Uatu the Watcher In Comics Powers, Enemies, History
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Biography
Biography
Billions of years ago, the technologically-advanced extraterrestrial race known as the Watchers decided it was their duty to help the universe’s less advanced races. In their first such experiment, proposed by Ikor, a delegation of four brought atomic energy knowledge to the planet Prosilicus. The Prosilicans accepted the gift, but used it to develop nuclear weapons and engaged in an auto-genocidal war. Ashamed, the Watchers vowed never again to interfere in the affairs of other races. Ikor drafted a code of ethics based upon strict noninterference and passive observation that was so strict that if another being were dying at a Watcher’s feet, the Watcher would offer no aid. With their new code established, the Watchers evacuated their homeworld and relocated throughout the galaxies, each Watcher choosing a solar system where they could observe and mentally record the lives of other races for the sake of eventually sharing it with their fellow Watchers. The Watchers would then sporadically reassemble to pool their knowledge and share what they had witnessed.
Ikor’s son, Uatu, chose Earth’s solar system as his new home and was based in the «Blue Area» of Earth’s moon, an abandoned settlement built by the alien Kree and Cotati, from which he observed Earth for billions of years. At first, Uatu adhered to his race’s vow of non-interference: he did not physically intervene when the Gunan known as Xakku the Sun-Stealer threatened to transport Earth’s sun to his own solar system (although he did trick the alien into expending his oxygen tanks before he could accomplish his mission) and even spurned the affections of the extraterrestrial Queen Kalthea, who offered Uatu her hand in marriage after his appearance caused the barbarians threatening her kingdom to retreat; but over the centuries, Uatu grew so fond of the lifeforms he observed that he occasionally violated his vow of non-interference when Earth’s existence was threatened. Uatu’s first recorded encounter with an Earthling occurred in the year 1602 A.
D. when a possible-future Captain America was inadvertently sent back in time to that era, causing ripples in the timestream that threatened the very fabric of reality. Uatu revealed the nature of the problem to an Elizabethan-era version of Dr. Stephen Strange, who helped send the temporally-displaced Captain America back through a time-portal, correcting the timeline. Uatu’s superior, however, allowed the divergent timeline (Earth-311) to persist in a pocket dimension. Decades ago, Uatu assisted the Destroyer (Roger Aubrey), Iron Cross (Helmut Gruler), Nathaniel Richards, and Howard Stark on a mission to save mankind.
In modern times, Uatu met the Fantastic Four when they visited the Moon to investigate the Blue Area. The criminal mastermind Red Ghost and his Super-Apes had also landed there and soon attacked the Thing. Uatu revealed his presence to the Earthlings and ended the fight, decreeing that the Fantastic Four would battle Red Ghost and his simian cohorts. Uatu was impressed with the FF’s victory and gave them his blessings, allowing them to retain their memories of his existence.
Uatu became fond of the Fantastic Four and began to warn them of impending dangers, such as the Molecule Man, who gained matter-manipulation powers in a lab accident. After the Molecule Man’s defeat, Uatu transported the villain to an other-dimensional world where time passed at an accelerated rate and reinforced the self-imposed mental blocks which limited Molecule Man’s ability to use his powers.
Soon after, at the wedding of Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman, Uatu helped Mr. Fantastic defeat the horde of super-villains who threatened the ceremony by transporting him to the Watcher’s home and not dis-allowing him to pick a weapon to send the villains back to before they were controlled, and erase their memories. Afterwards, Uatu allowed Reed and Sue to honeymoon in the Blue Area’s city, providing an opulent banquet hall and assuring the newlyweds that they would be the only beings in the galaxy that he would not be watching that night. Later, when Galactus first menaced Earth, Uatu tried to hide the planet from the world-devourer, debated him as to why the Earth should be spared, and finally helped the Human Torch obtain the only weapon capable of destroying the cosmic menace — the Ultimate Nullifier.
Uatu also studied alternate realities, which he observed through a portal given to him by the Time-Keepers, a group of beings who existed at the end of time itself.
Eventually, Uatu disgraced himself completely by physically opposing the Kree soldier Captain Mar-Vell after allying himself with the Lunatic Legion, a Kree faction opposed to Mar-Vell who were led by Zarek, Fer-Porr, and Sro-Himm and based in the Moon’s Blue Area. Placed on trial by his own people for his numerous violations of their ethics code, Uatu explained that he had come to identify with the action and emotion that he observed on Earth, and thus yearned to become involved. At the conclusion of his trial, Uatu was released from custody on his own recognizance after promising never to interfere in the affairs of other races again.
Later, Uatu was captured by intergalactic gambler A’Sai via a weapon from one of Galactus’ former worldships. Uatu allowed himself to be coerced into a football wager— Uatu’s technology vs.
A’Sai’s weapon—but when Spider-Man led Uatu’s team to victory, Uatu destroyed the weapon and transformed A’Sai into a casino playing card as punishment for his intent to renege. Uatu also saved the life of Bette Chekhov, granddaughter of Anton, one of May Parker’s former boarders. When the criminal Living Laser tried to escape Quasar by flying into Uatu’s alternate worlds portal and diverged into separate beings in seven different alternate realities, Uatu enlisted Quasar to recapture the Living Laser. Based on the Watcher Otmu’s theory that even observation affected others, the «Oblivion Plague» caused many Watchers to end their existences; though perpetuated by Maelstrom, the Plague was ended when Quasar convinced the Watchers that they must continue to observe so they could pass on their accumulated recordings to the next universe.
Present at Uatu’s earlier trial was his nephew Aron, a relatively young Watcher mentored by his uncle who was not yet assigned a solar system to observe.
Fascinated by Earth, Aron eventually broke the Watcher’s code by manipulating the Fantastic Four and Inhumans into a fight. Now a «rogue» Watcher, Aron grew more malevolent; after cloning the Fantastic Four and trying to create a pocket world within the mind of Alicia Masters, Aron was ambushed by Dr. Doom, who siphoned-off Aron’s power into a containment device. Uatu cared for Aron as his nephew recovered; but before Aron could be tried for his crimes, the Watchers became preoccupied with the threat posed by the giant cosmic entities known as the Celestials. Aron seized this opportunity to masquerade as his uncle Uatu and manipulate the Fantastic Four into helping him recover the energy stolen from him by Doom. Completing the first phase of his plan, Aron plotted to swallow the entire universe into a black hole and then create a new universe for himself to manipulate. Opposed by the Fantastic Four and Fantastic Force, Aron pitted legions of their past enemies against them, but Ant-Man foiled his scheme by destroying the device needed to create the black hole.
In the end, Uatu disciplined his nephew by dissipating his energy and using it to revive the leader of the Watchers known as the One. Uatu was stripped of his title and exiled by the Watchers for these controversial actions.
Despite his expulsion, Uatu continued to observe affairs on Earth, compelled by the lives and struggles of its inhabitants. Eventually reinstated into the Watchers, Uatu witnessed the temporary demise of Galactus, who was destroyed by an intergalactic alliance of heroes led by the Silver Surfer near the Shi’ar homeworld. Soon after, Uatu was viciously attacked by Abraxas, a cosmic entity threatening all of reality, but Abraxas was defeated by the Fantastic Four. Uatu congratulated the heroes, informing them that humanity had passed another test.
Some time ago, Uatu and two of his fellow Watchers, Zoma and Qyre, appeared before She-Hulk, who was then serving with the Magistrati as a presiding judge in the Living Tribunal’s Cosmic Claims Court. Qyre had discovered a reclusive race who had kept their existence secret since time immemorial.
The reclusive race sued the Watchers in the Cosmic Claims Court, and She-Hulk ruled that Qyre’s mouth be permanently sealed so that he could not share his knowledge of the plaintiffs with his fellow Watchers.
Most recently, Uatu the Watcher appeared before the costumed heroes. They were at a meeting to discuss what to do after the Civil War|incident at Stamford. As Watchers only show up personally to monitor key events in history, his presence did not bode well for the costumed heroes.
Universe, Other Aliases, Education, Place of Origin, Identity, Known Relatives
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Who Is Uatu, the Mysterious Watcher of Marvel’s WHAT IF…?
Marvel
Just like the Marvel Comics of the same name, Uatu the Watcher will be overseeing the happenings within the Multiverse on What If…? on Disney+. But just who is this giant, chrome-domed alien in the Roman toga? And does he really only watch things and pontificate about them? Well….
not so much. For someone named “the Watcher,” he’s done a whole lot more than just look at things very intently. Before actor Jeffrey Wright brings the character to life in animated form, here’s everything you need to know about the ancient being known as the Watcher.
The History of the Watchers
Marvel Comics
Uatu comes from a race called the Watchers, which is why he is simply referred to as “the Watcher” by many. His species is one of the most ancient and also most advanced races in the cosmos. They each have massive psionic powers. They have the gifts of flight, telepathy, energy-manipulation powers, illusion casting, and more, In fact, they were one of the first technologically advanced beings to evolve in the universe. Altruistically, billions of years ago they chose to spread their knowledge to benefit the less evolved worlds of the universe. But that plan wound up backfiring spectacularly.
This ancient race’s first try at sharing advanced tech with a less developed species occurred on the planet Prosilicus.
Among the advancements they shared, they gave them nuclear technology. Eventually, this race destroyed itself in a nuclear war. The species who would become the Watchers blamed themselves for this genocide, and made a vow to never interfere in the natural development of a less advanced race. (This is similar to Star Trek’s Prime Directive). From that day forward, they would only passively observe and record events. They became the Watchers, and served in this capacity for eons.
Uatu: Earth’s Fantastic Friend
Marvel Comics
Uatu was one of those Watchers, and he also was part of the disaster on Prosilicus. Assigned to Earth, he stood vigil for centuries on the so-called “ Blue Area” on the Moon. This was a part of Earth’s satellite made habitable by advanced aliens. But when the phenomenon of superhumans began to occur on Terra, Uatu felt compelled to interfere. He felt a kinship with this new breed of human. Uatu helped the Fantastic Four when the heroic quartet battled the villainous Red Ghost and his Super Apes on the Moon, near his home.
This occurred in his first appearance, 1963’s Fantastic Four #13.
Marvel Comics
By helping the FF, this became the first time he would break his vow. It wouldn’t be the last. He even interfered when villains chose to attack Reed Richards’ and Susan Storm’s wedding. And he let them honeymoon in his fortress on the Moon! But the biggest hand he ever gave humanity was when Galactus came to devour the Earth. He essentially gave Johnny Storm the keys to the secret weapon which was the only thing in the known universe that could render Galactus defeated. Without his interference, Earth would have been lunch for the Devourer of Worlds.
A Silent Observer (Most of the Time)
Marvel Comics
From there on out, it was a meddling free for all. He observed, and then interfered, with the actions of the Avengers, the Hulk, Captain Marvel, the Silver Surfer, and pretty much every Marvel hero you’ve heard of. He also stood watch and observed the various alternate realities Earth’s heroes lived in the Multiverse.
This occurred in the What If…? series, where Uatu functioned as narrator. Yes, he often just stood by and did not interfere. But he meddled just enough, and was eventually brought to trial for breaking the rules by his own people.
Marvel Comics
The Watchers found Uatu guilty, and sentence him to exile. Although ultimately, they did reinstate him. He stuck to the Watcher’s strict code for some time after that, appearing silently in major Marvel events. Uatu was there when Jean Grey died in The Dark Phoenix Saga. And he stood watch recording the events of Civil War, Secret Invasion, and Avengers vs. X-Men. For the most part, he chooses not to meddle. In fact, his nephew Aron, the “Rogue Watcher,” winds up being a far bigger menace than Uatu ever could be. At least Uatu never interfered with malicious intent.
Death (and Resurrection)
Marvel Comics
In recent years, Uatu once again caused ripples in the Marvel Universe.
But this time, it was due to the mystery surrounding his murder. The heroes of Earth found Uatu’s corpse on the Moon, and had to solve the mystery of who killed him. This took place in the 2014 crossover event, Original Sin. Turns out, the culprit was none other than the longtime hero, Nick Fury. Hostile aliens attacked the Watcher’s fortress, injuring him and stealing one of his all-seeing eyes.
Nick Fury found him dying, and he killed him to take his other eye. All in order to stop the aliens from succeeding in their plans against Earth. When the culprit is shown to be none other than Fury, the other Watchers gave him the task of observing Earth in Uatu’s place. Fury became “ the Unseen.” Of course, in recent years, Uatu has come back to life. Cosmic Marvel characters rarely stay dead. What the future holds for Uatu the Watcher is a mystery. All we know is that he’ll always have his eye fixed on Earth. And when things are truly dire, he’ll break his sacred oath and step in.
Will the Observer interfere with «What if…?»
Television
Source: Marvel
Aug 12, 2021 Posted 4:55 pm ET
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away — oops, we’re talking about the Miracle here, but the mood still lingers. As for the omniscient narrator What if…? , we have a lot of questions. The Observer, as the narrator calls himself, claims he will not interfere, but can we trust him?
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Longtime Marvel fans are often skeptical of the terms laid out at the start of any movie or series, and we have every right to be! Take Loki for example, in which we are told that the TVA is just a neutral bureaucracy, but we quickly learn otherwise. So when What if…? introduces yet another neutral character, we can’t help but wonder if the Watcher will ever interfere in the MCU.
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«What if.
..?» Represents the Observer as an impartial guide through his alternate realities.
The Observer, voiced by the brilliant Geoffrey Wright, opens What if…? «I am the Watcher,» he explains. I am your guide through these vast new realities. Follow me and ponder the question ‘what if?’
And we immediately understand who he is and are ready to follow him on his journey to alternate realities in the MCU. However, throughout the episode, he does not interrupt or give his own opinion.
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By the end of episode 1, we almost forgot that the Watcher was watching, until he said, «As for me, these are my stories.» I watch everything that happens here, but I do not interfere, I cannot and will not interfere. Because I am an observer. So if he’s not really talking and isn’t going to get involved, what’s the point of having the Observer in What if…?
The Observer is part of the What If.
..? comic series.
The Marvel comic book series that is about What if…? Based on a character named Uatu the Watcher, who plays the same role as Jeffrey Wright’s Watcher. He simply observes and guides us through the multiverse.
In a sense, the Observer is the opposite of the VAT, whose goal is to destroy all alternate realities. Alternatively, the Observer uses these alternate realities as more chances to see his favorite characters. Does it look like someone else? (Um, looking at you Marvel fans.)
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In the comics, Uatu the Watcher is part of the Watchers, considered the most ancient of the species that ever existed. They are an alien species that have survived eons, and due to their long existence, they possess many of the knowledge and secrets of the multiverse.
However, after the Watchers tried to help the next oldest species, the Proshilians, with some knowledge, the Proshilians effectively destroyed themselves in a nuclear war.
Therefore, the Watchers vowed never to interfere again.
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The Observer occasionally interferes with Marvel comics.
But Uatu the Watcher, whose job is to observe and record everything that happens on Earth, does not agree with this decree. He actually fights his fellow Watchers many times because he believes that when a Watcher sees a way they can help, they should.
And Uatu keeps his word — he meets the Fantastic Four many times in the comics and helps them defeat some of the worst villains, including Galactus and the Molecule Man.
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Despite helping his cute little Earthlings, Uatu is being judged by his fellow Watchers. They basically let him go with a warning, and of course he can’t resist the temptation to save his beloved people — the people of Earth.
This eventually leads to his death, for which Nick Fury is responsible._from_Original_Sin_Vol_1_1_001.jpg)
Thus, Nick is punished by the Watchers and forced to take over as Uatu. This is a severe punishment for a man who feels the need to solve problems.
So would the Observer interfere with «What if…?» Or the MCU in general?
Not only does Uatu the Watcher interfere with canon Marvel comics, but there are a few more What if…? installments which are centered around the Observer.
There was a problem called What if no one was watching the observer? , and we can probably guess that the Watcher will definitely interfere in this episode. It would be interesting to see how this omniscient being’s unabashed meddling impacts the larger MCU.
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There is also What if the Observer saved the Universe? and What if the Watcher killed Galactus? , so maybe we could see any of those stories in What if…? However, our introduction to the Observer is definitely a hint that there will be more of him.
It has not been confirmed that this Watcher is actually Uatu the Watcher, but it is likely. And with Jeffrey Wright as his voice, we’re sure to see him in the MCU. But how will he intervene? Only the Observer knows this.
New series What if…? Premiere Wednesday Disney Plus.
which characters to expect in the new Marvel series?
Index
- Captain Carter
- Steve Rogers
- T’Challa: Star Lord
- KillMonger
- Dr. Strelj
- Spider-spider: Zombie hunter
- Thor (Party)
- Watcher Uatu
- The Avengers
- Other characters
- See also:
What if Iron Man hadn’t been kidnapped? What if Steve Rogers didn’t take the super soldier serum? You’ll find these answers and more on What If , a new animated series from Marvel that debuts this Wednesday (11/08) on Disney+. With weekly episodes and a promise to explore alternate events from the Marvel movies, the series will introduce the characters we already know in a completely different way, in just 9episodes.
A Marvel has released a voice cast for the series and it will feature celebrities such as Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Christopher Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Paul Rudd, Samuel Jackson, Mark Ruffalo and more… However, at the same time While actors such as Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Tom Holland, Scarlett Johansson and Brie Larson will not return to the project. This does not mean that the characters they played in the films will not be in the series, since we can see almost all of them in the released trailers.
All of the information that we’re going to give here in the text is contained in trailers, interviews, promotional materials and official information from Marvel itself, so we are not talking about spoilers for or things that will ruin your viewing experience of the show.
Captain Carter
Peggy Carter receives the super soldier serum.
One of the first characters introduced in the series’ commercials answers the old question: «What if Steve Rogers hadn’t taken the super soldier serum?». Here we have nothing but Peggy Carter taking the serum and taking the shield like Captain Carter . Because the character is British, here she assumes a visual identity referring to her place of origin, much like Captain Britain in the Marvel comics, including the version of the powerful sword Excalibur the character uses.
Steve Rogers
In this reality, Steve Rogers becomes Iron Man.
In the same reality as Captain Carter, Steve Rogers who didn’t take the super soldier serum and didn’t become Captain America , takes his place in history as a sort of Iron Man. The armor built by Howard Stark in the 40s changes the universe we already know, since his son Tony Stark only built the armor in 2008. Therefore, we have a significant change that could shake the course of the universe, which we will learn about in this episode.
T’Challa: Star-Lord
T’Challa was kidnapped by Yondu and eventually became the Star-Lord of this reality.
Here we have an unusual situation where Yondu is kidnapped by T’Challa in Wakanda instead of Peter Quill, and the character becomes Star-Lord of that universe, reversing the chronology known to us in Guardians of the Galaxy. Notably, T’Challa’s appearance in What If marks the last work of Chadwick Boseman’s career, as he recorded his lines for the series before his death in 2020.
Killmonger
Killmonger leads the Wakanda army.
One of the biggest events in the first trailer What if is what completely changes the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tony Stark was saved by none other than Eric Killmonger , instead of being mortally wounded and sent to the cave we saw in the 2008 movie; how this will affect Tony Stark’s character is still unknown, but Killmonger’s surprise appearance shows that the character is the complete opposite of what we saw in Black Panther, as elsewhere we see him riding a rhinoceros leading the charge army of Wakanda.
In this universe, Killmonger may have peacefully taken the throne of Wakanda and become a great leader in the form of Black Panther.
Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange encounters a dark version of himself.
Since we’re talking about the multiverse, Doctor Strange couldn’t stay away! During the trailer, we can see Stephen Strange «normal» running into a dark version of himself, a version that seems to follow the dark side, which could be a big problem since we know the Sorcerer Supreme is fully connected to the multiverse.
Spider-Man: Zombie Hunter
In this reality, Spider-Man uses Doctor Strange’s cloak of levitation.
Here’s the case of a character who was briefly spotted in the trailer, but eventually Marvel released more information through licensed merchandise. OUR Peter Parker The cover we see in the trailer is none other than a zombie hunter using the Cloak of Levitation that belonged to Doctor Strange.
Has the High Warlock turned into a zombie?
Zombie
Captain America in zombie form.
In the zombie episode, Spider-Man and his Cloak of Levitation will hunt not only random undead, but also his own zombies. Avengers as Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye and more! This theme is a reference to a series of comics depicting the zombified Marvel Universe.
Thor (Party)
Thor is ready to throw a big party.
Another confirmed presence of in What if is which of Thor , but as the promotional materials show, it will not be a regular Thor, but Party Tor. This Thor is not banished by his father Odin so he doesn’t go through a full personal journey like in 2011 Thor and the party-goer version arrives on our planet to throw a huge party that could put everyone in great danger.
Loki
Another version of Loki.
after overdose of alternate versions of Loki in your series, here in What if we have another option, and apparently it is more diplomatic and associated with Asgard.
In the released trailer for Loki, the three warriors, Lady Sif, and the Asgardian army negotiate with Nicky Fury and Task Force SHIELD. Unlike Loki, who invaded Earth at Avengers , this version seems to be up for negotiation.
Gamora and Ultron
Part of the What If poster featuring Ultron and Gamora.
In the center of the poster for the series, we see two characters that will be of great importance in the plot: Gamo e Ultron. Gamo wears armor similar to that worn by Thanos in Avengers: Endgame , as well as a double-edged sword. Here we can expect Gamora, who defeated her father in the past and took control of all of Thanos’ troops. Ultron looks imposing with 5 Infinity Stones on his chest, in addition to using Vision’s body as originally planned for the second Avengers movie. In his ultimate form, wielding 5 of the 6 Infinity Stones, Ultron appears to be a serious threat.
Uatu the Watcher
Uatu the Watcher.
Uatu is a great storyteller and observer in What if he is the guardian of the same race that has already appeared in the Marvel Universe in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 with Stan Lee; the watchman’s role is to oversee major events without interfering, but in the comics watchman Uatu always intervenes. In What If , Uatu will be voiced by Jeffrey Wright and he will initially be the dramatic narrator in the style of Rod Sterling in « The Twilight Zone «. Uatu’s presence and eventual interference could mean a major disruption to the entire Marvel multiverse.
Avengers
Avengers in What if
appears to be What if learn different team formations Avengers . in the small space released by Marvel, we can see Hawkeye, Black Widow, Captain America, Iron Man and Black Panther as part of a team that never made it to theaters.
Considering Black Widow’s blonde hair and outfit, this scene should be set in Infinity War, and as we all know, Captain America and Iron Man will meet again at Avengers: Endgame , while T’Challa turned to dust at the snap of Thanos’ fingers. Hence we will have Avengers fully united in Infinity War.
Another Avengers lineup that will be in What if is a crazy build of alternate characters that we’ll be seeing throughout the series. Gamora, Star-Lord (T’Challa), Black Panther (The Assassin) and Party Thor fight a big threat together. Even though the trailer only shows these four characters, we should include others like Captain Carter herself and Doctor Strange. This should be the climax of the series and the moment when all the versions featured in the episodes unite against the greater threat.
Other characters
Scott Lang, Natasha Romanoff and Howard.
Other MCU characters will also appear in alternate versions as shown in the trailer, such as Scott Lang , who at some point in the series will become a talking head in a jar.
