He was a sick and pitiless murderer, a rabid dog with a deadly bite, and for anyone in my profession, Kovacs is Exhibit A in the argument that “costumed adventurers” are a terrible idea. 
Rorschach (real name Walter Kovacs) was a violent vigilante who, after disappearing and being presumed dead, would inspire a white supremacist group in Tulsa, Oklahoma called the Seventh Kavalry, as well as several others searching for a voice.
History
Rorschach, previously a costumed vigilante before the Keene Act of 1977 made costumed crime-fighting illegal, was captured by the authorities on October 21, 1985, after having murdered Edgar Jacobi. Rorschach was subsequently interviewed by Dr. Malcolm Long, who determined that Kovacs had dissociative identity disorder.
Rorschach was freed from police custody by Nite Owl and Silk Spectre.
Rorschach was last seen alive on November 1, 1985, and his disappearance was not heavily investigated due to the destruction of New York City by an alternate-dimensional squid the following day. However, his journal was discovered in the aftermath, which incriminated Adrian Veidt. Rorschach's writings were published by the far-right newspaper New Frontiersman, where it was dismissed as lunacy by mostly everyone except for conspiracy theorists. Adrian Veidt himself described the supposed evidence as "fake news". According to Petey, Rorschach had become a conservative/libertarian icon. He was later presumed dead by the government.[1]
Years later, in the 21st century, a docu-series was created called American Hero Story in which the first season focused on Rorschach's public history.[2] According to Agent Petey, the docu-series was an example of liberal media smearing Rorschach's legacy as being shameful to ever support.
However, a faction of Rorschach's believers who were members of the white supremacist group Cyclops, emboldened by his violent anti-establishment message, would figuratively and literally mask Cyclops under the new moniker of the Seventh Kavalry in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[3]
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
Other Characteristics
- Mental Disorder: According to Malcolm Long's findings, Walter Kovacs had disassociative identity disorder, leading to his vigilantism.
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Notes
- This version of the character is exclusive to the continuity of the television series Watchmen and is an adaptation of Rorschach. The original character was created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons and first appeared in Watchmen #1.
- Actor Trey Butler was credited as "Rorschach" in the series finale See How They Fly, though this is just a misnomer, as Butler only played a nameless Rorschach-masked member of the Seventh Kavalry.
- Though Walter Kovacs wouldn't appear onscreen throughout the run of the television series, he was mentioned as early as its first episode It's Summer and We're Running Out of Ice. More information about Rorschach's backstory would also be mentioned in documents on the auxiliary website Peteypedia. However, Kovacs made his first official appearance in Rorschach #1, which was stated to take place within canon of the television series by the comic's creator Tom King. [5]
Recommended Reading
Related
- 2 Appearances of Walter Kovacs (Watchmen TV Series)
- 10 Images featuring Walter Kovacs (Watchmen TV Series)
- Quotations by or about Walter Kovacs (Watchmen TV Series)
- Character Gallery: Walter Kovacs (Watchmen TV Series)
Footnotes