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Even then, its fitting for a comic that poised itself on political exploration and critique.
In many ways,Watchmenhas been building toward this revelation all season.
Lets start at the beginning.
The reveal of Will being Hooded Justice feels like something the show was carefully building toward.
When did this idea develop?From the outset, Damon knew he wanted Hooded Justice to be black.
We came into the room, day one, with that knowledge.
But on day one, Damon wanted Hooded Justice to be a black man.
My thinking about it was, in the 1930s, who would be seeking justice outside of a courtroom?
Cause a billionaire white guy can pretty much do what he wants.
I was thinking,Whos the kind of person that would want to be a superhero?
So, I came in with the idea that he was lynched by his fellow police officers.
The point-of-view shots in the episode are fascinating.
Were those shots written into the script?The point-of-view shot for the lynching was.
Its just an incredibly visceral, difficult moment.
But thats the most difficult scene Ive watched in a long time.
It is a very difficult scene to watch.
A similar question could be asked of the opening of the pilot,the Tulsa 21 Massacre.
Even as difficult as it is to see these things, we didnt want to pull any punches.
We wanted people to feel uncomfortable because you should feel uncomfortable.
What was important was that we werent casually using black trauma for entertainment value.
An important theme of this season, but particularly an important theme of this episode, is generational trauma.
Angela is a person who denies a lot of her emotions to make it put on this front.
We felt like Angela and her grandfather were sharing these same wounds.
The shows handling of familial legacies is fascinating, especially from a black American perspective.
I had to leave the show to go work onThe Good Place.
But I will say that episode seven offers Angela a softer perspective of who this man is.
Shes trying to piece together why he would do this.
And so, when she sees his trauma and understands his life, her perspective on him shifts.
Damon Lindelof said there were heated debates in the writers room.
What were the biggest arguments?The one that immediately leaps to mind is how reparations would be implemented.
We went back and forth about that for a couple days.
Would it be a lump-sum payment?
Would it be a cash payout?
I also remember that Damon was very wary about using the N-word.
We had a debate about that for a while.
We discussed it at length and I eventually convinced him.
To me, the lynching is like far, far more affecting and shocking and hurtful than the N-word.
I said, Lets be honest.
Lets not pull punches.
This is what these people would say.
Ryan Lipscomb is the writers assistant hes black.
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins was in the room hes black.
Janine Nabers was in the room shes black.
The room was half black and half women.
Damon did his due diligence and sought out voices of color and women.
Hes told me that this is the most diverse writers room that hes ever amassed.
He took it very seriously.
Damon also said that he sought out writers who were skeptical of the idea of Hooded Justice being black.
Were you skeptical of that idea?I was not.
I have to admit, I was not familiar with the comic book before I met Damon.
When I read it, I was immediately thrilled at the idea of having a black Hooded Justice.
It made me feel closer to the material.
Theres not a lot of people who look like us.
I have to ask aboutAmerican Hero Story: Minutemen.
We wanted it to feel cheesy.
They were getting it dead wrong the way that everybody else got it dead wrong.
The actual Hooded Justice is this 105-year-old black man in a wheelchair in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Theres also an interesting moment when Will reads Supermans origin story inAction Comics No.
The show aligns him with Superman, when his parents put him in the box leaving Greenwood.
How did you decide to include that?I must admit that Im not a comic book guy.
There was no way we couldnt includeAction ComicsNo.
Theres obviouslyAmerican Hero StoryandAction Comics.
That hes going to be able to eliminate this trauma that happened to him.
Thats when he realizes he needs to step outside of the uniform.
If hes going to get justice, its going to be extrajudicially.
He needs to abandon his trust in the law.
In the comic, Hooded Justice has Batman eyes, where his eyes fall flush perfectly with his mask.
it’s possible for you to see around his eyes that his skin is white.
Some people in the room thought that we would be pulling punches.
Lets get a dark-skinned actor, lets not play around.
The layers that hes wearing also suggest the layers that hes hiding, right?
Because not only is he black, hes also queer.
Hes wearing all these masks to block who he actually is from everybody in his life.
And so, it makes sense that underneath his one mask is another mask entirely.
Thats the real pain and agony that hes dealing with in that moment.
Can you talk more about the moment Wills son puts on the white makeup?
Why did that feel important to include?It goes back to what I was saying about generational trauma.
He carries that with him, as much as he tries to pretend that he hasnt.
We see what he does with that trauma and how he tries to get rid of it.
And then we see that his son is the next in the line to take on that trauma.
He realizes in that moment, I actually dont want you to experience this.
The way that Ive been living my life is a way that Im not proud of.
The thing is his anger, right?
I dont think hes gotten rid of all his demons.
But you should probably admit that youre angry so that deal with it.
June thought this might be able to exorcise some of his demons, but it fed them.
And one of the reasons is because the Minutemen dont give a damn about what he cares about.
June, in that moment, is seeing what he has become.
Hes added onto the trauma more so than hes been able to get rid of it.
That leads me to a question about Wills sexual relationship with Nelson Gardner, a.k.a.
That is a relationship we discussed at length in the room.
People were confused by it at first.
And its like, yes, of course.
Definitely.Theres a lot of misogynists who sleep with women, for example.
You dont have to love the person that youre having sex with.
Yeah, it does feel very true.
Thats exactly what theyd say about a black man.
Another important aspect of Wills life is his relationship with his wife.
And so, when he gets to New York, who would he seek out?
It made sense for him to seek her out.
Sam Battle was the first black NYPD officer.
Being able to work alongside this black officer was a really big deal for him.
It wouldve been nice to see another scene of them working together.
Hopefully, people might do some Googling and see that was a real guy.
Theyre both brilliant.The Good Placeis an incredibly complex show, but its one that doesnt really leave stones unturned.
It answers all the questions.
Damons exactly the opposite.
Damon is a man who likes a mystery, and he thinks that its okay if questions arent answered.
I want everything to be answered and I want to solve all the mysteries.
Thats what madeLostexciting for a lot of people.
