WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Watchmen Episode 8, "A God Walks Into Abar," which premiered Sunday on HBO.
The latest episode of Watchmen, "A God Walks Into Abar," was all about Doctor Manhattan, from the opening scene to its last. By revealing how the glowing blue god first met Angela Abar ten years ago, the series tied past events to the present-day. And while Manhattan simply originally sat down to have a beer with the woman he would eventually fall in love with, the audience learned a whole lot about the character in the process. Not only was it revealed Doctor Manhattan perceives time, but more was unearthed about his abilities, from him being able to take on the appearance of a regular human to creating life on Europa.
But that's not all. In this week's episode, while talking with Angela, Doctor Manhattan let it be known that one of his abilities was, theoretically, to give someone else his abilities. When he says it in the past, it's only a theory, given that it's not something he has ever attempted. But now that we know this is something the Doctor can do, the question has to be asked: did Doctor Manhattan create another all-powerful being?
When Angela and Doctor Manhattan are sitting at the bar in Vietnam, he reveals it is in his range of abilities to give the power he has to someone else. He explains so by manifesting an egg. According to him, he could alter this egg to make it so that, should someone ingest it, they would now have the same abilities he possesses. Now, Manhattan ends up drinking the egg himself, but it does seem like a massive thing to bring up only one episode before the season finale.
The idea that Doctor Manhattan can create others like him is rife with potential, and it's likely not something that was simply thrown around to be forgotten. It's especially important considering that this episode, and likely the finale, deal so heavily with the possible death of Doctor Manhattan. If Jon experiences all of time at once, then he may know the exact moment he dies. Therefore, he could ensure that part of him lives on in some other aspect. With all that in mind, it's entirely plausible that Doctor Manhattan intends to pass on his abilities in the finale or he already has and the vessel has yet to reveal themselves.
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Right now, there's no way to know for sure. But if there is one character that fits the bill for the next Doctor Manhattan, it's his and Angela's adopted son, Topher. "A God Walks Into Abar" was heavy on the theme of family, which helps in the theory that Manhattan could be passing his powers down to his son. What's more, Topher already showed he had a similar passion to his father when he was seen building a miniature (but highly intricate) castle.
Of course, it's just a theory for now, but it's possible that Doctor Manhattan is ensuring his powers live on in his son, not only to protect his mother and his sisters but to help make the world a better place.
Developed by Damon Lindelof, HBO's Watchmen stars Jeremy Irons, Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Jean Smart, Louis Gossett Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Tom Mison, James Wolk, Adelaide Clemens, Andrew Howard, Frances Fisher, Jacob Ming-Trent, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing, Lily Rose Smith and Adelynn Spoon. The series airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.