Many settings take the impact masked heroes would have on society as little more than a mirror of our own world to be nearly one to one. Watchmen really took a deep dive into just how different the audacity of a costumed vigilantes and super powers would have impact the world at large. The Minute Men were the first team of heroes to unite and the country took notice. Who are they and where did they come from? Let’s find out!
Up until 1938, costumed heroes were merely characters in comic books, that all changed when Hooded Justice appeared to start fighting crime. That was the spark that lit the fire in a masked hero craze, more would come out of the woodwork, looking to make a name for themselves, either through genuine heroics or heroic publicity. Hooded Justice lead the way with simple brutality that the noose around his neck signified.
Then came the Nite Owl, who offered a good left hook and brought a beat cop’s perspective to the field. There was Silk Spectre, who was an actor turned hero when she and her agent saw a new opportunity to get eyes on her career. Banks were interested in proving they were protected by such costumed vigilantes, Dollar Bill was the hero with a bank for a home. Captain Metropolis brought a military background to the battle in the streets against criminals. Silhouette was mostly focused on fighting against child traffickers but took on other cases as well. The Comedian was a brute of a teenager who rivaled Hooded Justice in how he fought crime with such force. Then there was the Mothman who had developed incredible wings that gave him advantage in the air.
Many other masked heroes would come and go during the fad but it would be these eight who would form the Minutemen. From 1939 to 1949 the team, in some form or another, would fight crime together. Usually it was criminals who decided it was fun to go toe-to-toe with these masked heroes, they were few and far between though. More often their enemies became just regular criminals who enjoyed the status of a nickname. They also had to contend with each other as enemies.
The Comedian was kicked out for his attempted sexual assault of Silk Spectre. Unfortunately he would go on to have a long and successful career in being a mask hero for the government. Silk Spectre would marry her agent, who had also become the team’s agent, and the two would quit so she could raise her daughter. Silhouette would be outed as a lesbian and one of her enemies would find her, brutally killing her. Mothman had a drinking problem from his stress and anxiety of flying his suit, which he always feared would break down on him mid-flight. Dollar Bill would have his cape caught in a revolving door while stopping a bank robbery, being gunned down.
By 1949, the only members left would see it was time to shut the Minutemen’s doors for good. The remaining heroes would continue to fight crime and maybe even team up here and there going into the early 1960s. By that point the House of Un-American Activities would demand to know the identities of heroes and whether they were a communist threat. This lead to Hooded Justice quitting, instead of revealing his identity. Mothman’s condition would worsen as the stress and interrogation due to his old ties to leftist friends from college, he would have to be hospitalized for his mental health.
The day arrived where the superhuman existed, Doctor Manhattan was “born” and the world changed. This hero had powers far beyond what even the comic books of the early days of the Minutemen had been inspired by. This was Nite Owl’s queue to retire, leaving only Captain Metropolis and The Comedian as last of the old guard. Just because there was now a superhero and only two masked men left, didn’t mean new heroes weren’t coming out of the wood work. Silk Spectre’s daughter seemed to be following in her mother’s footsteps. A new Nite Owl was ready to take the mantle that the original was passing on to him. There was a man who was believed to be the world’s smartest person. Even word of a terrifying masked man in a suit and trench coat who was quite strong. Looks like when it comes to masked vigilantes, as it is with most things in the universe, nothing ever ends.
There you have it! The Minutemen were the beginning of the Watchmen series and their legacy would be felt for years to come. Watchmen has been adapted in some form or another over the years for the big and small screen. The Minutemen and other costumed adventurers of Watchmen were mostly contained in the original twelve chapters but have since spread into more and more comics and stories. Who knows where they will end up next? See you next time!
Suggested Reading
Watchmen
Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicatttack.net
