Watchmen writer reveals why Nite Owl II wasn't in HBO series

Watchmen recently concluded its groundbreaking first (and possibly only) season, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a few questions about the magnificent Nite Owl II.

When Watchmen first aired, it was stated that it wouldn’t be a sequel to the graphic novel, but we quickly learned that wasn’t the case. From Dr Manhattan to Silk Spectre II, the series introduced crucial Watchmen characters and became a massively entertaining follow-up to the timeless title.

After the finale aired, Watchmen writer Jeff Jensen opened up to CinemaBlend about the various ideas tossed around for the series, admitting that there was talk of incorporating Nite Owl II. The comic’s conclusion for Dan and Laurie (Nite Owl and Silk Spectre) left them at a turning point which the writers seemed interested in further exploring. Jensen shared:

"“So we were utterly captivated by those two panels and that conversation, and wondering where that conversation went. Dan wants to settle down and have kids. Laurie’s like, ‘Well, wait a minute. You talked me into being a superhero again, and I just found out that my father is The Comedian, who wears leather and has guns. I’m kinda like, I spent some time dressing up as my mom. Maybe I want to kind of dress up as my dad.’ Which is how we interpreted that.”"

With this, Jensen continued, they were able to examine Laurie’s path and where that might lead her down the road:

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"“And so we thought that of those two kinds, you know, Dan suggested one idea for them and Lori suggested another, we were definitely really captivated by where that desire of Laurie’s led her; the idea that they were vigilantes, and that she then tried on her dad’s persona for a while, and wondering where that would lead or dead-end.”"

Obviously, this would suggest that there are two very different options for Watchmen to take, with Laurie’s seemingly featuring more complexity. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any callbacks to Dan, with a handful of moments that tell us he’s still remembered by the former Watchmen team.

For example, Laurie keeps an owl at her home, there are two different scenes that showcase Dan’s iconic ship, and Laurie even mentions him in a well-delivered scene where she leaves a message for Dr Manhattan. Because of Jensen’s thoughts above, it adds a layer viewers might not know about, leaving an opportunity for complications between the two that was believed to be a pair at the end of the Watchmen comic. Ultimately, they felt that there wasn’t a need to force him into the first season, with Jensen adding:

"The Laurie stories came very quickly. The Dan stories, not so much. So we were like, ‘Oh, we’ve got to come up with something with Dan. We’ve got to bring him into the story.’ And Damon set this rule, which is like, if we can’t come up with a great story for him, he’s not going to be in the show. So we definitely had some very specific ideas about Dan and what he was up to."

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This may have been the idea for the first season but, with a desire for more, this feels like a rare opportunity to tell a story that has yet to be seen.

What are your thoughts on the choice to focus more on Laurie? Would you hope to see Nite Owl II if Watchmen returns for a second season?

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Watchmen writer reveals why Nite Owl II wasn’t in HBO series

By Aedan Juvet | Dec 22, 2019

Watchmen recently concluded its groundbreaking first (and possibly only) season, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a few questions about the magnificent Nite Owl II.