Dr. Manhattan Bio

Dr. Manhattan is a character from the Watchmen comic-book series.“God exists, and he’s American.” So declared one bystander, after a freak nuclear accident changed Jon Osterman into a seemingly-omnipotent being of pure energy.Of all the costumed crime-fighters featured in Watchmen, Dr. Manhattan is the only true “superhero” of the bunch, the only one with abilities actually beyond the grasp of ordinary humans. He’s pretty far beyond an ordinary human, though – his ability to manipulate matter and energy has made him the cornerstone of America’s strategic defense. He may not actually be able to counter the entire Soviet nuclear arsenal, but nobody’s ready to actually test his capabilities to the fullest.It’s hard to define the limits of what Dr. Manhattan can do. He can pass through solid matter, move objects around at will, instantaneously transport himself great distances, shape matter into any number of complex forms, and of course, direct immense amounts of sheer destructive energy. A better question might be, what can’t he do?All of this has left him both more and less than the man he used to be. His immense power, combined with an ability to perceive the past and the future all at once, has caused him to grow increasingly detached and unable to relate to the people around him – even his former lovers, Janey Slater and Laurie Juspeczyk.The mark on his forehead represents the hydrogen atom – a single electron orbiting a single proton. Appropriately enough, Alan Moore based Dr. Manhattan on Captain Atom, one of the Charlton Comics characters who later took up residence in the mainstream DC universe.