Warning: Major spoilers for Doomsday Clock and the original Watchmen follow!

When DC Comics announced they were producing an official sequel to Watchmen, titled Doomsday Clock, there were many fans out there who cried bloody murder. Readers of the original graphic novel were especially perturbed and annoyed when it was revealed that the demented vigilante Rorschach would be a part of the series, since his character met a poignant and grisly end at the climax of the Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons‘ 1986 graphic novel.

After the first issue of Doomsday Clock, we learned that this version of Rorschach is definitely not the previous one, as Walter Kovacs remains quite dead. Up until now we have been left to wonder who this new Rorschach is, but thanks to io9, we learn that in issue #4 of Doomsday Clock, the identity of Rorschach #2 is finally revealed.

The new Rorschach is a young man named Reggie Long, as in he’s the son of Dr. Malcolm Long—the very same who served as the court-appointed psychiatrist to Walter Kovacs during his stint in prison in the original Watchmen series. Via flashbacks, we learn that Reggie, like most New Yorkers who were not killed in the fake alien invasion from the end of the series, went insane. In between losing his faculties and having access to his late father’s journals and notes on Kovacs, a new Rorschach was born.

This revelation should come as a relief to fans of the original Watchmen who didn’t want the classic original character revived in a cheap stunt. Having Reggie Long tied so directly into the events of the original series makes Doomsday Clock really feel like a proper sequel. On top of this, employing Long, a black man, as the new Rorschach works to course-correct one of the main flaws of the original series: that nearly the entire main cast was a group of lily white people, with any ethnic persons relegated to minor roles.

With eight issues left of the series, the jury is still definitely out on Doomsday Clock, but consider us fans of this new wrinkle to the story at least.

What do you think of the Rorschach reveal? Is it who you thought it was, or were you hoping it was someone else? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments.

Images: DC Comics

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