Readers were first introduced to Doctor Manhattan in the classic Watchmen. Jon Osterman was a physicist who was in an accident that should have killed him, but he was able to recreate his molecular structure and become something akin to a god. He was the only superpowered person on his Earth, and would eventually move beyond it, becoming a huge factor in the history of the DC Multiverse. Manhattan is often considered the ultimate power, a being who can move back and forth through time and order events how he chooses, all while being able to do just about anything he can think of.
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Doctor Manhattan is one of the most powerful beings in comics, but he’s not unbeatable, Marvel and DC Comics both have characters who could conceivably defeat him. We see gods beaten all the time, so some of them could get the win, using their power and intelligence. These seven Marvel and DC characters could take out Doctor Manhattan, doing something that has often been thought impossible.
7) Enigma
The X-Men’s Krakoa Era started out amazing, but the ending wasn’t all that great. However, it did introduce readers to someone who could take down Doctor Manhattan. Enigma was Nathaniel Essex transformed into a Dominion, a godlike being outside of space and time. That last part is the reason he can beat Manhattan. The doctor wouldn’t be able to predict Enigma’s actions, and we’ve seen how that affects him. Their power levels are about the same, but Enigma can take centuries outside of time studying his opponent and figuring out how to beat him, and then return to the moment he left and enact his plan.
6) Prime Superman
DC One Million is underrated series, and it also introduced readers to the most powerful version of Superman. Prime Superman spent millennia in his Solar Fortress of Solitude, absorbing that energy. By the time he left the sun, he could basically do anything he wanted, including recreating Lois Lane and traveling through time. That’s Manhattan level power. We’ve already seen how Superman affects Manhattan; he doesn’t understand the hero, so he can’t predict him as well, even knowing the future like he does. This gives Prime Superman the advantage, and would allow him to defeat the deity.
5) Hulk
The Hulk is the strongest one there is, but he’s also so much more than that. The source of Hulk’s power isn’t actually gamma radiation, but the One Below All. He’s basically the living embodiment of entropy and has pulled off some next level feats. We’ve seen him punch through dimensions, for Pete’s sake. Manhattan wouldn’t be able to do anything against a being powered by the One Below All because it has nothing to do with science. Even if he exploded the Hulk, he would come back because he can’t die. He could conceivably get angry enough to survive anything Manhattan does to him, and can punch him into another dimension. That’s a win, folks.
4) God Emperor Doom
God Emperor Doom is the most powerful version of Doctor Doom. He gained his powers by stealing it from the Beyonders, taking his power level beyond anyone in the Marvel Multiverse. The Beyonders are more powerful than anything, it’s literally their schtick, and so is God Emperor Doom, which is why he would be able to defeat Doctor Manhattan. His powers are beyond anything that the doctor could do, and that would make all the difference.
3) The Beyonder
The Beyonder is the first of his people to come to the Marvel Multiverse from their home outside of it, He gathered the heroes and villains, made them a planet, and had them fight. Doom stole his powers, but the heroes got them back for him, and he’d eventually return, taking human form. Much like God Emperor Doom, the Beyonder’s power is beyond that of Doctor Manhattan. He’s seen and experienced things that Manhattan hasn’t and there’s a good chance that Manhattan’s unique view of time wouldn’t work for predicting himr. This would almost certainly be a rather easy fight for the One from Beyond.
2) Captain Adam 0f Earth-4
Grant Morrison’s The Multiversity remade the DC Multiverse in the New 52, with Earth-4 containing the Charlston characters, the ones that Watchmen was based on. Captain Allen Adam was that Earth’s version of Doctor Manhattan, and they have the exact same powers. However, Adam was trained as a soldier, meaning he knows about fighting and using his powers for violence better than Manhattan. This little fact would make all the difference in a battle between the two of them.
1) Thanos
Thanos is not as powerful as Doctor Manhattan, but he would still win. Thanos has been able to defeat godlike powers with his base power level many times. He got the Infinity Gauntlet by defeating the bearers of the Infinity Gems (they used to be called Gems and it was so much better than Stones) at their own games, outthinking them and taking advantage of their weaknesses. Thanos is all about being smarter and craftier than the gods he battles. He wouldn’t jump into a fight with Manhattan, he would study him and figure out a way to beat him, and then just do that. That’s how Thanos rolls; he isn’t just superlatively powerful, he’s also superlatively intelligent, and that’s why he wins.
Who do you think can beat Doctor Manhattan? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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