University of Panels

20: Dr. Manhattan

(Jon Osterman)

 

Out of all the characters in WATCHMEN, Dr. Manhattan is the only one to possess actual superpowers. A former nuclear physicist, Jon Osterman was caught in a lab accident that completely atomized him. believed dead, Jon later revived himself as the god-like being known as Dr. Manhattan, the first genuine superhero in the WATCHMEN universe (considering all of the others were just guys in costumes). Because of his near-infinite power, the U.S. government utilized him as a last resort weapon in the arms race against the Soviet Union (in this continuity, America won the war in Vietnam because Dr. Manhattan was deployed to the battlefield).

 

One of the aspects that always fascinated me about WATCHMEN is how it gives an idea of what superheroes would be like in the real world. They wouldn't be colorful figures like Superman, but would be flawed individuals feared by the public, and would be possibly outlawed unless they worked for the government. Despite Manhattan possessing superpowers, his character still fits into the reality created by the story as he represents what a superpowered being would act like in our world. Because of his god-like power, Dr. Manhattan has become detatched from the rest humanity. He has forgotten what it's like to be human, as evidenced by him viewing human emotions and accomplishments insignificcant in the overall design of the universe, and has forgoten basic elements of everyday life (he is always walking around naked as if he were paying homage to classic greek statues). The doctor's behavior helps convey an image of how an individual with a vast amount of power forgets the basic elements of being human that we often take for granted.