Ozymandias

Origin

The son of rich German immigrants, Adrian Veidt was raised in America. An intelligent child, he chose to hide his exceptionality, achieving only middling grades. At the age of seventeen his parents passed away, leaving him all their money. He donated all of this money to charity, hoping to demonstrate that a person could rise to the very heights of power from the lowliest circumstances, and set off on a pilgrimage that followed in the footsteps of his hero, Alexander the Great. He returned to America some time later with a new hero, Ramesses II, and a desire to make the country a better place as Ozymandias, a masked crime fighter.

Creation

Ozymandias was created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. He is heavily modelled on the character Thunderbolt.

Major Story Arcs

Watchmen

Two years before the passage of the Keene Act, Ozymandias retires from vigilantism, turning instead to business. He reveals his true identity and profits off the marketing of that same identity, growing quite wealthy and developing a massive empire that sells everything from action figures to perfume. Eventually he becomes dedicated to preventing the world from descending into the nuclear war that he sees as otherwise inevitable. To this end he begins gathering scientists, psychologists, artists, psychics, and all manner of other intelligent and powerful people to create a means of holding the countries of the world together. In furtherance of these goals he murders the Comedian, and estranges Dr Manhattan from the only people still tethering him to Earth. Rorschach and Nite Owl learn of his plans and travel to his lair in Antarctica but find that they are too late, and Ozymandias has already set his master plan into motion. He reveals to the pair that he has created a massive alien-like creature that he intends to teleport into New York. Upon arrival it will create a massive explosion, claiming millions of lives, as well as a psychic backlash that will fully convince the remaining residents that they are under threat from sinister alien forces. This, he believes, will cause the nations of the world to abandon their squabbles and unite against the extraterrestrial threat. The explosion occurs, and all present at the base, excluding Rorschach, agree to keep the plan secret, to prevent the world from plunging again into war.

Powers and Abilities

Veidt does not possess any inherent superpowers. He is incredibly intelligent, and has been called "the smartest man in the world". He appears to have exceptional attentional abilities, and is a shrewd businessman and skilled tactician. He is extremely fit, and a very skilled fighter and acrobat. He has been shown to be capable of catching a bullet.

Other Media

Watchmen

Ozymandias appears in the role of secret antagonist in the 2009 film version of the series. He is portrayed by Matthew Goode.