How do props create meaning and understanding in Watchmen?

Watchmen (2009) is a dark superhero film directed by Zack Snyder. It stars Jackie Earle Haley and Patrick Wilson.

This film has a number of props which are significant to the narrative and to the characters but one prop trumps the rest. The smiley face badge that The Comedian wears is arguably the most important prop in the whole movie.

This contextual prop is The Comedian’s possession and trademark as he is known to be a joker but this also can be viewed as ironic because the character is very dark and hid it behind jokes.

We see blood drip onto the badge indicating how The Comedian died while still lying that everything is “just a joke.” The blood stain implies how darkness can corrupt even the best of people and it obviously got to The Comedian in the end.

The small and seemingly insignificant badge is found on the pavement by Rorschach an acquaintance of Edward Blake (AKA the Comedian). This reflects the fact that his death may have been small and insignificant to the world but the Watchmen and all the people close to him this all pinpoints how awful and wrong his death was. All his colleagues focus on making him and this badge very important to the narrative of the film.

The badge is also seen as a variation of a belt during a scene which involves sexual assault. This can also reflect back to the point of irony within the image of the smiley face.