Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Watchmen season 1, episode 8
Following the big twist regarding the whereabouts of Dr. Manhattan, HBO’s Watchmen confirms the blue superhero possesses two previously unknown powers. At the end of Watchmen episode 7, “An Almost Religious Awe,” Detective Angela Abar (Regina King), also known as Sister Night, revealed that Doctor Manhattan has been living on Earth as her husband, disguised as the deceased human Cal Abar (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). This goes against the belief that Doctor Manhattan had been living on Mars since November 1985, which was frequently stated by various characters on the show, such as Laurie Blake, aka Silk Spectre. The episode 7 twist is followed by another shocking reveal in episode 8, “A God Walks Into Abar”: that Manhattan has two additional powers, never seen before.
Doctor Manhattan may be the most powerful superhero ever. Doctor Manhattan, previously known as Jon Osterman, received his powers during a scientific accident involving an intrinsic field subtractor. Osterman became a blue, glowing god-like being with the ability to manipulate matter at an atomic level, and adopted the moniker Doctor Manhattan. Manhattan can transport himself nearly anywhere in the universe, and he experiences the past, present, and future simultaneously. Simply put, Doctor Manhattan does not experience time as a regular human.
In “A God Walks Into Abar,” two new powers are confirmed by Doctor Manhattan. The first and most obvious power is that Doctor Manhattan can hide in plain sight by turning into other people. “A God Walks Into Abar” highlights the love story between Angela and Doctor Manhattan that dates back to their first meeting in Vietnam, 2009. Because he wanted to live a normal life with Angela, Doctor Manhattan suggests that he lives in a normal human body. After much deliberation, Angela chooses Cal, who had previously died from an accident and has no next of kin. Adrian Veidt, formerly known as Ozymandias, provides Manhattan with a device that could erase his memory; without the knowledge of his powers, Manhattan would not be able to use them. So Doctor Manhattan takes on the form of Cal, then buries the device in his head, erasing his memories. Angela tells him that he is Cal Abar, and that he suffered amnesia after a car accident. They then move to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to start a new life.
While talking with Angela at the bar, Doctor Manhattan also revealed another previously-unknown ability: that he can transfer his powers to another person. Doctor Manhattan uses an egg to explain how it’s possible. If Doctor Manhattan manipulates an egg to include his powers and someone ingests it, then that person could have the same abilities as Doctor Manhattan. However, Doctor Manhattan drinks the egg because he tells Angela that he would “never pass his powers to someone without their consent.”
With Doctor Manhattan’s ability to transfer powers to someone else, this begs the question: did Doctor Manhattan pass on his powers before the end of episode 8? Despite Angela’s last-ditch efforts to alter the future, Doctor Manhattan is captured by the Seventh Kavalry via a tachyonic cannon strike. However, moments before this happened, Doctor Manhattan recalled having visited Angela’s grandfather, Will Reeves, aka Hooded Justice (Louis Gosssett, Jr.), in New York ten years prior; because he experiences the past, present, and future simultaneously, Manhattan was able to relay information from Angela in the present to Will in the past. Doctor Manhattan mentioned forming an alliance with Reeves before creating a time paradox between Angela and Will. Is it possible that Doctor Manhattan passed his powers to Will before being captured? For now, this remains a theory that will hopefully be answered in Sunday’s season finale of Watchmen.
Next: Watchmen Episode 8’s Secret Post-Credits Scene Explained
Watchmen’s season 1 finale airs Sunday, December 15 @ 9pm on HBO.
