Watchmen Prequel On The Way From HBO?
After it earned a whopping 26 Emmy nominations, it isn’t crazy to wonder if HBO’s limited series Watchmen from 2019 has more to offer in the form of a prequel. According to ComicBook.com, Jovan Adepo, who played young Will Reeves, is open to the idea. “I don’t know if Damon [Lindelof] would ever do that,” he said, “but it’s fun that people are excited about that character.”
While a Watchmen prequel is far from set in stone at this point, one episode, in particular, left a lot to be explored. In episode six of the series, titled “This Extraordinary Being,” Angela Abar is going through her grandfather’s memories only to find that he was none other than Hooded Justice, the first vigilante to don a mask.
Creator Damon Lindelof particularly enjoyed making this episode because he likes the challenge of making single episodes that tell a full and complete story in just one hour. This episode was the epitome of what the limited series was about, and it tied everything together in a beautiful and personal way for the character of Angela.
While Lindelof enjoyed said challenge, he also admits that it was hard to fit all of that story into just one hour. He and his co-writers wanted it to be action-packed and tell a full story, without overwhelming the viewer with non-stop action. “We wanted to create quiet moments as well,” he said.
While he was able to pull it off, fans of Hooded Justice would be happy to see that story grow into a full-on Watchmen prequel. If Lindelof could do so much with just one hour, what else could he do if he had eight or ten to tell his story?
Based on his own comments when asked about a potential Watchmen prequel, it seems like Adepo would be willing to put that mask back on if given the chance. “He’s one of my favorites,” he said.
The Watchmen limited series was meant to be an expansion upon the original graphic novel version of Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. According to Polygon, it was meant to exist on its own without influencing or changing the original events. There was one exception to this, though, in the form of Hooded Justice.
In the comic, the identity of Hooded Justice was never revealed. He appeared only once in the 12-issue graphic novel series and remained an enduring mystery. He was the only costumed crime fighter to never reveal his alter ego to anyone, not even the people he fought with.
In the HBO series, however, he is revealed to be William Reeves, Angela’s grandfather. Viewers get to know a lot more about him in this version of the story, such as the fact that he is queer, Black, and a survivor of the fall of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in Oklahoma.
A Watchmen prequel could potentially use these details to expand even more on Hooded Justice/William Reeves’ backstory. Even more so than in the original comic, Hooded Justice was a crucial character in the series and has plenty of fans who love him. While a Hooded Justice series isn’t in the works just yet, it certainly has lots of potential.
