Watchmen Theory: The Mysterious Lube Man Is [SPOILER]

One theory could explain Watchmen‘s “Lube Man”. The peculiar vigilante was introduced in episode 4 “If You Don’t Like My Story, Write Your Own,” and has since become a subject of fascination for many. Lube Man is just one of several mysteries HBO’s Watchmen TV series has yet to tease out fully, but there may be clues to Lube Man’s true nature – and motivations – in the episode.

Lube Man is first seen seemingly spying on Sister Night, who is disposing of evidence tying her to a murder suspect – Will Reeves’ wheelchair. Sister Night chases down the mysterious figure, who escapes by squirting lubricant all over his body and sliding into the sewer. The sequence is a bizarre reminder that although masked crime-fighting has been outlawed in the world of Watchmen, there are always those willing to break the rules.

While Lube Man has yet to resurface on Watchmen, and his role in the larger plot is still unclear, the show has hinted at the figure’s true identity. The skin-tight suit reveals the character’s thin, gangly build, while its minimalist home-made appearance is a stark contrast to the elaborate and professional quality of Sister Night’s costume, or even that worn by the illegal vigilante from episode 3, Mr. Shadow. Lube Man’s awkward demeanor suggests he is unaccustomed to confrontation, and his motivation has something to do with gathering information. At this point in the series, there is one character who fits this description: Dale Petey.

Dale Petey is the young F.B.I. agent chosen by Laurie Blake to assist her investigation into the death of Judd Crawford. Petey is a mild-mannered academic specializing in masked vigilante history (he’s behind the many viral info dumps of what’s happened to the world since the Watchmen comic). He possesses the same build and body-language as Lube Man, and, as the plane ride scene in Watchmen episode 3 reveals, Petey regards Blake’s past as the Silk Spectre with a romanticism she does not share. It is very likely that Petey either already gathers intelligence using a home-made costumed designed for fleeing, or that he would be all-too-willing to do so if Blake, who he deeply admires, asked him to.

Halfway through the Watchmen episode, there is a scene between Blake and Sister Night that alludes to Petey’s role as Lube Man. Blake references her discovery of Reeves’ fingerprints in Sister Night’s car, and comments that Reeves likely used a wheelchair. After her statement, Petey squeezes through the partially opened office door, and whispers something into Blake’s ear. The implication of this mise-en-scene is that Blake knows that Sister Night disposed of Reeve’s wheelchair because Petey told her so.

While the truth has yet to be revealed, the most likely scenario is that Blake asked Petey to spy on Sister Night, and he did so as Lube Man.