Silk Spectre

This article is about the second person to use the name Silk Spectre, Laurie Juspeczyk. For the first Silk Spectre, see Sally Jupiter.

Origin

The daughter of the original Silk Spectre and, unbeknownst to her, the Comedian, Laurie Juspecyzk was raised from a young age to carry on her mother’s legacy. At 16, feeling stifled by her mother’s rules and unsavoury legacy, she ran away to San Francisco with her boyfriend. Returning to her mother sometime later, she was invited to join the Crimebusters, where she met Dr Manhattan, with whom she soon became romantically involved. Retiring as Silk Spectre following the Keene Act of 1977, she moved in with Dr Manhattan and was kept by the government to ensure that Manhattan remained happy and compliant.

Creation

Laurie Juspeczyk was created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. She made her first appearance in Watchmen #1. She has no direct inspiration, but is partially based on Nightshade, Black Canary, and Phantom Lady.

Major Story Arcs

Watchmen

She and Dr Manhattan are approached by Rorschach following the death of the Comedian. He attempts to warn them of a potential mask killer, but she angrily demands he leave, and Manhattan teleports him away. Angered by Manhattan’s aloofness, she contacts and meets up with Dan Dreiberg, the former Nite Owl. The pair reminisce about super-heroics, and later fight a gang that attacks them. Following Dr Manhattan’s self-exile to Mars, she is kicked out of her government accommodations, and offered a place to stay by Dreiberg. The pair soon put on their costumes to rescue people from a burning building, and, exhilarated in the aftermath, begin a physical relationship. She reluctantly agrees to his plan to break the recently-arrested Rorschach out of prison. They succeed, and return to Dreiberg’s house, where Dr Manhattan suddenly appears and teleports her to Mars. There, they discuss the value of human life, and Laurie discovers that the Comedian, whom she has long hated for his attempted rape of her mother, was in fact her father. This successfully convinces Manhattan to return them to Earth, and she is teleported to Antarctica where Nite Owl and Rorschach are having their climactic confrontation with Adrian Veidt, who has been manipulating events to cause a catastrophe in order to save the world from itself. She shoots Veidt, but he manages to catch the bullet and defeat her. Veidt is able to convince her and the other assembled heroes, save Rorschach, that his plan should be allowed to proceed unhindered. In the aftermath, Juspeczyk and Dreiberg, presumed dead in the explosion in New York, take on new identities as a married couple. She visits her mother to make peace, and she and Dreiberg leave to resume their masked adventures.

Before Watchmen

Running away from home, Juspeczyk moves to San Francisco with her boyfriend. The pair move in with a group of artists, and Juspeczyk begins to engage in vigilante activities. She becomes involved in investigating a drug ring that is pushing a mind-controlling version of LSD on unsuspecting hippies. Her boyfriend is poisoned by this drug during a party, and she attacks the vendor, Gurustein, and threatens his boss, the Chairman, to put an end to their plan. Unbeknownst to her, her boyfriend is forced by the Comedian to join the Army, and her home is attacked by minions of Chairman. She confronts the Chairman, who nearly beats her until she kicks him, embedding her boot heel in his throat. He stumbles into the street and is hit by a bus, killing him. Unable to remain in San Francisco, she returns home to her mother. They move together to New York, where she establishes herself as a hero and meets Dr Manhattan.

Alternate Versions

Watchmensch

Silk Spectre, referred to as Silk Taker, appears as one of the main characters in this parody comic.

Powers and Abilities

Laurie Juspeczyk has no known superhuman powers or abilities. A highly-trained athlete and acrobat, she is very skilled in unarmed combat.

Character Profile

• Height: 5’11”
• Weight: 160 lbs
• Eye Color: Brown
• Hair Color: Brown
• Citizenship: American
• Place of Birth: California
• Marital Status: Single
• Occupation: Adventurer
• Known Relatives: Sally Jupiter (mother), Edward Blake (father), Sally Dreiberg(daughter), Clark Osterman (Adoptive Son)

Other Media

Film

Watchmen: The Motion Comic

Juspeczyk appears as a main character in this motion comic adaptation of the book. She is voiced by Tom Stechschulte

Watchmen

Juspeczyk appears as a main character in this feature film adaptation, for which her costume was altered. She is portrayed by Malin Åkerman.