Doctor Manhattan

“

It's May 1971. I have ended the war in Vietnam. I watch Blake shoot a woman with child and do nothing. It's April, 1938. I use a man named Carver Colman to help me find balance in the metaverse. Sixteen years later, I watch his mother bludgeon him to death in his home and I do nothing. It's November 1st, 1985. Adrian kills millions to unite the world. On November 2nd, I allow Adrian to walk free. I am a being of inaction. On a collision course with a man of action. To this universe of hope, I have become the villain.

„

Summary

Jonathan Osterman was born to a watchmaker in 1929 and planned to follow in his father's footsteps, but after the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, his father urged him to pursue a career in nuclear physics, declaring his profession outdated. Osterman attended Princeton University and graduated with a Ph.D. in atomic physics, and in 1959 he was moved to Gila Flats, where he met his future lover Janey Slater.

In August 1959, Jon planned to return Janey's repaired watch and realized he had forgotten it in his lab coat, which was left inside one of the test chambers for the intrinsic field experiments. While he was inside the test chamber, the door closed and automatically locked itself. Jon spent his last moments as a human in fear, as he was torn apart and vaporized until nothing remained. In the next few months, Jon's consciousness began to progressively attempt to retake material form, until finally on November 22, Jon regained full material form, taking the appearance of a tall, hairless, naked, blue-skinned man. He is later involved in Ozymandias' plot to commit genocide, and Manhattan lets Adrian go after realizing that he has indeed achieved world peace. He speaks with Adrian for the last time before departing his universe.

Afterwards, he observes Barry Allen attempting to undo the Flashpoint timeline, and interfered by erasing 10 years from the timeline, effectively creating the New 52 universe, and also prevented the JSA from existing. Eventually, Veidt and the second Rorschach attempt to re-establish contact with him as their world had returned back to its chaotic state. Veidt successfully summons Manhattan, who reveals that he came to Prime Earth because he saw a vision where he sees an enraged Superman punch him and saw nothing afterwards, believing Superman kills him or he ends everything. However, Superman tells Jon that maybe he can't see the future because he might have to give everything up to save his world and he can choose it. Inspired by his words, Jon decides to undo his alterations.

Jon's actions resulted in the JSA and Legion of Super-Heroes coming to Superman's rescue while also stopping the metahuman battle. Lois meanwhile is able to expose the truth of Firestorm's explosion because of Veidt. He then travels back to his world, to 1992, where Veidt's plan had been exposed and had led to a nuclear holocaust. He then travels back in time to stop the missiles, making all nuclear weapons on Earth disappear before taking away Mime and Marionette's son, realizing that he himself was the reason why he couldn't figure out the child's future completely. He raises him as his own and names him "Clark" in honor of Superman, and tells him to find Daniel and Laurie Dreiberg, transferring what remains of his powers to Clark so he would become a true hero for their Earth before he himself ceased to exist.

Powers and Stats

Tier: Unknown physically. 1-A, likely High 1-A with powers

Name: Doctor Jonathan Osterman, Doctor Manhattan

Origin: Watchmen (DC Comics)

Gender: Male

Classification: Former nuclear physicist, Former member of the Crimebusters.

Age: 30 by the time of his accident.

Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Self-Sustenance (Types 1, 2 and 3; Jon has no need for food, sleep or oxygen), Immortality (Types 1 and 3; Jon no longer ages and can regenerate from any injury), Nigh-Omniscience, Cosmic Awareness (Jon possesses an understanding of the workings of the universe on a cosmic scale), Flight, Reality Warping (Is far superior to Mister Mxyzptlk's powers), Existence Erasure (Ended everything, which Manhattan foresaw that he would do), Precognition (Jon is able to look into the future, having seen a month, year, century and millennium into it), Matter Manipulation (Macro-Quantum level), Deconstruction (This is Jon's main method of attacking), Time Manipulation (Returned the Metaverse to how it was before his interference and removed 10 years from the universes' timeline, creating the New 52), Time Travel (Travelled back in time and saved Jor-El right before Krypton's destruction), Acausality (Types 1 and 3; Experiences first-hand the reboots in DC Continuity and yet he remains unaffected, and additionally, Jon exists in every timeline simultaneously), Duplication (Can duplicate himself via bio-fission), Dimensional Travel (Travelled from his universe to Earth Prime), Elemental Manipulation (Created a ring of blue fire, produced an oxygen field for Laurie, created water, and commonly produces electricity with his actions), Enhanced Senses (Can read atoms, sense tachyons, knew Adrian didn't have cancer with a glance and heard a heartbeat from Marionette's womb), Transmutation (Blake claimed he could have turned the gun into steam, the bullets into mercury, or the bottle into snowflakes), Alternate Future Display (Viewed a timeline where Jon was never vaporized and had a long happy life with Janey Slater), Size Manipulation (Can control his size), Telekinesis (Can disassemble objects with his thoughts and levitated his fortress), Intangibility, Surface Scaling and Water Walking (Walks on water and walls and phases through them), possibly Creation (Jon states he might create human life), Forcefield Creation (Created a forcefield to shield Laurie), Attack Reflection (Made the Shazam family's lightning backfire on them), Regeneration (High; regenerated from nothing in a matter of moments.), Light Manipulation and Illusion Creation (By shifting the light color frequency around him, he can make himself look different to others), Life Manipulation and Plant Manipulation (Made plants grow), Power Bestowal (Transferred his powers to Clark Dreiberg and imbued the Mobius Chair with a portion of his powers), Telepathy (Showed Firestorm this in his head), Teleportation and BFR (Sent an entire crowd away and sent protestors home), Spatial Manipulation (Jon's teleportation works by moving space), Information Analysis (Instantly analyzed and learned magic after being attacked with it), Magic (Used magic against the JLA), Absorption (Absorbed energy from a Green Lantern ring and absorbed magical attacks from the Justice League Dark), Energy Manipulation (Wally West stated that Jon was full of Connective Energy, which is essentially a form of positive cosmic energy, opposite in nature to the negative Crisis energy wielded by beings like Perpetua)

Attack Potency: Unknown physically (His physical form is weak, however, due to lack of physical feats, we don't know how weak he is). Outerverse level, likely High Outerverse level with powers (The Justice League with some of his powers stalemated Perpetua in a clash which burned out the Sun with Lex Luthor saying Wonder Woman would have won if she hadn't hesitated)

Speed: At least Massively FTL+, possibly Immeasurable (Several JLA members, including Barry Allen, were unable to react in time to his attacks)

Lifting Strength: At least Stellar, possibly Immeasurable (Physically restrained members of the JLA including Hal Jordan)

Striking Strength: Unknown

Durability: Solar System level (A serious Guy Gardner (Green Lantern) managed to break his neck and kill him. However, moments later, he returned from death and tanked attacks from multiple Green Lanterns, Supergirl, Big Barda, and more)

Stamina: Infinite, Jon does not require rest.

Range: Outerversal, likely High Outerversal

Standard Equipment: None notable

Intelligence: Nigh-Omniscient (Jon perceives time in a non-linear fashion, meaning that he sees the past, present, and future simultaneously. Likewise, he can grant others with this "atemporal" vision. While originally limited to only his perception of time, Jon later learned to view the timelines of others, as well as possible timelines that never happened. He was able to see the entire timeline of the metaverse when reconstructing the changes he made to it. Processes information far faster than any ordinary human and is able to perceive events so infinitesimal that they practically don't exist)

Weaknesses: He is apathetic towards human life; however, he changes after Superman inspires him in Doomsday Clock. Tachyons are capable of blocking his precognition

Notable Attacks/Techniques:

• Nigh-Omniscience: Jon perceives time in a non-linear fashion. This means that he sees the past, present, and future simultaneously. Likewise, he can grant others with this "atemporal" vision. While originally limited to only his perception of time, Jon later learned to view the timelines of others, as well as possible timelines that never happened. He was able to see the entire timeline of the metaverse when reconstructing the changes he made to it. However, this power can be blocked by tachyons, restricting him to only the present as the only facet of time that he can see and actively experience, blocking his atemporal vision from probing far enough to perceive the future.
• Cosmic Awareness: Jon possesses an understanding of the workings of the universe on a cosmic scale, and has the ability to oversee other universes as he wishes.
• Precognition: Due to his ability to see the past, present, and future simultaneously, Jon is able to look into the future of his own timeline, or any timeline he wishes.
• Retrocognition: Due to his ability to see the past, present, and future simultaneously, Jon can see past timelines that were erased or altered.
• Time Travel: Due to his ability to view the timestream from a third-person perspective, Jon is capable of travelling throughout the timeline at will. He can also pull others through time along with him. By altering the outcomes of certain events while travelling throughout time, Jon can create new timelines that splinter reality in both past and future.
• Bio-Fission: Jon is able to split and replicate himself. He is capable of dividing his quantum consciousness among other separate physical forms resembling his physical appearance.
• Bio-Fusion: Likewise with his Bio-Fission ability, Jon can bring his sentient copies back into his body without any adverse side effects.
• Dimensional Travel: Jonathan is able to travel to other realities at will. He was capable of travelling from his universe to Prime Earth.
• Electrokinesis: Jon can generate sparks of electrical energy from his body, as well as from the objects he telekinetically levitates. He was also able to cause the Shazam Family's lightning to backfire against them.
• Elemental Control: Jon is capable of manipulating elements at will. He was capable of creating an oxygen aura around Laurie Juspeczyk when he brought her to Mars. He was also able to instantly create water.
• Enhanced Intellect: Jon's mind is far more enhanced than that of a normal human. He has perceived events so tiny and so fast they can hardly be said to have occurred at all.
• Enhanced Senses: Jon's senses are far more acute than any normal human. He was able to sense the heartbeat of a child inside an unnoticeably pregnant woman.
• Enhanced Hearing
• Enhanced Vision: Jon states he is able to read atoms.
• Energy Construct Creation: Jon can create and manipulate various energies in a manner that creates matter from virtually nothing. It is unknown whether some of the creations he made were the manipulation of matter, molecules, or entirely quantum energy constructs.
• Energy Projection: Jon is able to manipulate multiple forms of energy with precision. His control over energy is so great that he was able to pull all of the energy out of Guy Gardner's Green Lantern Ring and manipulate it, although he stated he found it difficult to affect. Wally West stated that Jon was full of Connective Energy, which is essentially a form of positive cosmic energy, opposite in nature to the negative Crisis energy wielded by beings like Perpetua. Ozymandias stated that if the energy generated by Jon was synthesized, it would be able to solve all of the world's energy problems. Jon's energy is also powerful enough to create life, as displayed when he used his energy to accelerate evolution on an uninhabited planet.
• Flight: Manhattan is not restrained by basic physical laws and can levitate and fly at will.
• Force Field: Jon is capable of projecting powerful force-fields.
• Immortality: Never seeming to age, Jon never appears any older both physically and mentally after his accident. He stated that the world grew older around him.
• Intangibility: Bullets and blows travel through Jon; as such, he can allow all objects to pass through him without so much as a reaction. He can extend this ability to other people and objects. His intangibility coincides with his ability to phase through matter, allowing him to pass through solid substances without any considerable difficulty or loss of control. His intangibility has no specific emphasized drawbacks.
• Phasing: Jon is capable of phasing his body through solid matter.
• Invulnerability: Jon possesses incredible durability and is practically invulnerable to any physical harm. His durability has allowed him to walk across the sun unharmed.
• Magic: When attacked by Etrigan and Zatanna, Jon analyzed their magical energies and quickly learned to replicate their spells, creating a powerful magic sigil that projected a massive energy blast
• Eldritch Blast
• Molecular Reconstruction: Jon was able to restructure himself after the removal of his intrinsic field. Manhattan is not limited to using this reconstruction power only on himself. He has taken apart most inanimate objects and even taken apart human beings as well as reconstructing Martian sand into large glass structures. He was also able to instantly transform water into milk.
• Disintegration: Jon is capable of using his power to completely disintegrate human beings.
• Molecular Acceleration: Jon is able to use his power to accelerate the speed of molecules, causing massive explosions at will.
• Regeneration: Jon can regenerate his entire body from total disintegration (down to the sub-atomic level), endlessly, as long as his consciousness survives. He was also able to instantly recover from a snapped neck.
• Photokinesis: Jon can shift the color frequencies of the light around him in order to hide his true appearance and make himself appear as he wishes others to see him.
• Power Distribution: Jon was capable of transferring his power to Clark Dreiberg. He was also able to imbue a portion of his power into the Mobius Chair.
• Radiation Production: Jon's body emits some level of ultraviolet radiation.
• Thermokinesis: When Jon restructured his body, he produced great amounts of heat from his body's ultraviolet radiation. It was great enough to give nearby people sunburns.
• Reality Alteration: Jon can create new universes with even the most casual act, as well as destroy them. He was able to merge multiple timelines that he had created into one. After the events of Flashpoint, when Barry Allen attempted to revert his universe back to normal, Jon interfered with this process by erasing ten years from that would-be, reverted universe, creating Prime Earth as a side-effect.
• Self-Sustenance: Jon doesn't require food, sleep, or oxygen to survive.
• Size Alteration: Able to grow or shrink incredibly fast without a seeming limit. He displayed great abilities and focus while at these sizes without a loss of control in any fashion.
• Superhuman Strength: While in microscopic size, superhuman heights or in a seemingly normal form, he displayed great physical strength such as hurling tanks, lifting planetary structures, and heaving delicate technological equipment about.
• Telekinesis: Jon is capable of manipulating the movement of objects with his mind. He could also use this ability to cause a person's head to forcefully explode.
• Telepathy: Jon is able to telepathically invade the minds of others, as displayed when he forcibly showed Ronnie Raymond a vision of the past.
• Teleportation: By warping space around him, Jon can teleport himself and others at will. Jon had teleported huge and small objects, people and animals alike.

Notes:

• Do not scale Doctor Manhattan above Perpetua from her fight against the Doctor Manhattan-powered Justice League. The Justice League were harnessing all Connective Energies present in the multiverse at this moment. Additionally, the Batman Who Laughs with the body of a Bruce Wayne variant having powers similar to Doctor Manhattan was not powerful enough to usurp Perpetua and required Crisis Energy to do so.
• For information about the cosmological scaling that informs the tiering, please refer to the DC Comics Cosmology page.

Gallery

Notable Matchups

Victories:

Losses:

Inconclusive:

Discussions

Discussion threads involving Doctor Manhattan