The older I get, the more I relate to Doctor Manhattan. I’m not talking about being giant, blue, naked or omnipotent (I am only one of those things). I’m talking about the scene from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen where Doctor Manhattan decides to leave humanity behind and live a solitary life on Mars. Don’t get me wrong, I love people. However, there are times where the idea of leaving the world behind and going to Mars feels right.

Of course, Doctor Manhattan’s reasons are different from mine. But what exactly are those reasons, anyway? The conventional wisdom is that he was feeling more detached from humanity and he no longer saw a need to participate in it. However, after seeing Watchmen Chapter 1, I’ve begun looking at the scene in another way.

Watchmen has been retold in various formats, with each release giving us a new way of looking at DC’s classic story. Jon’s disastrous television interview has been seen in the original comic book, Zack Snyder’s 2009 live action movie and the newly released animated film. While each version retells the same event, there are subtle differences. The pacing and the acting change the rhythm of the scene, giving viewers another perspective on a moment they’ve known for decades.

As I watched Watchmen Chapter 1, the interview scene stood out. Perhaps because it’s an animated film, the scene felt faster than the way it was portrayed in the original comic. As a result, I found myself rethinking Doctor Manhattan’s departure to Mars. I began thinking about Jon’s character arc in a way I hadn’t in decades. This is one of the great things about DC’s animated adaptations.

If you’ve watched the film (or read the comic), then you know that Dr. Jon Osterman was an atomic physicist who was transformed into an omnipotent being known as Doctor Manhattan. For a time, Jon operated as a superhero, and eventually became a government-sanctioned operative after costumed vigilantes were outlawed.

Throughout Watchmen Chapter 1, we see Jon grow more detached from humanity. He throws himself into his scientific work and neglects his girlfriend, Laurie Juspeczyk. He appears emotionless and unconcerned about dire matters. With all of that in mind, it’s easy to write off Jon’s departure to Mars as the final rejection of his humanity. However, I think Jon’s decision to leave Earth was precisely because of his humanity. This was an emotional decision, not a calculated emotionless one.

Before leaving for Mars, Jon stops at a bar in Arizona. He goes to a bulletin board where he sees a photo of his human self alongside his ex-girlfriend Janey Slater. Jon took the photo and brought it with him to Mars. Does this sound like someone who is detached from his emotions?

With his powers, Doctor Manhattan could’ve replicated the photo, or used his perception of time to relive the memory. Instead, he went to a bar from his former life. Of all his worldly possessions, the photograph was the only thing Jon took with him. These are the actions of a man who is feeling nostalgic, wistful, human. They’re a far cry from the detached Doctor Manhattan we saw earlier in the story.

In fairness, it’s understandable that Janey is on Jon’s mind. During the interview, he learns that she has terminal cancer and is led to believe he’s responsible for it. It’s not that Jon was tired of humanity and their endless wars. He thought his presence on Earth had given numerous people cancer, including his former girlfriend. Jon’s leaving Earth because he doesn't want the same thing to happen to Laurie or anyone else. Whether he admits or is conscious of it, he’s trying to protect them. Being tired of humanity may also be part of the equation, but it’s a pretense.

It’s remarkable, but perhaps also very human, that even with Jon’s phenomenal cosmic powers, he was afraid. Facing criminals is one thing, but human emotion and confrontation is never something he mastered. Since becoming Doctor Manhattan, Jon has been able to use his powers to build a wall between himself and others, but that wall came tumbling down during the interview. He wasn’t sure of human emotions and relationships, but his powers were the one thing Doctor Manhattan believed he could control…until the interview, where he was told that his powers were slowly killing those around him. That changed everything, and suddenly, Jon didn’t have the control he thought he did.

So, Doctor Manhattan panicked and went to Mars. It’s an extreme fight or flight reaction, but Jon is an extreme person.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that I’m completely off the mark with this, but that’s one of the things that’s so great about Watchmen. The original comic was first published in 1986, and we’re still finding new conversations to have about it. The characters and themes can be dissected for decades without running out of material.

We can’t escape from our problems on Mars, but we can find our own solutions hidden in the chaos of Earth.
 

Watchmen Chapter 1 is now available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and digital. Look for Watchmen Chapter 2 later this year.

Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, "Gotham Gazette." Follow him on Twitter at @TBUJosh.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.