Your question is about the meaning of Dr. Manhattan's statement "In the end? Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends" in Watchmen by Alan Moore.
The statement means that what Adrian sees as the end of a problem is actually just an occurrence in time. It's not a grand finale—it's just another event Adrian doesn't yet know the effects of.
Adrian has faked an alien invasion and killed millions of people to do it, with the...
Your question is about the meaning of Dr. Manhattan's statement "In the end? Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends" in Watchmen by Alan Moore.
The statement means that what Adrian sees as the end of a problem is actually just an occurrence in time. It's not a grand finale—it's just another event Adrian doesn't yet know the effects of.
Adrian has faked an alien invasion and killed millions of people to do it, with the noble goal of ending the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union. After the plan is successful, he turns to Dr. Manhattan, who has a deep understanding of the universe and a different perception of time than humans. He asks for reassurance that he did the right thing.
It's possible that he did, from a utilitarian point of view. The end of the Cold War in the Watchmen universe signals the end of the upcoming nuclear armageddon. Adrian's plan has the potential to save more lives than it took.
But Dr. Manhattan can see beyond the current situation. He recognizes that time will continue and that Adrian's plan coming to fruition isn't actually the end of anything. It's possible that the plan will come to light and his work will be undone—that the millions of dead people will be for nothing. It's possible that earth will face another nuclear armageddon down the road for other reasons. It's possible the peace between the countries will fail.
Saying "In the end? Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends" is another way of saying that the world is still turning. Time is moving forward for humans. Nothing about the culmination of Adrian's work makes this the end or an end. Nothing is settled. Everything Adrian has done could crumble away to nothing, like the kingdom in the poem "Ozymandias," for which Adrian's hero alter ego is named.
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