What’s the Symbolism behind Doctor Manhattan?
Doctor Manhattan
Everyone is subconsciously intrigued by Doctor Manhattan because of his outlook on humanity and life as a whole. His poetic speech and “Christ like” personality draw him apart from the other Watchmen Characters. I never read comic books as a child and I saw the film without knowing the plot but immediately I became intrigued by the story and the psychological views of the characters.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with who Dr. Manhattan is I will give you a brief description, he is one of the flawed “superheroes” from the twelve issue comic book limited series “Watchmen” created by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons and John Higgins.
Watchmen 2009
Dr. Manhattan’s true name is Jon Osterman, Jon meaning “Gift of God” and Osterman, Oster meaning “one who was baptized or born during Easter” to Germans as well as “Sharp” or “Sharp-minded” to the Polish. Therefore he was a “Christ-like, sharp-minded man” (notice the details in his crucified body language).
Jon Osterman’s father was a watchmaker and in the film Jon was being taught how to break apart and re-build a watch, training him to be a “watch man” so to speak, however, following the destruction of Hiroshima by an atom bomb, the elder Osterman decided that his son’s future depended upon his success in the new “atomic age”. Jon attended Princeton University, graduating ten years later with a Ph.D in atomic physics.
Transformation
While working at a nuclear research center, Jon was accidentally locked into a test chamber two minutes before midnight, trapping him in an “Intrinsic Field Subtractor” in 1959. Looking down at his watch, the time became 12AM and the transformation happened, turning him into a blue-skinned super-powered being and he became a contracted superhero by the United States government, with the special name, “Doctor Manhattan”. In the film he described this moment being, “The last time he felt fear.” He was no longer human, rather a soul and a spiritual being. He is the only character in the story who possesses real superpowers. He can transport on Earth and into the Universe, He can increase in size and number and he is a clairvoyant psychic.
Now Allow Me to Delve into the Symbolism
Color: The Color Blue represents truth, wisdom, heaven, eternity, devotion, tranquility, loyalty and openness. Doctor Manhattan represented everything the color blue depicts. His calm demeanor and God-like expressions through body language and speech reflected this.
Bulletin Atomic Scientists Cover
Midnight: The number 12 denotes spiritual strength and divine perfection. In my translation to the symbol on his forehead represented the time being midnight. In mythology, symbols and folklore midday and midnight are temporal turning points that have special significance. “You know, Cinderella will turn back into a peasant and her luxurious horse and carriage will turn into fruit.” The esoteric perception of midnight is the time when the spiritual (in contrast to the physical) sun stands at the zenith, midnight therefore, is associated with contemplation, initiation, spiritual knowledge and insight. More interesting is the correlation with the Nuclear War, the main fear in the plot of the Watchmen film. According to the book, “Nuclear Fear: A History of Images” by Spencer Wert, There was the “Clock of Doom”, this clock was featured on the cover of every issue of the “Bulletin Atomic Scientists”. The clock was first appeared in 1947 set as seven minutes to midnight and the editors put it forward to two minutes before midnight in 1953 when the hydrogen bombs arrived. The clock of doom image, ignoring what would happen after the clock struck twelve, had a clear symbolism: Nuclear midnight meant the end of time. For any of you who have saw the film notice how he represented the nuclear bomb, at least that’s what everyone thought. Hope this helps and gave you a better understanding on our mystery man Doctor Manhattan, the Christ Like, Self Sacrificing, Peaceful, Introspective Super Hero.
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About Lyric
Meaghan Lyric Perez is an inspirational disciple of the universe. A poet, film addict, production assistant, humanitarian and songwriter, she personifies a freedom loving attitude towards everyone she encounters. She is currently learning the ins and outs of astrology, tarot, and film production and is inviting you to explore the inspirational world of her interests, experiences and conversations in daily life.
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After reading this I can say I am more intrigued by watchmen. It was not one of my top priorites to go see it, but it seems interesting besides I enjoy comic book movies, but this one seemed strange. But I like how you break down the symbolism of the color blue ( truth, wisdom,devotion…) and the significance of midnight (Cinderella). What does flawed super heros mean, should I just watch the movie?
It means they’re not like the perfect batman and spiderman “With great responsibility comes great sacrifice” They posses great strength but are still human beings none the less. It’s dope, check it out. The film cost 180 Million Dollars to make and went into production hell, meaning they had to get a new crew because some directors and people had a difficult time making it happen.
Good stuff young Jedi.
The force is strong with you.
XOXO!!!!
Wow. Very niiiice.
i am so happy with the Watchmen,, and that thy would show a male nude and who cares that thy show the doctors penis thy show a woman nude front and back , so why not show a man front and back i hope they’ll make more movies with men nude and all this crying about kids see nude people in the movies thy see mom and dad nude and thy see them selves in the nude.. but all and all this movie was grate.
Just thought I would ad that the symbol on his head is a hydrogen atom. Nice interpretations here though.
Thanks for commenting. Perhaps it’s a combination of both symbols. I saw the atom and it doesn’t look the same to me. I would love to ask the illustrator. Get back to me if you can confirm it.
a hydrogen atom has one electron in the electron cloud which is what you see on the outer circle. You might be able to find a good example on google. They might also show two other dots in the center representing the neutron and proton in the nucleus to but a general depiction could be what you see as dr manhattans symbol. But I would also agree of your interpritation of it symbolyzing midnight. Think about it. Atomic science and midnight are two important characteristics of dr Manhatten.
You would have to add the ‘all-seeing eye’ to that list of symbols. Representing his unity with time past, present, and future. The eye of God in sense.
Not a clock at midnight, but a simple hidrogen atom representation, after being asked to create a symbol that would identify him, and rejecting the common atomic energy symbol. Anyway nice
took me forever to figure out what the symbol on his head was. When I saw him I instantly thought of tool’s lateralus album. The clock seems like an open third eye. He also reminds me of the man at the end of Parabola and I believe it has to do with the chakras and Kabbahla. He was by far my favorite character and there should be a whole movie dedicated to him
i just asked a friend of mine why shiva was depicted as a blue deity 2 days ago. today i find myself by ‘chance’ on your site. i too was very intrigued by dr. manhattan’s character and i could relate to him the most in the film. thanks for sharing your insight. it was truly pleasant.
enjoy!
Thank you for giving insight into Dr. Manhattan .. He is my favorite Watchmen, and although I never read the comic book…I was hooked by the movie. Please visit my blog and read the review I posted in March and then you can read the article I posted on creating gods in April. Nice meeting you.
The symbol on his head is supposed to be an atom. I’ve been a fan for a long time, and that’s what it always has been in the comics. It could have some dual symbology, but you can’t rule out the fact that it is an atom and supposed to be an atom as well.
I’ve read the Watchmen comic and seen the flim. The symbol on Dr Manhattan’s forehead is a drawing of the hydrogen symbol. Although never explained in the flim, the comic does explain the symbol. After his transformation, some thought he should have a costume, so part of his costume was a ‘helmet’ like cover for his head. On the front of this helmet was the generic symbol everyone knows about atoms which is a nucleus surrounded by three electrons. Dr Manhattan thought that, that symbol didn’t represent power enough. So instead Dr Manhattan chose the hydrogen symbol, and marked his own forehead.
How come dr.manhattan is flawed hero? Why do u say that?