Uatu
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In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, Uatu is the member of the extraterrestrial species known as the Watchers assigned to observe Earth and its solar system. As he is thus the Watcher whom Earth-based superheroes most often come in contact with, he is often known as simply the Watcher.
Like other Watchers, Uatu is sworn to an oath of non-interference; however, he has bent or outright violated his oath on several occasions in order to aid humanity. Uatu first appeared in Fantastic Four volume 1 #13 (1962), created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Uatu dwells on the Blue Area of the Moon, an abandoned city built by the alien Kree centuries ago. In his first appearance, he encountered the Fantastic Four and their enemy, the Red Ghost, as the latter entered his home; he repelled the invader with a thought and, breaking his oath for the first time, revealed himself to the Fantastic Four. Uatu, being youthful and rebellious in comparison to his brethren, would break his oath many more times in the future, most notably in Fantastic Four volume 1 #48, in which he tried, and failed, to prevent the Silver Surfer from bringing the world-devourer Galactus to the Earth.
Uatu has appeared countless times since, on several occasions narrating other characters' adventures. He also served as narrator for the What If...? series, which told tales of alternate versions of the Marvel Universe where certain events unfolded differently (and often disastrously). At least once, he has been removed from his duty as Watcher of the Earth, but he nevertheless returns to his true calling, observing the world he has become so fond of. In particular, he considers the Fantastic Four to be quite intriguing; Reed Richards could be said to be his only human friend.
In the mini-series Marvel 1602 we learn that, although Fantastic Four #13 was the first time he broke his oath, the anomalous appearance of Marvel's superheroes more than 300 years early forced him to severely bend it, communicating with the 1602 version of Doctor Strange prior to the latter's death (thereby breaking his commandment not to reveal himself to a living soul). To remind him of this, he must maintain a pocket universe containing the 1602 world within himself.
Recently, Uatu has revealed darker aspects to his character. In the alternate universe of Earth X, for instance, he is portrayed as a cold, nihilistic manipulator who feels far superior to the people of earth whom he watches. In the proper Marvel continuity, meanwhile, a seemingly deranged Watcher watched in glee as Namor and the Human Torch were tricked into a violent battle. While the fight itself was a harmless prank, Uatu's reaction was uncharacteristically sadistic, something never before seen in Earth's Watcher.
Uatu also has a history with the X-Men, and most commonly appears when Jean Grey is experiencing enhancements to her Phoenix powers. He is also seen in Uncanny X-Men #473, where he reveals the true story of Jamie Braddock, the brother of X-Man Psylocke, and how he got involved with the villain group called "the Foursaken".
Later, Uatu revealed himself during the "Civil War" event as well as during the wedding of the Black Panther and Storm (apparently he smiled when their vows were exchanged). It has been stated that when Uatu appears, an event of great importance is taking place.
In the Powerless limited series, reality is turned upside down and Uatu plays the role of psychiatrist William Watts. Watcher's patients are the powerless heroes who face problems similar to their super-powered counterparts from Earth 616. Just like in Earth 616, Uatu finds that he cannot just stand by and watch as his patients' lives are ruined, and tries to come to their aid.
[edit] Other media
- The Watcher made numerous appearances on both the Silver Surfer and Fantastic Four cartoons.
- The Watcher shows up in What If...? mode on the Playstation Spider-Man game.
- Uatu is one of 140 characters in the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance video game.
- What appears to be a Watcher can be briefly seen in the opening sequence of X2.
- In the Planet X Star Trek: The Next Generation/X-Men crossover novel, at the end the crossing of dimensions is revealed to be due to the interference of both Q and The Watcher.
