Watchmen Finally Reveals Ozymandias in All of His Glory

The first few episodes of Watchmen on HBO have slowly introduced fans to the vast and intricate universe created by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and John Higgins. But while their comic book storyline ended in the mid-’80s, with the prospect of a new age of peace bringing the world back from the edge of a nuclear holocaust, the HBO show has revealed that the world hasn’t gotten much better. And Adrian Veidt, the former hero known as Ozymandias, has yet to secure a lasting peace for the world he wanted to protect.

So, sometimes, you just have to get your hands dirty — and that’s exactly what Veidt plans to do.

The latest episode of Watchmen finally confirmed that Jeremy Irons‘ eccentric character is indeed Ozymandias, reassuring the blatant fan theories that everyone has had since the actor was first cast in the project years ago. But while the first episode included a decorative cake adorned in purple and yellow coloring that’s clearly evocative of the world’s smartest man, this latest episode didn’t just name the superhero’s alter ego directly — it also showed him in costume.

And it was AMAZING. Check it out below:

Ozymandias has been in a very strange situation, remaining isolated from the larger world though we’ve yet to see if that’s by choice or by circumstance until this episode. He’s been surrounded by duplicates of the same man and woman, acting as his house servants, though he obviously cares little about their safety. This episode saw him prepare one of these servants in a makeshift pressurized suit, though it quickly cut to him being frozen to death despite all of the heavy guarding.

Veidt immediately declares that he needs more insulation for his makeshift space suit and attempts to go hunting. After killing an ox and trying to extract its hide, he is caught by a familiar looking masked rider, who warns him of his endeavors.

Later that night, Veidt states that he will continue his pursuits under the light of the moon and proceeds to don his Ozymandias costume. It was an amazing moment for fans who have been waiting for more explicit Watchmen ties, though it remains to be seen how this moment actually plays into the ongoing storyline.

At least we know that Ozymandias has a plan, even if we don’t know what it is at this point. But given Veidt’s level of intelligence, we shouldn’t be surprised if we find out it will play a key role in the fate of the universe.

New episodes of Watchmen air on Sundays on HBO TV.