Adrian Veidt’s role as the mastermind of a criminal conspiracy embodies the novel’s complex ethical dilemma and its critique of traditional heroes. Where most comic books until
Watchmen’s publication—including many that Moore worked on, such as
Batman and
Superman—focused on traditional, pure heroes fighting clearly evil villains, Veidt occupies an ambiguous role as either the world’s greatest hero or the world’s greatest villain, depending on the reader’s interpretation.