Here’s Why Nite Owl Wasn’t Included in HBO’s ‘Watchmen’

Now that HBO’s Watchmen has reached its conclusion, it’s time to let what happened over the course of the nine episodes really sink in. It’s also the time for show creator Damon Lindelof to clue us in on the thought process behind the series. Watchmen was praised for its ability to blend the old with the new, but why include certain original characters and not others? Specifically, why include Laurie Blake and Doctor Manhattan but not Dan Dreiberg, AKA Nite Owl II? In a recent interview with Collider, Lindelof shared his insight on why the creative team omitted Nite Owl II from the series:

One of the things that we are constantly trying to solve for, was the ratio between old and new. And, I felt very strongly that Laurie needed to be in this show. And, I felt very strongly that Manhattan needed to be in the show. And, I felt very strongly that Veidt needed to be in the show. And, we knew that the central character of the show was Hooded Justice and his granddaughter. It felt like, if we added Dan into the mix, that the balance tipped too much towards the old, and not enough towards the new. But, we did discuss multiple versions of what it would look like for him to appear.

The character of Dan Dreiberg was initially brought to life in the 2009 live-action Watchmen, played by Patrick Wilson. So the decision to not include him in the series wasn’t easy. Lindelof alluded to the creative team spending over 40 hours on the subject of Dan Dreiberg’s Nite Owl II before ultimately deciding to axe him from the show. Another season of Watchmen might have provide an opportunity to add Nite Owl II into the mix, but Lindelof has shared that he doesn’t feel the need for Season 2 quite yet.

So what did happen to Dan Dreiberg? According to HBO’s canon online database Peteypedia, both Laurie Blake and Dan Dreiberg got captured for resuming their vigilante activities. Only Laurie was able to make a deal with the FBI to be released, so Dan remains in federal prison until further notice.

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