Professor Milton Glass is a physicist and former research director at Gila Flats.
Biography
Research Director at Gila Flats
Intrinsic Field Experiments
As the research director of Gila Flats, Milton Glass, and his team developed experiments using the intrinsic field chamber, a machine that utilizes radiation to remove intrinsic fields from solid objects.
Meeting Jon Osterman
In 1959, Glass welcomed Jon Osterman to Gila Flats and told Wally Weaver to show him around the base while smoking a Turkish cigarette.[1]
Intrinsic Field Accident
Glass was present when Osterman accidentally locked himself in the intrinsic field subtractor chamber while the generators were warming up for the afternoon experiment. Terrified, he explained that the time lock on the door couldn't be overridden.[1]
Sponsoring Doctor Manhattan
The American Superman
When Jon Osterman regenerated himself as the super-powered being known as Doctor Manhattan, Glass chose to sponsor him to the public. When he became public, he was pressed by a journalist for a quote, and he said "God exists, and he's American" which was later misquoted and toned down as "Superman exists, and he's American".[2] He was seen photographed outside Gila Flats with Manhattan and other officials. He also was present in Washington, D.C. when Manhattan shook hands with John F. Kennedy.[1]
Dr. Manhattan: Super-Powers and the Superpowers.
Glass began to develop serious concerns over the existence of Doctor Manhattan. His misgivings of this godlike being led him to write Dr. Manhattan: Super-Powers and the Superpowers. Glass was skeptical of whether Manhattan could be used as a super weapon by the United States against the Soviet Union; in his essay, he noted that the arms race had intensified, and when cornered, the Soviets would resolve to Mutually Assured Destruction. He also knew that Manhattan would be unable to destroy all the warheads coming from Russia; those left out would be enough to annihilate life in the northern hemisphere.[2]
Behind the Scenes
- Milton Glass does not make an appearance in the film adaptation. Instead, most of his scenes and dialogue are given to Wally Weaver.