Watchmen claims Dr. Manhattan might be the most powerful character in existence but godlike heroes and villains from Marvel and DC say otherwise.

Dr. Manhattan was the only person with actual superpowers and the most powerful being in Watchmen created by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and John Higgins. Since the original Watchmen series, DC Comics expanded the world with story arcs like "The Button" and miniseries like Doomsday Clock by Geoff Johns, Gary Frank, and Brad Anderson that brought Manhattan and Watchmen characters into the mainstream DC universe.

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Jon Osterman was a nuclear physicist caught in a radioactive particle test that turned him into an omniscient godlike being. He has nearly unlimited powers including cosmic awareness and matter manipulation. However, he has one major weakness: he cannot feel or understand humanity. There are beings from both DC and Marvel Comics, smart and powerful, who can beat Dr. Manhattan.

Updated on September 24, 2022 by Cole Kennedy: How strong is Dr. Manhattan? He was easily the strongest person in the Watchmen universe, but since DC Comics brought Manhattan into their main comic book continuity, fans can easily compare Manhattan to other DC heroes. Marvel Comics also houses some powerful cosmic beings potentially as strong as Dr. Manhattan.

Since he is now in the DC universe, Dr. Manhattan is an overpowered being in a world full of superpowered people. While Manhattan has the powers of a god––as he has shown in Doomsday Clock––the difference is that the Spectre is actually a god.

The Spectre is the vengeance of God, which is one of the most powerful beings in DC Comics. He is who God sends when he seeks anyone who has crossed him. Dr. Manhattan's frequent manipulation of reality could garner the wrath of God. The Spectre can manipulate reality like Manhattan and the two would try to blink each other out of existence.

Before DC Universe: Rebirth, Dr. Manhattan likely wouldn't hold a candle to Galactus. The biggest argument in favor of Manhattan in this fight is that he took out Pandora, a cosmic entity in DC Comics, so he could theoretically do the same with Galactus.

However, Galactus can wipe out multiple star systems if he is hungry enough. Galactus was also created from the destruction of the universe and Manhattan was created in a lab accident, so there is much more energy flowing through the Eater of Worlds. Galactus can manipulate reality and molecules and could possibly absorb Manhattan's energy. He may not be able to completely eliminate Manhattan, but he could beat him in a fight.

Dr. Manhattan can become godlike, a transcendent being that can see into the past, present and future. Molecule Man is a mutated human, but he can control all energy and matter and is the most dangerous threat on Earth who even rivaled a multiversal being like The Beyonder.

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There was a retcon for Molecule Man that depowered him somewhat and could make this a closer fight. With that said, the most recent version of Molecule Man is almost as strong as the Living Tribunal. Molecule Man, with the right focus, can do everything Manhattan can. They would throw no punches, but all reality would certainly feel the effects of their showdown.

Manhattan manipulates particles, molecules and more to shape them how he chooses. However, Darkseid warps reality with the Omega Beams. While Manhattan can transform things using the laws of physics, Darkseid transcends those laws.

In Doomsday Clock, Manhattan feared that Superman would destroy him. If Superman, in the main DC Comics continuity, possessed this power, than surely Darkseid, in his strongest form, would be powerful enough to destroy Dr. Manhattan, especially with the forces of Apokolips at his heels.

Comparing Dr. Manhattan's power to the Dark Phoenix's is like comparing two nuclear bombs and wondering which one is stronger. While Manhattan recently proved that he could remake entire worlds at a whim in DC's Rebirth era, Phoenix can create new worlds and destroy them all when they served their purpose.

Phoenix is pure life force and the entire sum of psionic energy in all existence. Because this is the Dark Phoenix––a corrupted being who believes all life is expendable––could wipe out the entire universe instantly, including Dr. Manhattan.

When it comes to the DC Comics universe, many readers consider Superman to be the strongest hero. As a matter of fact, the only thing holding Superman back from conquering the entire world is his morality, as the Injustice comic book series showed. Add on 15,000 years under the power-enhancing yellow sun and Superman Prime One Million is born.

In the Doomsday Clock storyline, Dr. Manhattan is unsure about his recent actions as he has seen a future where a battle between himself and Superman could result in the end of everything. If Dr. Manhattan is worried about Rebirth Superman, he would be terrified of Superman Prime from DC One Million.

Dr. Manhattan changed everything in DC Rebirth. However, he isn't the only being to manipulate the DC universe. Flash and Reverse Flash created the New 52 after Flashpoint, and before that, the Anti-Monitor threatened the entire DC multiverse in Crisis on Infinite Earths. With antimatter energy, the Anti-Monitor reset DC Comics.

Who would win a fight between Dr. Manhattan and the Anti-Monitor? For one thing, Anti-Monitor has reality warping power, which would likely hinder a lot of what Manhattan is capable of. The Anti-Monitor, with his antimatter cannon up and running, could destroy the multiverse and everyone in it, including Dr. Manhattan.

Dr. Manhattan has powers that basically make him a god. However, Odin is a god and therefore is at a level that some have only assumed that Manhattan has reached. When it comes to Odin, he has all the powers of Norse Gods. However, his biggest power-up comes in the form of the Odinforce, which makes Odin one of the most powerful beings in existence.

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At one time, Odin battled Seth, the brother of Osiris, and their battle shattered entire galaxies and even reignited dying suns. With this Odinforce, and weapons available in Asgard, Odin is a powerful, imposing physical fighter who could stand against Dr. Manhatan's nuclear powers.

Dr. Manhattan's powers are based in science. What happens when Jon battles someone with magical powers? Manhattan proved to have the ability to deal with magical beings as he was able to manipulate things and help cause the imprisonment of Mr. Mxyzptlk using Jor-El, but Doctor Fate is a different story.

Doctor Fate can inhabit the astral form and Manhattan has no powers to deal with that. Can magic harm Dr. Manhattan the same way it can Superman? Much about Manhattan's potential vulnerability to magic is unknown, but a powerful magic user like Doctor Fate could easily test Manhattan's limits.

While Doctor Fate is the master sorcerer from DC Comics, the equivalent at Marvel is Doctor Strange. He is the Sorcerer Supreme and has taken on beings of immense power like Ghost Rider, Mephisto, and Dormammu. Even The Beyonder admitted that Strange might even be more powerful than someone like the Molecule Man.

Strange is the master of all magic. Strange can manipulate time and space like Dr. Manhattan. While Jon achieves these manipulations through science, Stephen manipulates the universe through magical means. Manhattan needs to learn more about magic to stand a chance against Strange.

Dr. Manhattan's biggest downfall is a mental uncertainty that often gets in the way of his potential. In Watchmen, Ozymandias manipulated and coerced him to do what he needed. Manhattan's lack of humanity is a weakness that Charles Xavier, one of the most powerful telepaths in the Marvel universe, could easily exploit.

House of X presented a Charles Xavier willing to do whatever it took to save mutantkind. Professor X completely shut down Magneto's mind and forced the Dark Phoenix back deep into Jean Grey's subconscious. He could shut down Manhattan quickly as long as Jon didn't see it coming.

Assuming that Thanos has the possession of the Infinity Gauntlet, he could theoretically defeat Dr. Manhattan. Manhattan has a weakness to tachyons, and the Infinity Gauntlet offers access to similar faster-than-light particles that hypothetically exist outside the laws of physics.

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Both men are personally responsible when they lose. In the Infinity Gauntlet comic, Thanos only lost because he did not believe he was worthy of the gauntlet's powers. In Watchmen, Dr. Manhattan lost because he was convinced that Ozymandias was right. If Manhattan believed losing was the right thing and Thanos believed that winning was what was needed, the Mad Titan could achieve that victory.

If Thanos could defeat Dr. Manhattan, then Adam Warlock could as well since Warlock brought down the Mad Titan in the Infinity Gauntlet comic event. Adam Warlock is all about the soul, and Dr. Manhattan's weakness might be tied into his soul, or lack thereof.

Warlock once said that it is not the power or the strength of a person that matters in a battle with him; it is the soul that is the Achilles for a person. Dr. Manhattan is one of the most overpowered beings in the universe, so he should be able to beat just about anyone. However, Adam is the most powerful being the Soul Stone ever bonded with.

When The Beyonder has full power, he could easily beat Dr. Manhattan. Everything that Beyonder proved he could accomplish––including destroying all multiverses––supersedes what Dr. Manhattan had even accomplished in DC's Rebirth.

Dr. Manhattan's powers are based on the laws of physics. As Beyonder proved time and time again, he is not held back by anything concerning physics. Even the Molecule Man––who was the closest equal of to Beyonder––was unable to fully defeat him, so there is little chance that Dr. Manhattan could hold a candle to him either. Perhaps the two godlike beings could solve their feud with a "contest of champions" or "secret war."

Most readers believe that Dr. Manhattan is basically immortal, although there is nothing in the comics themselves that prove that one way or the other. However, as Marvel Comics has shown, Sentry is not only immortal but also has unlimited power.

Sentry gains powers whenever he needs them and powers up when facing stronger opponents. Like Dr. Manhattan, Sentry originally valued life and fought with optimism. Unfortunately, the Void, an evil, corrupting entity, tainted Sentry's mind. Sentry, when fully unleashed, is nearly unstoppable. Even the combined might of the Avengers and Dark Avengers barely defeated him.

Dr. Manhattan versus Captain Atom is both surreal and a little meta. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons created Manhattan based on the Captain Atom character from the Charlton Comics Golden Age era. Much like Manhattan, Atom was created in an atomic experiment.

Moore and Gibbons wanted to take the ideas that Charlton Comics used for Captain Atom and push them even further with Dr. Manhattan. If Captain Atom is truly an alternate universe version of Manhattan, then the limits of his power could match Manhattan's. If Captain Atom absorbed enough of Manhattan's own energy, he could rival his power.

Dr. Manhattan's limits have never truly been tested, but Marvel's Living Tribunal would certainly test his power like no other. The Living Tribunal is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel multiverse. His presence alone is potentially terrifying.

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When it comes to their place in the universe, Dr. Manhattan may be one of the most powerful beings on Earth, but the Living Tribunal is one of the most powerful in existence. In Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos encountered the Living Tribunal and estimated that he is on par with Eternity itself. Dr. Manhattan is powerful, but even he can't stand up to the sum power of the Marvel multiverse.

When it comes to the Marvel universe, the one character closest in comparison to Dr. Manhattan is the Silver Surfer. While Manhattan got his powers in a lab accident, Surfer was given the Power Cosmic from Galactus. The two men have very similar powers. Manhattan and Surfer have changed foundational aspects of their respective universes.

Their battle could destroy solar systems. However, the Power Cosmic is not limited to the law of physics, which is where Manhattan's powers reside. While Manhattan can see the future, Surfer can manipulate every molecule around him and that could give him the advantage in this fight.

Batman can beat anyone if given enough time to prepare. The Caped Crusader needs that prep time to become as strong as the godlike characters he fights alongside. However, if there is one reason that Batman can beat Dr. Manhattan, it is because he is a brilliant strategist who exploits weaknesses.

Dr. Manhattan is conflicted. Batman is one of the most intelligent heroes on the planet. With enough research and preparation, he shouldn't need to throw a punch. Batman just needs to discover that Adrian Veidt used tachyons to block Manhattan's abilities then use those to his advantage.

Squirrel Girl is unbeatable. This is how Marvel Comics' Steve Ditko created her. She has the most ridiculous powers imaginable but the one unspoken power that she possesses is the ability to never lose a fight. Seriously, Squirrel Girl beat some of the most powerful Marvel villains.

Like most of her battles, Squirrel Girl will likely defeat Dr. Manhattan off-panel with no narrative explanation as to how she accomplished such a feat. Doreen Green earned the nickname "Unbeatable Squirrel Girl." Despite Dr. Manhattan's godlike powers, she'll find a way to live up to her nickname once again.

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Shawn S. Lealos is a freelance writer who received his Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma with a minor in Film Studies. He has worked as a journalist for 25 years, starting in newspapers and magazines before moving to online media as the world changed. Shawn is a former member of the Society of Professional Journalists and a current voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He has work published on websites like The Huffington Post, Yahoo Movies, Chud, Renegade Cinema, and 411mania. Shawn is also a published author, with a non-fiction book about the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers and has begun work on a new fiction series as well. Visit Shawn Lealos' website to learn more about his novel writing and follow him on Twitter @sslealos.

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