The latest chapter of Doomsday Clock sheds light on the fates of two iconic Watchmen characters.

This article contains spoilers for Doomsday Clock #11!

Art by Gary Frank. (Image Credit: DC Comics)

Art by Gary Frank. (Image Credit: DC Comics)

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While Doomsday Clock features a number of familiar characters from the original Watchmen (including Doctor Manhattan, Ozymandias, The Comedian and new character Reggie Long taking up the mantle of Rorschach), two characters have been conspicuous in their absence. Whatever happened to Nite Owl and Silk Spectre? Issue #11 finally answers that question.It turns out there's an important connection between those two heroes and new villains Mime and Marionette. This issue revisits an earlier flashback scene where Doctor Manhattan confronted the duo during a crime spree but stopped himself from disintegrating the pregnant Marionette. As Ozymandias muses, Manhattan did nothing to stop The Comedian from murdering his pregnant mistress in Vietnam, so why stay his hand now? The answer is that Manhattan could see the unborn baby's future. He saw the baby being adopted by a couple named Mr. and Mrs. Hollis - or as we know them, Dan Dreiberg and Laurie Juspeczyk.This brief scene shows that these two retired heroes did find a happy ending after the events of Watchmen, enjoying their quiet retirement and starting a family of their own. Unfortunately, based on the events of Doomsday Clock #1, it's probably safe to assume the Hollis family was killed by nuclear fallout along with the rest of the world.While neither Nite Owl nor Silk Spectre look to play a major role in the plot of Doomsday Clock, this reveal does shed some interesting light about Manhattan's mindset and motivations. Despite having left his world and all personal connections behind, Manhattan seems fixated on the past.As this issue reveals, Manhattan has also been leaving a trail of breadcrumbs in his wake. Lex Luthor has been on the trail of this inter-dimensional refugee for two years, ever since the events of DC Universe Rebirth #1 and the return of Wally West. Luthor discovered a discarded photograph showing Jon Osterman and his ex-girlfriend, Janey Slater (the same photo that factored so heavily into the plot of Watchmen). Luthor has spent the past two years collecting more copies of this photograph, each left behind as a telltale clue when Manhattan uses his powers to rewrite the timeline of the DC Universe.Try as he might, Manhattan can't leave his past behind. That may be the key to solving this crisis as Superman and Doctor Manhattan have their long-awaited showdown in issue #12.For more on the fate of the Watchmen universe, learn more about Doctor Manhattan's discovery of the DC Metaverse , and read everything we know about HBO's Watchmen series

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