Fans of Alan Moore’s ground-breaking Watchmen or the HBO limited series that continued his story know that Doctor Manhattan is one of the most powerful comic book characters ever created. In a world of crime fighters, he is the only true superhero and is godlike in his abilities. MCU fans will likely see similarities with that universe’s most important villain, Thanos.
Interestingly, Doctor Manhattan and Thanos share a lot of similarities in their powers. Both are beings who are capable of incredible things. But when comparing these two heavyweights of the superhero world, which one is the most powerful of all?
10 Doctor Manhattan: View Of Time
The Time Stone allows Thanos to manipulate time as he wishes, even reversing it to allow him to defeat the heroes. However, he does not see time in the same way that Doctor Manhattan does. For Manhattan, the past, the present, and the future all happen simultaneously. He sees it all laid out before him at once.
It is a very intriguing element of the character as he experiences everything in his life at the same time. However, it also allows him to bend the future to his will. He is able to see where things are heading and directs them in a certain way, so he is basically creating the future himself.
9 Thanos: Infinity Gauntlet
Thanos is a pretty powerful being on his own. He is intimidating and fearsome, but it is when he gets his hands on the Infinity Gauntlet and the Infinity Stones that his real power is shown. And each stone gives him a new level of power.
While Doctor Manhattan’s powers are certainly great, they do not offer the scope of Thanos and his Infinity Gauntlet. With that one gloved hand, Thanos is able to warp reality, manipulate time, and unleash incredible power — and that’s just for starters.
8 Doctor Manhattan: Constant Power
When Thanos has a full Infinity Gauntlet, he could pose a real threat to even someone like Doctor Manhattan. But for Thanos, that level of power relies on the stone and the gauntlet; without them, he is much more vulnerable.
Doctor Manhattan, on the other hand, has those godlike abilities at all times. He does not need to collect stones and he does not lose his power when the gauntlet is removed. His power is consistent with very few vulnerabilities.
7 Thanos: Motivated
Though Doctor Manhattan was once human, he lost most of that humanity when he got his powers. He might be one of the most powerful beings in the universe, but he isn’t really motivated to use his powers as he doesn’t care about anything.
For Thanos, part of what makes him so intimidating is his drive and determination. He sees himself as the only person who can save the universe, therefore, he will stop at nothing to ensure his mission is fulfilled.
6 Doctor Manhattan: Teleportation
The Space Stone gives Thanos the ability to open portals which he can then use to travel to distant parts of the galaxy. It is certainly a handy trick as he carries out his mission across the universe, but Doctor Manhattan is slightly more impressive with his teleportation skills.
Once again, Thanos’ powers are only activated by the Infinity Gauntlet whereas Doctor Manhattan can teleport to Mars just by thinking it. Not only that, but he can also teleport other people and other objects.
5 Thanos: A Fighter
It is incredibly difficult to take down both of these characters, but they were both eventually defeated. In Thanos’ case, it took every hero in the Marvel universe to come together and attack him with everything they had. For Doctor Manhattan, he was abducted by a gang of racist thugs who figured out a way to suppress his powers.
That is the difference between these two characters. Doctor Manhattan loses his powers and can do nothing. But even without the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos is a fighter who will not stop until he is killed.
4 Doctor Manhattan: Grow In Size
In the alternate universe of Watchmen, Doctor Manhattan was used by the United States to win the war in Vietnam. If it wasn’t intimidating enough for the army to have a godlike superhero on their side, we also see images of a massive Doctor Manhattan wiping out of Vietcong forces.
His ability to change his size so that he can be a giant is just one more advantage he has over his enemies. With all that the Infinity Stones can do, Thanos was never able to become a giant.
3 Thanos: Followers
While Doctor Manhattan was briefly a member of the so-called Minutemen, a group of crime-fighting vigilantes, he never really had a strong following of those who believed in him. His lack of humanity made it difficult for others to passionately join his side.
Meanwhile, as crazy as Thanos’ plan was to save the universe, he managed to recruit an entire army to his cause. He is a true leader who inspires those around him to put their lives on the line for his mission.
2 Doctor Manhattan: Transfer Power
The HBO series Watchmen proved that, despite all of his power, Doctor Manhattan could still be killed. Lady Trieu finds a way to suppress his powers and actually steal them for herself. However, in his death, a new level of Doctor Manhattan’s powers are revealed.
Not only is he able to create literal life as he does on Europa, but he can also transfer his powers to someone else. The series ends with the hint that, despite being dead, Doctor Manhattan will partially live on through Angela.
1 Thanos: He Wins
One of the biggest twists in the MCU came in Avengers: Infinity War when Thanos snapped his fingers and wiped out half of all life in the universe. It is very rare for a comic book movie to end with the villain actually succeeding in doing what they set out to do.
Thanos’ victory was a testament to his power. Despite all the heroes coming against him, he managed to push them aside on his quest to fulfill his mission.
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