Doctor Manhattan vs. Superman: Who Would Win a DC Fight?

The world of DC has some of the most ridiculously strong characters we have ever seen in fiction due to how most of them are actually unimaginably strong. Often seen in the popular Watchmen comics, Doctor Manhattan is supremely powerful and is actually a god in almost every aspect of the word. On the other hand, Superman has always been the poster boy of DC when it comes to characters that are incredibly strong. So, in a fight between Doctor Manhattan and Superman, which DC character would win?

Doctor Manhattan would win in a fight against Superman. There is no doubt that Doctor Manhattan is a lot more powerful than Superman and will defeat him with little to no effort whatsoever. That’s because Doctor Manhattan is powerful enough to threaten an entire universe, and that kind of power is far beyond what Superman is capable of.

It might be true that Superman has been and will always be one of the most popular characters when it comes to the world of DC powerhouses. However, he simply doesn’t hold a candle to Doctor Manhattan, as only a few DC characters are actually powerful enough to stand a chance against this godlike being. So, with that said, let’s look at this battle in greater detail for you to understand why Superman doesn’t stand a chance.

Strength

Doctor Manhattan’s powers basically lie in his ability to manipulate molecules, regardless of whether or not they are his or another person’s. He is powerful enough to change his molecular structure at will, and that means that he could make himself stronger than anyone when he wants to be. As such, he has shown crazy levels of strength by hurling entire tanks and even lifting entire planetary structures with little to no effort whatsoever.

Superman has always been the poster boy when it comes to some of the strongest characters in the world of DC. He is powerful enough to lift entire mountains and even push a planet out of its orbit. This allows him to overpower a lot of different powerhouses in the DC universe, as Superman’s strength has always been his main asset. And Superman only becomes stronger the more he gets exposed to yellow sunlight.

No matter how strong superman is, Doctor Manhattan can always become stronger than him due to the fact that he is capable of manipulating his entire molecular structure. This is why Superman, despite the fact that he is known as a powerhouse, pales in comparison to Doctor Manhattan in terms of strength.

Dr. Manhattan 1, Superman 0

Powers and Abilities

Doctor Manhattan’s powers are cosmic in relation when you look at the fact that his ability to control molecules extends toward an entire universe. Yes, Doctor Manhattan is powerful enough to basically alter the entire universe as he was able to take away ten years from an entire DC universe and altered the lives of the characters involved. He is even capable of killing a person with a mere thought due to the fact that he can dissemble their molecules without any effort whatsoever.

Superman is often seen as a brute but he is also capable of a lot of different things that allow him to excel in a fight. On top of his superhuman abilities and strength, Superman is capable of flight and has enhanced senses. But the one thing that he often uses in fights is his heat vision, which is strong enough to penetrate through the defenses of some of the most powerful DC characters. Other than that, Superman also has freeze breath.

The thing about Superman’s powers and abilities is that they are very useful in a fight. But when compared to the sheer godlike abilities of someone like Doctor Manhattan, there is no doubt that Superman is basically an ant.

Dr. Manhattan 2, Superman 0

Durability

It is the very fact that Doctor Manhattan has complete control over his molecular structure that makes him an incredibly durable character that is nigh-invulnerable. That means that it is almost impossible to hurt or even kill him as he can alter his molecules at will to make himself as durable as he needs to be. He can even recreate himself by using his scattered molecules. Simply put, he is almost impossible to hurt or kill as it is possible that only a stronger force can kill him.

There is a good reason why Superman is called the Man of Steel he has a body that resembles steel due to how hard and invulnerable it is to damage. He can withstand attacks that would normally injure or kill a lesser being, as Superman is invulnerable to conventional weapons. Aside from magic and Kryptonite, the only things that could damage Superman are attacks from beings that are just as strong or stronger than him. However, attacks from weaker entities are unable to damage him.

Yes, superman is the Man of Steel and is capable of withstanding almost any attack. But Doctor Manhattan can walk on the surface of the sun without getting damaged. As such, he is no doubt nearly impossible to hurt or kill.

Dr. Manhattan 3, Superman 0

Intelligence

As mentioned, Doctor Manhattan’s powers are nearly godlike as he is nigh-omnipotent. This nigh-omnipotence extends to his intelligence as he is nigh-omniscient. That means that he can see the past, present, and future all at once and also has cosmic awareness, as he can see the things that other versions of himself from other universes are able to see. He was even able to merge all of his consciousness into one. And even before he transformed into Doctor Manhattan, he was already a genius-level human being.

While Superman is often seen as a powerhouse brute, he is actually quite intelligent because Kryptonians are naturally more intelligent than human beings. As such, he can understand and comprehend things that human beings normally cannot understand. Of course, he isn’t as intelligent as someone like Batman in terms of his ability to come up with strategies but he is certainly a lot smarter than most humans, as he is several levels above humanity in terms of his intellectual capacity.

Superman may be quite intelligent but the fact is that he doesn’t have the nigh-omniscience and cosmic-level knowledge that Doctor Manhattan possesses. As such, Doctor Manhattan is light years ahead of Superman in terms of intelligence.

Dr. Manhattan 4, Superman 0

Fighting Skills

The thing about Doctor Manhattan is that, unlike some of the other superpowered beings of the DC universe, he doesn’t have any fighting abilities as he never had to undergo combat training. Before his transformation, he was a scientist, and that means that he is not like the other superheroes that already had basic combat training before they transformed or obtained their powers of course, due to the nature of his powers, Doctor Manhattan never had to develop or learn any fighting skills.

Superman may be a brute that likes to punch his way through things but he is actually a capable combatant that learned how to fight from the likes of Wonder Woman. That is why he is actually a trained fighter that knows a thing or two about basic combat. Of course, he isn’t as skilled as Wonder Woman or Batman, and that shows in the fact that he can get overpowered by a better fighter still, Superman is no slouch when it comes to his ability to fight.

This is the only area where Superman is superior to Doctor Manhattan as he is a trained fighter. On the other hand, Doctor Manhattan has zero fighting skills because he never needed to learn how to fight.

Dr. Manhattan 4, Superman 1