Watchmen: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was just as shocked as you

Watchmen star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II discussed the show’s surprise twist and how he found out. Spoilers ahead!

HBO’s Watchmen has quickly become one of the best show’s on television. Each episode often leaves more questions than answers for fans but the latest gave fans a shocking revelation. The news was just as shocking to one of Watchmen‘s stars, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

Abdul-Mateen plays Calvin, husband to Regina King’s character Angela. Up until Sunday night’s episode, Cal was a loving, supportive stay-at-home dad. He is the character Abdul-Mateen envisioned when it took on the role.

But anyone familiar with Watchmen, both the original graphic novel and now the series, knows that things aren’t always what they seem. That is especially true for any project that involves Watchmen showrunner Damon Lindelof, the man behind The Leftovers and Lost. This is your final Watchmen spoilers warning.

We found out that Cal is much more than meets the eye. He is none other than Dr. Manhattan, the glowing blue god with the ability to save or destroy humanity. While there were a few hints along the way, the twist came as surprise to most Watchmen viewers.

On Tuesday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stopped by to discuss the show. He admitted that he had no idea he would be Dr. Manhattan when he signed on to Watchmen and had an unexpected reaction to hearing the news.

Jimmy Kimmel is a well-known fan of comic books and their on-screen adaptations. But he’s still a comedian and that may be why he focused so much on Dr. Manhattan’s nudity.  It is understandably hard to ignore. It sounds like the nudity was no more than a minor inconvenience for Abdul-Mateen in exchange for playing one of the most famous characters in comic book history. And for the trouble, he received a big compliment from Kimmel.

It is interesting to hear that Abdul-Mateen had no idea what he was getting himself into when he agreed to play Cal. Of course, Damon Lindelof and the others behind the series knew and took that into account when they decided to hire the Aquaman star.

Maybe it was Abdul-Mateen’s cool, calm, and collected response to the news that convinced Lindelof he made the right decision. Dr. Manhattan isn’t exactly the most expressive character from Watchmen so Abdul-Mateen was wise not to let his inner excitement get loose.

What did you think of Watchmen‘s big twist? Did you see it coming and what do you think of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Dr. Manhattan? Let us know in the comment section below and keep checking in with Last Night On for more from the world of late night television.