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Edward Blake (The Comedian)
Daniel Dreiberg is an inventor and the second Nite Owl, taking up the heroic identity after Hollis Mason, the original Nite Owl, retires. Although Daniel retires when the Keene Act of 1977 passes, outlawing masked vigilantes, he finds that he feels helpless—and sexually impotent—to face the chaos in the world and the looming threat of war until he resumes his role as Nite Owl, suggesting that his hero’s identity allows him to cope with uncertainty and world events. He takes up his role as Nite Owl again when he starts dating Laurie. Although he is hesitant to believe Rorschach’s “mask-killer conspiracy,” when Dr. Manhattan exiles himself to Mars and Rorschach is framed for murder, Daniel realizes that some sort of plot is indeed in motion. After helping Rorschach break out of jail, Daniel joins Rorschach’s investigation and discovers Adrian Veidt’s plot to avert World War III by faking an alien invasion, killing three million people in the process. When Veidt explains the logic of his plan, Daniel (unlike Rorschach) realizes that though it’s horrific, he must let it proceed so that humanity does not wipe itself out. At the end of the novel, Daniel begins a new life with Laurie under an alias.
Daniel Dreiberg (the second Nite Owl) Quotes in Watchmen
The Watchmen quotes below are all either spoken by Daniel Dreiberg (the second Nite Owl) or refer to Daniel Dreiberg (the second Nite Owl) . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2: Absent Friends
Quotes
Dreiberg: […] The country’s disintegrating. What’s happened to the American dream?
Blake: It came true. You’re lookin’ at it.
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Chapter 7: A Brother to Dragons
Quotes
Looking back, it all seems so… well, childish, I guess. Just a schoolkid’s fantasy that got out of hand. That’s, y’know, with hindsight… on reflection.
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It’s this war, the feeling that it’s unavoidable. It makes me feel so powerless. So impotent.
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Chapter 11: Look on My Works, Ye Mighty…
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Dreiberg: …And anyway, this is Adrian for God’s sake. We know him. He never killed anybody, ever. Why would he want to destroy the world?
Kovacs: Insanity, perhaps?
Dreiberg: Ha. Well that’s a tricky one… I mean, who’s qualified to judge someone like that? This is the world’s smartest man we’re talking about here, so how can you tell? How can anyone tell if he’s gone crazy?
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Teleported to New York, my creature’s death would trigger mechanisms within its massive brain, cloned from a human sensitive… the resultant psychic shockwave killing half the city.
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Chapter 12: A Stronger Loving World
Quotes
Juspeczyk: Dan, all those people, they’re dead. They can’t disagree or eat Indian food, or love each other… Oh, it’s sweet. Being alive is so damn sweet.
Dreiberg: Laurie? Wh-what do you want me to do?
Juspeczyk: I want you to love me. I want you to love me because we’re not dead […] I want to see you and taste you and smell you, just because I can.
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Get the entire Watchmen LitChart as a printable PDF.
Daniel Dreiberg (the second Nite Owl) Quotes in Watchmen
The Watchmen quotes below are all either spoken by Daniel Dreiberg (the second Nite Owl) or refer to Daniel Dreiberg (the second Nite Owl) . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2: Absent Friends
Quotes
Dreiberg: […] The country’s disintegrating. What’s happened to the American dream?
Blake: It came true. You’re lookin’ at it.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7: A Brother to Dragons
Quotes
Looking back, it all seems so… well, childish, I guess. Just a schoolkid’s fantasy that got out of hand. That’s, y’know, with hindsight… on reflection.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
It’s this war, the feeling that it’s unavoidable. It makes me feel so powerless. So impotent.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11: Look on My Works, Ye Mighty…
Quotes
Dreiberg: …And anyway, this is Adrian for God’s sake. We know him. He never killed anybody, ever. Why would he want to destroy the world?
Kovacs: Insanity, perhaps?
Dreiberg: Ha. Well that’s a tricky one… I mean, who’s qualified to judge someone like that? This is the world’s smartest man we’re talking about here, so how can you tell? How can anyone tell if he’s gone crazy?
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Teleported to New York, my creature’s death would trigger mechanisms within its massive brain, cloned from a human sensitive… the resultant psychic shockwave killing half the city.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12: A Stronger Loving World
Quotes
Juspeczyk: Dan, all those people, they’re dead. They can’t disagree or eat Indian food, or love each other… Oh, it’s sweet. Being alive is so damn sweet.
Dreiberg: Laurie? Wh-what do you want me to do?
Juspeczyk: I want you to love me. I want you to love me because we’re not dead […] I want to see you and taste you and smell you, just because I can.
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Page Number and Citation:
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