Yahya Abdul‑Mateen II’s Emmy-winning Doctor Manhattan in HBO’s Watchmen

Collider says Yahya Abdul‑Mateen II’s Emmy-winning performance as Doctor Manhattan in HBO’s Watchmen is essential viewing; the miniseries won the Primetime Emmy for Best Limited Series and Abdul‑Mateen II took home the award for Best Supporting Actor. Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen is presented as a continuation of the original graphic novel, set 34 years after Adrian Veidt was banished for a false-flag attack that created fear of an alien threat, and in a world where vigilantes are outlawed.

Regina King’s Angela Abar is a Tulsa police officer who once operated as the masked Sister Night; Abdul‑Mateen II co-stars as her husband Cal, who is later revealed to be Doctor Manhattan trapped in mortal form. The article highlights the series’ engagement with issues such as over-policing and racial discrimination and explains why Doctor Manhattan is a difficult role — an essentially all‑powerful being who does not perceive time like humans.

It singles out the episode "A God Walks into Abar" as the show’s most thoughtful analysis of the character and credits Abdul‑Mateen II with grounding the part, generating pathos by showing Manhattan’s helplessness in controlling his perception and his deliberate focus on a single timeline to remain with Angela.