Doomsday Clock's Rorschach Origin Has a Big Twist, Geoff Johns Teases

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Doomsday Clock's Rorschach Origin Has a Twist Even Rorschach Is Unaware Of

By Sam Stone

Published Jun 29, 2018

Doomsday Clock writer Geoff Johns teases the the origin of the new Rorschach, Reggie Long, contain a major secret.

The origin of DC's new Rorschach is apparently as much a mystery to the character as it is to readers.

The critically acclaimed Watchmen/DC Universe crossover Doomsday Clock has brought many mysteries involving both continuities to light, but one of the biggests is the origin of the new Rorschach. Writer Geoff Johns has teased that Reggie Long has a huge twist in his backstory that even the character himself is unaware of.

"Even though though we had his origin, we learn more about Reggie and how and why he became Rorschach. There's a whole other side to it that we will be revealing in the book that we have not revealed yet, that he’s not even aware of," Johns told Newsweek. "If you read Doomsday Clock #4 closely, and you've read Watchmen, there are some misperceptions that Reggie has about Rorschach."

Introduced in Doomsday Clock #1, Reggie is the son of criminal psychologist Dr. Malcom Long who up the superhero mantle after the death of original Rorschach Walter Kovacs in Alan Moor and Dave Gibbons' seminal Watchmen. Dr. Long had been Kovacs' psychologist after the hero's brief incarceration and notes from his sessions with the original Rorschach influenced Reggie to follow in the vigilante's footsteps after his father's death.

In Doomsday Clock #4, which provided the initial backstory of the new Rorschach, former superhero Byron Lewis (Mothman) gave Reggie some his father's notes on Kovacs which evidently do not contain the full scope of Dr. Malcolm Long's connection to the Watchmen character.

"If you know how Rorschach affected Reggie’s father, Reggie doesn’t exactly know the truth behind the whole story. And again, it’s levels of missing information and lies and truths that we will be dealing with," Johns confirmed, promising that Reggie's story will become "clearer and clearer" as the series progresses.

Written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Gary Frank and Brad Anderson, Doomsday Clock #6 arrives July 18 from DC.