Skip to main content

dc - Why did Adrian Veidt choose such an obvious password?


In Watchmen, Rorschach (Kovacs) and Nite Owl (Daniel) discover Ozymandias' (Veidt) plan after breaking into his office computer. The password he used was incredibly easy to crack: Rameses II. There was a book of that title on the shelf beside his desk, and he was known to be obsessed with Egyptology, Pharaohs, etc. Even worse, his superhero name - Ozymandias - is the Greek version of the name Rameses II. Considering the fact that he's supposed to be the smartest man on earth, it appears that he wanted his former colleagues to uncover his plans.


After their discovery, Nite Owl and Rorschach head to Veidt's headquarters in Antarctica. As a result, they aren't killed in the attack on New York City. This might be interpreted as a sign that Veidt is still fond of his former colleagues, and doesn't want them to die. When Daniel visits Veidt earlier in the story, Veidt does seem to be genuinely happy to see his old friend, which could lend some support to this idea; on the other hand, Veidt is nothing if not a duplicitous schemer, so he could have been putting on a show to allay suspicions.


However, the fact that Nite Owl and Rorschach survive the attack on NYC puts Veidt's plans in jeopardy, because they might tell the world what really happened, which would render Veidt's scheme useless and provoke the very war he was trying to prevent. In order for the plan to work, Veidt needs Dr. Manhattan alive and willing to go along with it, but the fates of the other Watchmen is largely irrelevant - in fact, it would be slightly better, from Veidt's perspective, if the other Watchmen were dead and unable to expose the plot.


So here's the question:



Why did Veidt use such an obvious password? It seems clear that he wanted Nite Owl and Rorschach to find him out, but why?



Answer



The very short answer is that while Adrian may be a genius, he does have the classic supervillain 'Achilles heel' when it comes to his obsession with history. Not only does he model himself on Ozymandias but he puts his plan at severe risk through his choice of names for the various parts of his scheme;



  • Pyramid Deliveries (the shell company he's using to pay those involved in the scheme)

  • Karnak (his Antarctic hideout)

  • Rameses II (his password)


There's no special indication in the graphic novel that he's expecting to have his computer system cracked although it has to be admitted that his security absolutely sucks.


enter image description here



In the film, it's even less likely given that he has what appears to be gay pornography on his desktop


enter image description here


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

game of thrones - Is Syrio Forel dead?

In the episode 'The Pointy End' (Season 1 Episode 8) when Arya runs from the Lannister guards you hear the sound of a sword being dropped (around 4:56): [embedded content] After that neither Syrio or Ser Meryn Trant is never mentioned or seen in the show again, except when Arya mentions to the Hound that Ser Meryn Trant killed Syrio. Is there any mention in the books that Syrio actually dies?
Post a Comment
Read more

tolkiens legendarium - Difference between elves and dwarves blacksmithing in the Lord of the Rings

Both the elves and the dwarves were famous for their metal work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what is the difference between what they made, and which one had the better skill of making amours and swords? Answer James Christopher's answer sums up the second part of your question well, but as to the difference in what they made, a little more detail is needed. Once the Elves learned to forge with steel, the shape of the sword changed, now being able to take on the form of a great broadsword or a light and agile curved sword. Additionally, they took great pride in decorating their swords. As we see in the Lord of the Rings , some swords like Sting had magical properties such as glowing blue when orcs are near. As far as the use of Mithril, lotr.wikia has two contradictory passages: Thus, Elven blades became renowned as great weapons, capable of performing deeds beyond the skill of their handlers and were even more glorious when the use of Mithril was allowed to the Elves. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How do Pokemon trainers collect their winnings?

According to Bulbapedia , Prize money is the money that a Trainer pays out at the end of a battle. So we know that the money comes directly from the trainer that just lost, and not some third-party committee or sponsor. But how is this done? It can be easy seeing the random trainers who challenge you along the way wanting to wager and then, after admitting defeat, sticking to their word and handing over their hard-earned pokebucks. Then there are the likes of Team Rocket and Giovanni, who also give money once they lose. This doesn't seem like something people in a criminal organization would willingly do. From this it appears that trainers have no say in whether or not they cough up the dough after losing, but I can't find anything on how exactly the funds are transferred from loser to winner. So how do Pokemon trainers receive their winnings?
Post a Comment
Read more