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Walter Kovacs
Rorschach Watchmen Textless
Alias(es) Rorschach
Appeared in Watchmen
Status Deceased
Actor Jackie Earle Haley
Eli Snyder (Young)
"The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout "Save us!"... and I'll whisper "no.""
―Rorschach [src]

Walter Kovacs was investigating the murder of his former teammate Edward Blake. He uses the alias Rorschach.

Biography[]

Watchmen[]

Walter Joseph Kovacs was born to Sylvia Kovacs. When Sylvia was pregnant, everybody told her to have an abortion but nonetheless she gave birth. Sylvia later started working as a prostitute in order to survive. In one incident, Walter heard his mother having sex with a client, and approached, thinking he was hurting her. As he entered the room, Sylvia and her client saw Walter to which they quickly attempted to close the door. In her rage, she then declared that she should have listened to everybody and had an abortion.

Years later, wearing his 'new face', Kovacs decided to become a costumed vigilante by the name of 'Rorschach', taken from Hermann Rorschach, the man who created the Rorschach inkblot test. He eventually partnered with fellow costumed vigilante, Nite Owl. During that time, they fought against various gangs and were successful. When the Watchmen team began to be established, when discussing the group's creation, with Rorschach, his partner Nite Owl, Comedian, Doctor Manhattan, Ozymandias and Silk Spectre, Rorschach commented that despite the success with Nite Owl, a group that size seemed more like a publicity exercise.

For a long time, Rorschach described himself as 'soft': "Soft on scum. Too young to know any better. Molly-coddled them. Let them live." His pattern continued until 1975, when Blair Roche, a six year old, was kidnapped. Rorschach arrived at the building at dusk while Grice was out. He checked the backyard and saw two attack dogs, German Shepherds fighting over a knob of bone. He broke in through the front door and examined the house. In a nearby wood-burning stove he found a piece of children's clothing. One of the cabinets was filled with meat hacking utensils and in the kitchen was a large cutting slab with thick cuts on it. He peered out the window, out at the dogs, and looked at the bone they were still fighting over. It was a femur, a human bone. He then proceeded to kill both dogs.

When Grice finally returned home that night, he walked into the house but noticed that someone had broken in. Rorschach then threw the bloody corpses of both dogs at him through the window, knocking him to the ground. Silently, Rorschach grabbed and handcuffed him to the furnace while Grice screamed that Rorschach had no evidence of what he did. However Grice eventually admitted to the crime and asked Rorschach to arrest him, but Rorschach was not falling for it. He then chopped up Grice's head with a meat cleaver.

Despite the Keene Act being passed, which outlawed heroes and forced them all to retirement. Rorschach continued fighting crime in open defiance of the law. On October 12th, 1985, Edward Blake was thrown out of his apartment window, and Rorschach used this opportunity to write his first journal entry. Using his grappling hook gun, Rorschach climbed up the building and investigated Blake's home. In attempting to discover the murderer's motivation Rorschach develops the 'mask-killer' theory; someone is attempting to kill all existing costumed vigilantes. Considering this as a possible cause makes Rorschach feel obliged to inform the other former heroes about a possible threat on their lives.

He first warned his old partner, Dan Dreiberg, formerly known as Nite Owl. He entered his apartment by breaking in the lock and eating a can of cold baked beans. He tossed Dreiberg the Comedian's badge that he picked up from the blood drenched sidewalk. Dreiberg suggested an ordinary burglary or a political killing, but Rorschach persisted with the 'mask-killer' theory. He recalled when they were partners and Dreiberg pleasantly remarked, "Those were great times...whatever happened to them?" While leaving through the tunnel in Nite Owl's workshop, Rorschach replies, "You quit." On October 13th, he wrote his second journal entry while breaking into the Rockefeller Military Research Center to find Jon Osterman aka Doctor Manhattan and Laurie Juspeczyk aka Silk Spectre. Osterman explains how he has no reason to care for human life, and Laurie expresses her hate for the Comedian and disdain for Rorschach's methods. Manhattan then proceeded to teleport him outside in the rain, despite the fact Rorschach was not finished talking to him.

On October 16th, Kovacs was outside the cemetery during Blake's funeral; he noticed Edgar Jacobi, once the villain known as Moloch, there, and later had already broken his home. He asked why Jacobi had attended the funeral since they had been enemies for 40 years. Jacobi explained that he was just paying his respects but also Blake as the Comedian had broken into his room and rambled on in tears, as Jacobi was in his bed. Jacobi had suspected that Blake was drunk, Rorschach noticed a bottle of illegal pills. Jacobi mentioned he needed the medication since he had cancer.

Rorschach later returned to the apartment and asks about the "list" that mentioned Manhattan and his associates, pointing out that both heroes who were disposed of were enemies to Moloch. Then he found that Moloch had been shot through the head. The police were outside with a huge force and someone with a megaphone outside calls out to Rorschach stating that he is surrounded by the police. Realizing he had been framed, he searched for a sort of protection, grabbing a bottle of Veidt for Men hair spray and matches. When the cops burst in he torched SWAT members, then lights the stairs aflame while running up them. While trying escape he got surrounded and beaten eventually his mask was removed, revealing his identity.

In prison, Kovacs was subject to regular mental treatment from a clinical psychologist named Malcolm Long. Long-anticipated treating Kovacs, believing that his extreme vigilantism would open the way to the identification of a syndrome pertaining to masked vigilantes. In their first meeting he examines Kovacs' opinions through the Rorschach inkblot test, though Rorschach told Malcolm that he sees pretty butterflies and flowers while he actually sees pictures much more gruesome, like a dog with its head split in (a memory of the kidnapped girl ten years ago). Malcolm gave up on trying to treat Kovacs after hearing about "Rorschach".

Kovacs' time in prison consisted of relentless death threats. For one incident in the food line, a monstrous man named Otis holds a prisoner's shiv to his back, and Rorschach grabs a canister of hot cooking fat, smashing it into his face, giving him severe burns. As the guards haul Kovacs to solitary, he screams to the other inmates, "None of you understand. I'm not locked up in here with you. You're locked up in here with me." Eventually Nite Owl and Silk Spectre helped Rorschach escape prison, when the prison already became a riot.

Rorschach and Nite Owl then did investigating over Ozymandias and his secret plans. Eventually learning that he was located in Antarctica, both heroes took Archie to the snow filled location. Rorschach and Nite Owl were beaten easily by Ozymandias. Rorschach continued to attempt to attack him from behind but with no luck. Ozymandias was faster and stronger, as well as extremely perceptive. Along with all the other surviving heroes, Rorschach learned about Ozymandias' true plans for the future. He then attempted to leave but was confronted by Manhattan, Rorschach had foreseen this moment and pleaded the godly hero to kill him. Manhattan then made Rorschach burst, killing him with Nite Owl watching.

Relationships[]

Appearances/Actors[]

Trivia[]

  • Jackie Earle Haley previously worked with Patrick Wilson in Little Children.
  • Ray Stevenson, David Bowie, John Hurt, Robin Williams, Daniel Craig, Sean Penn, Doug Hutchinson, Simon Pegg, David Caruso, and Glen Hansard were all considered for the role before Jackie Earle Haley was cast.
  • Tom Cruise wanted to play Walter Kovacs/Rorschach, despite being considered for Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias.
  • Jackie Earle Haley was the only main cast member that was already familiar with the graphic novel. He campaigned for the part of Rorschach.
  • Despite the fact that Jackie Earle Haley has a black belt in Kenpo, he chose not to draw on those skills in his fight scenes, as he felt that Rorscharch would have fought in a scrappier, less disciplined style.
  • Jackie Earle Haley voiced an alternate version of Walter Kovacs/Rorschach in the video game Watchmen: The End is Nigh. This game is not considered canon to the movie.

Gallery[]

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