Two of the most overpowered superheroes in the history of the DC Universe, Doctor Manhattan, and Captain Atom might have comparable strength, but their individual sets of superpowers are vastly different. If they ever went up against each other, it would be a very close fight, with some incredible abilities on show.
Both Captain Atom and Doctor Manhattan have so many superpowers that a DC Comics fan would be forgiven to forget some of them. Even though they wouldn't trade their skills for anything else, it would be wrong to say that both of them wouldn't want some powers from each other. Here is a look at what one can do individually that the other can't.
10 Captain Atom: Quantum Field Manipulation
Captain Atom's skin is practically tied to the Quantum Field. This allows Captain Atom to yield the unlimited dormant Quantum Energy. He can even absorb it to get back to his best when he isn't feeling good. The energy is so gigantic that Captain Atom can use it for any means possible, depending upon his imagining and skill. While Doctor Manhattan himself can manipulate energy, he doesn't have the reserves of Captain Atom.
9 Doctor Manhattan: Disintegration
Doctor Manhattan has such a brilliant control on all kinds of energy that he can use his powers to disintegrate a human being on the spot. That is such a scary superpower to come up against, although it wouldn't work against immensely strong beings. Captain Atom can manipulate molecules to their core and yet, he doesn't have any ability like this. It's so hard for celestial beings to put Doctor Manhattan on the back foot, let alone superhumans.
8 Captain Atom: Immune To Magic
Captain Atom is above everything that the physical world offers. He lives in the Quantum world and due to his unique powers, he is immune to magic. No one should try any psychic attack against him because it just wouldn't work.
Moreover, spell craft or even dark magic doesn't work on him, even though he does have a physical form. Due to his anti-magic traits, it is very difficult to pinpoint a weakness in him for his opponents to target.
7 Doctor Manhattan: Telekinesis
Telekinesis is a superpower that Doctor Manhattan uses a lot. He doesn't like to get himself dirty by involving himself physically when he can simply manipulate objects using his mind. Again, telekinetic abilities are useful against lesser supervillains and not against god-like beings. Nevertheless, Captain Atom wouldn't mind adding telekinesis to his list of abilities, although he would use them very sporadically due to his better superpowers.
6 Captain Atom: Matter Generation
Captain Atom can do all kinds of matter manipulation, quite similar to Doctor Manhattan, but the difference here is that Captain Atom can also create matter just like he can energy. He can pluck out matter from thin air. This ability becomes so much better due to Captain Atom's other matter manipulation skills, like playing with it at the most basic level. Being able to create matter is no mean feat, especially for someone who once was a simple human.
5 Doctor Manhattan: Size Alteration
Doctor Manhattan's physical form disappeared as soon as he came out of that experiment and due to that, any appearance that he has is due to his own energy. If he wants to look like a normal human being, he would look like one but if he would want to look like the Hulk, he can easily switch it up. Size alteration is a superpower that many celestial beings have at their disposal but unfortunately, Captain Atom isn't one of them.
4 Captain Atom: Atomic Manipulation
It is in his name: Captain Atom can manipulate an atom to the smallest detail. He can do atomic transmutation, which means he can alter the basic atomic structure of almost everything. Once, he turned Green Arrow's quivers into butterflies like it was no big deal.
This is such a brilliant superpower to have as it not only defies physics, but it can also be used to neutralize many of his enemies' attacks. The good thing is that Captain Atom can use it instinctively.
3 Doctor Manhattan: Time Travel
Captain Atom has the means to go into the Quantum Field and thus, he can manipulate time to some extent— but he cannot do it with precision. Doctor Manhattan, on the other hand, sees time as a linear quantity. He can see the future, past, and present, all at the same time, and all he needs to do is just go whenever and wherever he likes to. Doctor Manhattan doesn't mind breaking the rules of physics, either, unlike the Spectre who has to act with responsibility.
2 Captain Atom: Body/Armor
Captain Atom's skin went through a drastic change after the experiment on him. His skin or metallic shell is made out of an alien species. It has given his body some distinct abilities of altering the state of his skin from partially metallic to totally metallic. This not only gives him a very unique trait against his enemies, but it also makes him invulnerable to most superhero attacks. This diluted armor is something that is central to Captain Atom's abilities.
1 Doctor Manhattan: Telepathy
Doctor Manhattan hasn't ever had to train his mind because his physical form doesn't exist but that doesn't mean he takes his telepathic skills for granted. He uses them quite diligently, in fact, Doctor Manhattan uses them first before going to his other superpowers. He can connect to everyone, telepathically, in the DC Universe. For all his brilliant superpowers, Captain Atom would love to have some psionic abilities starting with Telepathy.