When it comes to being a part of a movie adaptation of a revered piece of work, "Watchmen" star Patrick Wilson knows the territory all too well. As Raoul in the big-screen telling of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic stage musical "The Phantom of the Opera," Wilson starred opposite Gerard Butler in the title role as the curtain was raised for possible fan scrutiny.

But this time around as crime fighter Nite Owl II, Wilson is the one who gets to wear the mask -- and he's confident that "Watchmen" will save fans of the graphic novel from their fears that they'll be disappointed with director Zack Snyder's film.

"I'm never really a pessimist, so I think the majority of them will like it," Wilson said in an @ The Movies interview Thursday. "I say that not out of any ego but more out of being a part of the movie that Zack set out to make. He's such of a faithful fan of the graphic novel and I became sort of obsessed with doing as spot-on of a job as I could in all my research and preparation of the role."

But Wilson knew that Snyder was only one of "Watchmen's" monolithic fan base. And while Wilson honors fans' opinions, he also knows that the best thing to do for a role in a film of this scope is to concentrate on the factors that he can control.

"Anytime you deal with something that is so well loved, I try to go the opposite way and say, 'OK, I'm going to concentrate on what I can concentrate on, which is my work,'" Wilson said. "I try to do that as honestly as I can when creating the character and I think we did it with the film as a whole."

Slideshow: 'Watchmen' Yellow Carpet Premiere

Set in an alternative version of 1985, "Watchmen" finds Richard M. Nixon still serving as president and the U.S. on the brink of a doomsday nuclear showdown with the Soviet Union. With the Doomsday Clock ticking at five minutes to midnight, the country is in chaos -- a much different scene than when a group known as the Watchmen donned their masks to fight crime before they were outlawed by the government.

But when one of the former Watchmen dies under mysterious circumstances, the group's vigilante figure Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) attempts to draw his fellow crime-fighters -- Nite Owl, Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman), Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) and Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) -- out of retirement to investigate the murder, which may be tied into the Doomsday Clock ticking ever so close to midnight.

"Watchmen" moviegoers may find that Wilson's Nite Owl and alter-ego Dan Dreiberg bear similarities to another DC superhero in Batman and Bruce Wayne. They both have capes and cowls, and cool gadgets and forms of transport; and like Bruce, Dan comes from a wealthy family.

However, when it comes to the psyche of Nite Owl and Batman, Wilson said that the characters are decidedly different. In fact, Wilson observed, another one of the Watchmen takes on the mindset, resulting in a unique combination of two characters.

"In the basic sense of having the gadgets building his own vehicle and having the suit, the similarities to Batman are completely intentional," Wilson said. "Dan is certainly more Clark Kent than Bruce Wayne, and truthfully, I feel that Nite Owl and Rorschach are both in a weird way are versions of Batman. I can certainly see Nite Owl's similarities to Batman, but that's more aesthetic than anything. But the flip side -- the much darker side that Batman has -- is really more like Rorschach."

"It's interesting that they're partners because in a weird way I think Nite Owl and Rorschach mirror each other, which is why they can work together," Wilson added.

The Full Nite Owl

Wilson's vast experience as an actor also extends to Broadway, where he recently completed a run in "All My Sons" and starred in such musicals as "Oklahoma!" "Bright Lights, Big City" and "The Full Monty."

Of course, with the latter production and roles on film and television, Wilson is no stranger to stripping down. And with "Watchmen," he has perhaps three of the more unique nude scenes in recent film history. (Wilson doesn't do the full Monty, though -- he leaves that instead to the bare and blue Dr. Manhattan.)

"I never like to do nude scenes, but whether it was 'Angels in America' or 'Little Children,' I didn't mind because it felt supported by the material," Wilson said. "'Watchmen' is no exception. There were some really definitive panels for Dan that represented the corner of his character."

The first scene comes after Dan has a failed sexual encounter, as Dan retreats to his cellar and stands bare in front of his Nite Owl suit hanging in the closet. Contemplating a return to his crime-fighting ways, it's a revealing moment for the character, Wilson said.

"You don't want to take on a role like Dan and not want to do that scene because that is as important as it gets," Wilson said. "His whole identity is wearing the suit so you have to work in opposites. The complete opposite of wearing the suit is not wearing anything. You have to surrender your vanity at the door because that's what this movie is all about -- stripping away at layers."

Naturally, it's the complexity of Nite Owl and his fellow Watchmen that got Wilson, 35, so excited to do the movie. True, the film is stunning from a visual effects standpoint, but it's the opportunity to delve into a character and thought-provoking scenarios that supplied the actor the best of both worlds where a film can be entertaining yet full of substance.

"Rarely do you get that real combination of a film where you can sit back and enjoy the ride, and then go home and think, 'Wow, that was something different than I expected,'" Wilson said. "It's a tough thing to achieve."