Watchmen Character Profiles: Nite Owl
The Most Human Hero of Alan Moore's Watchmen Universe
Aug 14, 2008
In a world full of Dr. Manhattans and Rorschachs, Nite Owl might seem unimpressive. He is a millionaire and an inventor, much like Marvel’s Iron man. Entirely unlike Iron Man, however, he is an introvert, crippled by self-doubt and loneliness. Dan Dreiberg (when Watchmen picks up, he is no longer Nite Owl) is Alan Moore’s deconstructed superhero. He’s a human, worried more about sex and death than Justice, Righteousness or Freedom.
Nite Owl’s history went like this: The original Nite Owl was a member of the Minutemen, the first group of masked crime-fighters that New York ever had. He retired, and Dan Dreiberg became Nite Owl II (though he is usually just referred to as “Nite Owl.”) Soon, Nite Owl teamed up with Rorschach and fought gang violence in the streets of New York. Eventually vigilante-ism was outlawed, and Dan Dreiberg hung up the Nite Owl suit without ever going public. Independently wealthy, he remained mostly isolated until the events of Watchmen.
Nite Owl’s Gadgets and Wealth
Nite Owl is one in a long line of comic book gadgeteers. We see several inventions of his throughout the comic book, including night-vision goggles, various versions of the Owl Suit, flame throwers and of course “Archie.”
Archie, short for Archimedes (the name of Merlin’s owl,) is the name of Dreiberg’s equivalent of the Batmobile. This is a quiet, floating, radar invisible craft with a huge array of municipal-scale gadgets on it. It has water hoses powerful enough to put out apartment fires and sonic weapons intense enough to debilitate prison guards. This machine is the high point of Dan’s inventiveness, and the thing of which he’s most proud.
Dan Dreiberg Was The Most Human Hero
At the end of one of the comics which focused mostly on Nite Owl, Alan Moore included an excerpt from an article that Dan Dreiberg published in the Watchmen universe. A short piece for a bird magazine, the article displays Dan’s passion for owls. This essay complicates Dan tremendously.
Throughout the rest of the story we get a few different glimpses of Dan Dreiberg. Up through about the half-way mark of the novel he is defined accurately by a lover and himself as “inhibited” and “impotent.” He is crippled by his loneliness and his inability to do anything about the Cold War situation.
Later, once he and Laurie hook up and he begins working with Rorschach again, we see some glimpses of what the old Nite Owl must have looked like: intelligent, assertive and pretty happy.
It’s only with the bird article that we really see Dreiberg’s idealized self-image and gain some insights into his deeper personality. He can be bold and passionate, but his passion springs from introversion. He is, at his best, a great critic and analyzer of information. Whereas Rorschach’s virtue is his willingness to act, Dreiberg’s is his ability to synthesize.
Dan Dreiberg’s “Fantasy Personality”
His article shows a lot about how Dreiberg’s mind works. The thing that he praised in the owl was its perfection as a hunter, and its magnificence as a predator. This shows a respect for power. This isn’t the same quest for power that Ozymandias undertakes, nor is it the reflection on power that Dr. Manhattan enacts, but it is respect for power at a distance.
In one chapter of Watchmen a psychoanalyst analyzes Rorschach. He repeatedly reminds himself to refer to him by his birth name “Walter Kovacs,” instead of the superhero name “Rorschach,” which is an unhealthy fantasy personality. His error was in trying to interpret Walter Kovacs as a sane person capable of psychological treatment, when his real underlying issue clearly sprung from a chemical imbalance. His analysis would have been more appropriate, however, for Dan Dreiberg.
Because Dan respected power at a distance, he was unable to go after it himself. He had to create Nite Owl to do that. Andrian Veidt had no problem revealing himself once masked vigilante-ism was declared illegal. He didn’t mind openly pursuing fortune and power. For Dan Dreiberg and Nite Owl to become the same identity, however, was impossible. Dan needed Nite Owl to be someone from whom he could remain separate and observational.
A Peaceful Retirement
Luckily for Dan, he is eventually able to overcome this, and by the end of the story he has settled down. He no longer needs Nite Owl, and can be comfortable with himself as a normal person who can still enjoy his passions in a more socially constructive way.
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