In this Golden Age of superhero movies, the impossible has become reality – from ensemble showdowns like Captain America: Civil War to genre-blending successes like Logan, it’s clear this sub-industry has truly come into its own. And yet, for all its achievements, the modern age of superhero movies also produced a blockbuster adaptation of the single most celebrated comic book series of all time – Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen – early on in its cycle. But unlike the superhero movies it preceded, Watchmen didn’t strike a chord with audiences or critics, despite sticking to the source material as much as possible. So… what happened? How did the Watchmen film fail? 9 years after its release, it’s time to get some answers.