In the climax of the film, the Watchmen, a group of retired superheroes, come together to stop Adrian Veidt, also known as Ozymandias (played by Matthew Goode), from carrying out his plan to prevent nuclear war by orchestrating a catastrophic event that will unite humanity against a common enemy.
As the Watchmen uncover Veidt’s plan, they are faced with a moral dilemma: should they stop him and risk unleashing even greater destruction, or should they allow him to proceed in the hope of preventing nuclear annihilation?
In a dramatic showdown, the Watchmen confront Veidt at his Antarctic fortress, where he has engineered a fake alien attack on New York City using a giant genetically engineered squid. The attack results in the deaths of millions of people, but Veidt argues that it is a necessary sacrifice to save humanity from itself.
As tensions escalate and the truth is revealed, the Watchmen are forced to confront their own beliefs and ideals. Some, like Rorschach (played by Jackie Earle Haley), refuse to compromise their principles and vow to expose Veidt’s actions to the world, even if it means sacrificing their own lives.
In the end, Rorschach confronts Veidt and refuses to stay silent about his crimes, forcing Dr. Manhattan (played by Billy Crudup) to intervene and kill him to prevent him from jeopardizing Veidt’s plan. With Rorschach’s death, Veidt’s secret remains safe, and the world is left to believe that the alien attack was real.
The film ends with Dr. Manhattan and Silk Spectre (played by Malin Åkerman) departing for parts unknown, leaving the fate of humanity uncertain. Despite Veidt’s actions, the Watchmen are left to grapple with the moral ambiguity of their choices and the consequences of their actions, unsure if they have truly saved the world or merely postponed its destruction.
Overall, the ending of “Watchmen” is a thought-provoking and morally complex conclusion that challenges the notion of heroism and explores the consequences of extreme measures taken in the name of peace.