Long before HBO's Watchmen television series officially begun, fans knew there would be too many sly references to the graphic novel and feature film to count. Now that the first episodes have aired, it can be confirmed: Easter Egg hunters will have their hands full with Watchmen.
While the TV show is better described as a Watchmen 'remix' than direct sequel, that still provides opportunities in every scene to give fans a nod, especially to the original Watchmen graphic novel written by Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons. From Dr. Manhattan's origin story to President Robert Redford, here are all the Watchmen Easter Eggs that we've spotted so far.
20. Smiley Faces Everywhere
Right off the bat, expect to see faces (of both the smiley and clock variety) all throughout the series. Even if you only have a ing awareness of the Watchmen comic, you've probably seen the yellow smiley face badge worn by the vigilante known as The Comedian, and the blood smear across it. It's a recurring thematic element across the whole story, and are ed by clock faces, communicating the 'Doomsday C'lock that's ever ticking closer to humanity's doom. In the first episode, Angela creates a smiley face formed by some eggs in a bowl (a literal Easter Egg of sorts). The camera angles also deliver re-imagined faces in subtler ways, most notably the overhead shot of a dining room fixture looking like hands on a clock.
19. Dr. Manhattan's Work on Mars
Later on in the first episode, we see a quick clip of Dr. Manhattan himself on Mars, where he now lives after the original Watchmen storyline. He looks to be creating a massive castle or mansion out of the Martian sand, before dissolving it away. Dr. Manhattan, the most powerful being in the Watchmen universe, hasn't been seen on Earth since those original events. The clip looks like surveillance of his actions on the planet, but should viewers take this as the same construction seen in the original comic? And does Manhattan have plans to return to Earth in the series?
18. President Robert Redford
What was mentioned as a possibility in the Watchmen graphic novel has become a reality in the series. Yes, President Robert Redford assumes the leadership of the United States after Nixon--for seven consecutive . Where Nixon was the perfect leader for the nuclear crisis and growing conservative leanings of the original series, it seems Redford was chosen soon after for his liberal policies, and eventual decision to provide damages to the descendants of those who suffered racial injustice. Among racists, it's known as "Redfordations." It's unknown at this point whether or not Robert Redford will actually appear as a presidential version of himself later on in the series.
17. The "Unforgettable" Song Choice
While the soundtrack is often filled with modern music choices, the song "Unforgettable" can be heard playing while Police Chief Judd Crawford and Detective Angela Abar (aka Sister Night) enjoy dinner together with their families. The song is used to Veidt's Nostalgia perfume in the original comic book, but will also be recognized for its use in Zack Snyder's Watchmen film adaptation from 2009 as well. It's simple, but a really nice callback to the first story.
16. The Seventh Kavalry Will Answer 'No'
In a somewhat disturbing reference to the vigilante Rorschach from the original Watchmen, there is the Seventh Kavalry, a white supremacist group who have modeled their look after Rorschach himself, wearing identical masks (which he once wore before being killed by Dr. Manhattan). When these terrorists send a message to the police, they riff a version of Rorschach's own words from his journal: "Soon all the whores and race traitors will shout 'save us.' And we will whisper, 'No.'" The Seventh Kavalry seems to have adopted and edited the words of Rorschach's journal, which tells us that his journal was indeed published, which was in doubt at the end of the first story. However, it looks like it's been accepted only by those who hate "the system" and conspiracy theorists. Those who would take the darkest parts of the journal and twist them as tools to propel their own misguided agendas (like a manifesto for a white supremacist group).
15. Nite Owl Mug
When Sister Night and Crawford meet to discuss the latest attack by the Seventh Kavalry, it's easy to spot her drinking from a Nite Owl coffee mug. It's a pretty fun nod to the character, who was a large part of the first story. Not to mention another person who uncovered the details behind Veidt's dark plot to end the Cold War by killing millions. It's unclear as to where where Nite Owl ended up by this point, though he agreed alongside Dr. Manhattan and Spectre to keep Veidt's plot a secret, to keep the peace. He could potentially appear down the line.
14. Nite Owl's Ship, Repurposed
When Detectives Sister Night, Looking Glass, and Red Scare go after 7K, they are provided with air from Chief Crawford himself, who reveals himself to be monitoring their attack from above, in an aircraft that shares the same designs and technology as Nite Owl's own ship, lovingly named Archimedes. The obvious question, then, is how did law enforcement get a hold of Nite Owl's tech? Did he make a deal with them to share his tech in order to stay out of prison? Hopefully it's a question that will be answered as the series continues (since it's something fans will obviously notice).
13. American Hero Story: Minutemen
A fairly explicit reference to the real American Horror Story television series, the Watchmen universe looks to have their own version in American Hero Story: The Minutemen. Quite a few ments for the show appear through the early episodes, and even a short trailer featuring images of Hooded Justice, The Comedian, and Silk Spectre; all heroes who were part of the original Minutemen crime fighting team decades prior in the Watchmen universe.
12. The Blood Smear
Near the end of the first episode, Chief Crawford is found dead, hanged from a tree. His police badge is eventually shown lying in the grass beneath his body, focused on just as a drop of blood falls onto the upper left corner. It's a callback to the blood smear found on The Comedian's badge in the first story, becoming the iconic image of the entire Watchmen story (and audiences are sure to see a LOT more blood smear imagery throughout the series as episodes go on).
11. Oklahoma "Jud is Dead" Song in End Credits
Since the first episode concludes with the death of Judd Crawford, it's fitting that the end scene and credits should feature "Pore Jud is Daid," a song from the musical Oklahoma. It's actually double the references, calling back to Crawford's first appearance in the series with his wife at a performance of Oklahoma, and a meta Easter Egg due to the fact that Crawford's first name is Judd, and well..."Jud is Daid" by episode's end.
