10 Biggest Comic Book Twists You Never Saw Coming
2. “35 Minutes Ago...”
It is 1985 in an alternate reality and Richard Nixon is in his fifth term as the American President as the world inches closer to nuclear annihilation. And in New York City, a Comedian is murdered. Uncompromising vigilante Rorschach believed it was an attack on “masks” because the Comedian was the secret identity of government-sanctioned hero Robert Blake. It turned out to be something much more sinister.
Adrian Veidt, formerly the hero Ozymandias, billionaire industrialist, and supposed smartest man in the world had come up with a plan that would unite the warring United States and Russia in a common goal and save the lives of billions, by causing the death of millions. Veidt planned to fake an alien invasion that would kill half the population of New York City to unite America and Russia against the threat. Ozymandias took several steps to ensure his plan's success, including Blake’s murder.
Rorschach and Nite-Owl put together clues to discover Veidt’s plan, Manhattan and Silk Spectre return from Mars and all converge on Karnak, Ozymandias’ Antarctica retreat to stop him. While explaining his plan, Veidt says he is not some ridiculous movie villain who monologues his plan and gave the hero time to defeat him. Ozymandias informed them that he set the plan in motion 35 minutes ago.