Every Watcher Appearance in the MCU So Far

It appears that the nebulous caretaker of the MCU‘s multiverse has been popping up more than people realized. But eagle-eyed fans have caught on, and now theories and conjecture are popping up all over the internet, debating what, exactly, these appearances might mean, apart from world-shifting events. But it’s clear that his presence in these moments highlights his importance to the overarching stories and underscores their interconnectedness.

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We’re talking about The Watcher, or Uatu, the fifth-dimensional being who was charged with observing the Multiverse from the Observational Plane. Uatu took an oath forbidding him from interfering with events in the Multiverse. That changed for a moment when Ultron discovered the Watchers, and now he’s popped up in multiple places and timelines, leading fans to wonder if he’ll show up in Avengers: Doomsday. Read on for all the moments that The Watcher has appeared in the MCU so far.

8) What If…?

What If…? is the animated series with the most from The Watcher, as he’s the narrator and even the focus of a few episodes, most notably “What If…The Watcher Broke His Oath,” which centers on Uatu as he initially considers fighting Ultron with Strange Supreme. Though he later decided to bring a group of others to stand against the murderous AI, coming forward with a team that consisted of Captain Carter, T’Challa, Prince Killmonger, Party Thor, and Gamora. He gave them the mission to stop Infinity Ultron and the title of Guardians of the Multiverse. After forming the group, Uatu then had Arnim Zola transfer his consciousness into his body, where he watched them defeat Infinity Ultron. Once Zola and Killmonger were trapped in a pocket dimension by Strange Supreme, Uatu then sent Natasha from Ultron’s universe to the universe where Natasha Romanoff was killed by Hank Pym.

7) I Am Groot

Uatu is the narrator of this animated short, offering his insights into the events as Groot finds himself in the heart of an ancient Drez-Lar temple, where he is given a mythic prophecy that he must fulfill to save the universe. The Watcher is less than impressed by Groot’s methods, though pleasantly surprised that, in the end, Groot really does manage to save the universe.

6) X-Men ’97

This is one of the more dire and depressing appearances by Uatu. But that’s the name of the game when your appearance usually heralds big events. In this episode of X-Men ’97, he observes the mutant massacre, where thousands of mutants are killed by sentinels, and more specifically, a being known as a Wild Sentinel—a giant, spider-like sentinel that stabs and kills Gambit. Though in his last moment, Gambit decides that he’s taking the Wild Sentinel down with him, blowing it up with his kinetic energy as his last act.

5) Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

Uatu’s appearance in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it sort of affair. Toward the end of the finale episode of Season 1, titled “If This Be My Destiny…,” The Watcher, floating on the horizon, witnesses a conversation between Doctor Strange and a variant of Spider-Man that takes place in a world where Spider-Man was actually mentored by Norman Osborn.

4) Eyes of Wakanda

The Watcher observes as two Wakandans must choose between completing their mission and defying their homeland to save their world in 1896 as they travel to Ethiopia to retrieve a vibranium artifact that has dire consequences on the events of the future. The artifact that the Black Panther traveled back in time to stop them from retrieving? The same axe that Eric Killmonger would steal in 2019.

3) Marvel Zombies

In a non-speaking role, like many of his roles so far, Uatu watched the zombie apocalypse in Marvel Zombies. He observes Janet Van Dyne unwittingly unleashing a zombie virus from the Quantum realm, then watches Bruce Banner crash into the New York Sanctum and his near-escape from Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Wong, Ebony Maw, and Cull Obsidian—all of whom are now zombies. He then narrates that it was Hank Pym saving his wife that caused the outbreak, and that the Avengers’ heroic arrival sealed humanity’s doom to the virus.

2) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

This is technically the first cameo in the MCU for The Watcher, despite confirmation only coming after the character’s second foray into the cinematic universe. It’s also where he earned the moniker of Giant Baby Man Cape Dude by Peter Quill. During the movie, the audience sees Stan Lee in a spacesuit, standing surrounded by three blue-skinned beings with large, bald heads, glowing blue eyes, and fancy blue capes. These same aliens are later seen again in a post-credits scene, walking away from Lee as he begs them to stay.

1) Daredevil: Born Again

It was incredibly easy to miss, but in the fourth episode of Daredevil: Born Again, fans noticed that the window Bullseye smashed through looked eerily like The Watcher’s bald head, with the lights inside the building resembling the character’s glowing eyes. A theory frenzy kicked off in the aftermath of the potential MCU appearance from The Watcher, and it seems that Marvel has all but confirmed it. Brad Winderbaum took to Instagram, sharing a shot from the scene with the caption, “Always watching…” Is it an official confirmation? Technically, no. But it’s likely the closest that we’re going to get any time soon.

What are your thoughts on the consistent pop-ins from The Watcher? Do you have a favorite? Let us know in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to see what other Marvel fans are saying.