Rorschach (aka Walter Joseph Kovacs) is one of the most complex characters in the comic book universe, in terms of his personality, motivations, and relationships. Rorschach is the protagonist of Alan Moore's graphic novel, Watchmen. In relation to personality, his is immensely deep and complex, which defines him as a round character. He has many talents, of which include being an expert in acrobatics, espionage, advanced hand-to-hand combat, interrogation (mostly involving the breaking of appendages and/or maiming of suspects), intimidation, investigation, journalism, unwavering willpower, and Rorschach is also a tactically brilliant genius. But with all of these talents, comes the fact that Rorschach is a sociopath who seems to have Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD), and in fact matches up with 6/7 of the visible "symptoms":
The only one he doesn't "match up" with:
But probably one of the most important elements of Rorschach/Walter Kovacs, is that he's a tragic hero. His tragic flaw is his unwillingness to compromise in any and all situations, which ultimately leads to his irreversible mistake/tragic death, when he feels he needs to tell the world of Adrian Veldt's plan, but Dr. Manhattan knows this can't happen, and due to Rorschach's unwillingness to compromise, makes Dr. Manhattan kill him (which also shows how he honorably accepts his death). To go through all of what Rorschach has gone through, only to be killed by the one rule he held sacred is not only ironic, but further shows how he is a tragic hero, as this evokes pathos from the audience.
Overall, the entire character of Rorschach/Walter Kovacs is one of the most complex in the comic book universe, as his storyline is both intriguing, twisted, and comprised of many layers.
- Excessive sensitivity to setbacks and rebuffs.
- Tendency to bear grudges persistently.
- Suspiciousness and a pervasive tendency to distort experience by misconstruing neutral or friendly actions as hostile or contemptuous.
- A combative and tenacious sense of personal rights out of keeping with the actual situation.
- Tendency to experience excessive self-importance, manifest in a persistent self-referential attitude.
- Preoccupation with unsubstantiated conspiratorial explanations of events both immediate and in the world at large.
The only one he doesn't "match up" with:
- Recurrent suspicions, without justification, regarding sexual fidelity of spouse or sexual partner.
But probably one of the most important elements of Rorschach/Walter Kovacs, is that he's a tragic hero. His tragic flaw is his unwillingness to compromise in any and all situations, which ultimately leads to his irreversible mistake/tragic death, when he feels he needs to tell the world of Adrian Veldt's plan, but Dr. Manhattan knows this can't happen, and due to Rorschach's unwillingness to compromise, makes Dr. Manhattan kill him (which also shows how he honorably accepts his death). To go through all of what Rorschach has gone through, only to be killed by the one rule he held sacred is not only ironic, but further shows how he is a tragic hero, as this evokes pathos from the audience.
Overall, the entire character of Rorschach/Walter Kovacs is one of the most complex in the comic book universe, as his storyline is both intriguing, twisted, and comprised of many layers.