Uatu
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, and it has been stated that when Uatu appears, something terrible always happens.
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.
*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 listed as one of 140 characters in the upcoming
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance video game.
