Watcher (comics)

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In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the Watchers are an extraterrestrial species of near-omnipotent immortal beings who "watch" the universe with advanced technology. The Watchers are sworn to never interfere with the development of the universe, but only to observe. The most famous Watcher is Uatu, the one assigned to watch Earth. The first appearance of a Watcher was in Fantastic Four #13 (April 1963). The most recent appearance was in Civil War #6.

[edit] Appearance

All Watchers are bald and wear clothing similar to the religious vestments of priests or monks. By human standards the heads of Watchers are very much oversized in proportion to their very thin bodies, though in the earliest comics, they were not depicted as having such large heads and thin bodies. Watchers typically stand fifteen to twenty feet tall, though they than can increase and decrease their size at will.

[edit] Organization

The Watchers are led by a Watcher known as the One, who is physically far, far larger than the other Watchers. The Watchers upload all the information they collect into the One, who serves as a repository for all data and records.

[edit] History

The Watchers were among the first intelligent species in the universe, developing a high level of technology millions or even billions of years before nearly all other species.

The Watchers, believing that their knowledge belongs to the universe, came to the planet Prosilicus, interfering in the evolutionary and technological development of a younger species. Despite the well-intentioned actions of the Watchers, the species self-destructed in nuclear warfare. Horrified at what had happened, the Watchers swore a vow of non-interference in the universe.

Later, one of the Watchers came across the cosmic cocoon in which the nascent planet-devourer Galactus was developing. Honoring the oath of non-interference, the Watcher did not destroy the cocoon; it has been suggested in some comics that millions of years later, the Watchers have come to feel some guilt over not preventing the emergence of the menace.

A species of comparable age and power to the Watchers is the Celestials. Because the Celestial agenda is genetic engineering of younger species, it is in direct opposition to the Watcher agenda of non-interference. The two species have thus been engaged in conflict for billions of years, a conflict that culminated fairly recently in Fantastic Four #400 (May 1995). Thanks to the interference of the Fantastic Four, the conflict was not resolved one way or the other, and the Watchers and Celestials continue to struggle against each other.

[edit] Power levels and abilities

As O-class beings (Omnipotent-class, a term created by the Watchers themselves),^{[citation needed]} they possess the ability to manipulate reality at will, at least on a local level.

Direct conflicts between such beings are rare, but in a few instances comparisons can be made. In a "What If...?" story, (What If...The Avengers had fought Galactus?) Uatu attempts to battle Galactus directly in a desperate, final effort to drive him away from Earth. While Uatu is utterly defeated, the story shows that a Watcher's life force is powerful enough to satisfy Galactus' hunger in much the same way a life-supporting planet does. This is illustrated when Galactus turns his machines upon the battered, unconscious form of Uatu, draws out his life force and devours it. Uatu's cosmic life force satifies Galactus to a sufficient degree that he feels compelled to spare Earth. Even though this isn't a story that occurs in the main Marvel Universe, the general portrayal of the Watchers seems to concur with this.

In the above mentioned Fantastic Four story line, the Celestials, who are also self-appointed judges of whether a species deserves to survive, had given the Watchers a "thumbs down." But the Watchers as a species have grown to become so powerful that it would take the Celestials eons to produce the energy needed to eliminate them.

Watchers appear to be able to either simultaneously watch multiple Universes and Dimensions or to be in more than one place at the same time; it is unclear which applies to them. Uatu, for example, has been seen relating events in and on alternate Earths, Dimensions, and regions of space in roughly the same time frame.

Although Watchers seem to have the apparent ability to break the Fourth Wall, with the Watchers typically holding discourse not with an unseen party, nor with themselves, but rather, they relate their stories directly to the readers of the Comic themselves, an issue of Quasar revealed this was in fact narration directed at a recording device.

[edit] Alternate versions

[edit] Earth X

A scene from Earth X in which Uatu recaps the origins of several prominent Marvel characters, including (top to bottom) Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The Hulk, and Daredevil.

In the Earth X series, which is not in continuity, the Watchers are slaves of the Celestials^[1]. As punishment for a Watcher's non-interference during the birth of Galactus, the Celestials forced the Watchers to observe the birth and death of their Celestial "eggs" all over the Universe. This is the Watcher's penance for allowing Galactus to live.

[edit] Second Watcher

In the Wolverine: What If...? (February, 2006) a new "Watcher" was introduced who is not related to the Watcher race. He is a hacker from another universe (possibly mainstream Marvel Comics "Earth 616" one) named Hector Espejo who found a way to access the Internet of a different reality than the one he lived in and found a story applying to Wolverine's past. Espejo told this one-shot issue just like the original Watcher has introduced all the other What If...? stories in the past.

[edit] Notable Watchers

Notable Watchers include:

• Uatu, the Watcher assigned to watch Earth and its solar system
• Aron, the Renegade Watcher, a Watcher who has rebelled against his species and their oath and seeks to increase his own power
• The One, the leader of the Watchers

[edit] Other Media

• The Watcher appears often, most often in the Narrator role, in the 90's Fox Kids animated Silver Surfer show.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Earth X, Issue X