unite the world against a common enemy. However, the HBO sequel series, Watchmen, clarified that it continued the story of the original graphic novel, not Snyder’s film, and revealed that Ozymandias actually used the psychic squid attack as originally planned in the book.
The Watchmen episode “Little Fear of Lightning” featured a flashback showing the attack through the eyes of Wade Tillman, also known as Detective Looking Glass. At that point in the HBO series, Wade was the only major character confirmed to have been close enough to the psychic blast when Ozymandias destroyed New York in 1985. He was traveling with a Christian group from Tulsa, Oklahoma, attempting to persuade people to turn away from their sins before a potential nuclear war. He was inside a hall of mirrors when the squid attack happened, and when he emerged, he was confronted with the devastating scene of bodies lying in the streets.
Watchmen’s HBO Series Understood the Comic Book Story
Zack Snyder’s Watchmen film was enjoyable, even though it differed from the original comic book. The story Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons created in the comics was quite different. However, the Watchmen series on HBO delved deeper into the core ideas of the story, and the inclusion of the psychic squid attack was just one example of how it expanded on the source material. Ozymandias’s plan was deeply disturbing and ultimately united world governments against a fabricated threat.
Doctor Manhattan being responsible for the nuclear attacks felt more believable. However, the psychic squid attack, which killed around three million people and left lasting trauma on those who survived, was far more devastating. Unlike Doctor Manhattan, who had a clear connection to the United States through his military service dating back to the Vietnam War, the squid wasn’t tied to any nation. The profound impact the squid had on Wade highlighted just how effective Ozymandias’s plan truly was.
The HBO Watchmen series revealed Ozymandias’s plan for world peace, but ultimately showed it wouldn’t succeed because people are too prejudiced. Choosing Tulsa, the site of a terrible historical massacre, was a smart move, connecting the new series to the original Watchmen’s themes. Zack Snyder’s choice to have Doctor Manhattan trigger nuclear war was noteworthy, but the HBO series wisely reintroduced the psychic squid and used it to create chaos instead.
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2025-11-17 22:42