Long before Marvel’s What If…?, Uatu the Watcher broke his vow of non-interference in the comics, helping the heroes save Earth from destruction.
Although he sees all, Uatu the Watcher has made it clear that he is never to intervene in mortal affairs. Despite taking this sacred vow of non-interference, the Watcher has still taken it upon himself to aid Marvel’s heroes on several occasions. Uatu first broke his vow long ago, during his earliest appearances in the pages of Fantastic Four.
It could be argued that the Watcher broke his vow of non-interference during his first appearance, back in 1963’s Fantastic Four #13, by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Stan Goldberg and Artie Simek. At the time, the Fantastic Four were fighting the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes on the blue area of the Moon, where the Watcher lived.
Uatu revealed himself to the combatants, before whisking them away to fight away from his home. Technically, the Watcher did take action here. Even so, he was doing it in defense of his home and its cosmic secrets, rather than influencing the outcome of the fight. Later, the Red Ghost tried to sneak into the Watcher’s home, to learn his secrets.
Immediately afterward, the Watcher threw the villain out of his home, leaving him to be defeated by the Fantastic Four. Some might say that the Watcher helped the Fantastic Four defeat the Red Ghost here. Still, it was more of the Red Ghost’s overambition that got him in the end. If the Red Ghost hadn’t tried to enter Uatu’s home, he would have been free from the Watcher’s interference. The Watcher was defending his home, something which had little to do with the actual battle between the Fantastic Four and the Red Ghost.
After this adventure, Uatu would make a few more small appearances. For example, the Watcher warned the Fantastic Four about the Molecule Man and imprisoned him after Marvel’s First Family defeated the villain. When the Fantastic Four fought the Red Ghost on the Moon again, the Red Ghost was defeated when one of the Watcher’s devices backfired on him.
Additionally, in 1965’s Fantastic Four Annual #3, by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta, Stan Goldberg and Artie Simek, the Watcher helped save the wedding of Reed Richards and Sue Storm from an ambush of supervillains. Uatu gave the Fantastic Four a device that would transport all combatants back to where they came, with no memory of these events.
Each of these instances was influenced by the Watcher to a certain degree, helping the Fantastic Four. The first time that the Watcher unquestionably intervened in broader human affairs, however, came in 1966’s Fantastic Four #48-50, by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Joe Sinnott, Stan Goldberg, Sam Rosen and Artie Simek. This was also the first time that Galactus came to Earth, with plans to devour the planet.
In order to hide Earth from Galactus’ herald, the Silver Surfer, Uatu used his matter mobilizer to create a shield around the planet. When this effort failed, and Galactus reached Earth, Uatu tried to convince the Planet Eater to spare this world from his hunger.
The Watcher’s biggest intervention came when he provided the Fantastic Four with the means to defeat Galactus: the Ultimate Nullifier. Uatu sent the Human Torch through time to retrieve the nullifier, mentally guiding Johnny Storm to its location.
Ultimately, the Ultimate Nullifier was the key to forcing Galactus away from Earth. Without the Watcher’s interference, the nullifier would never have been retrieved, and the planet would have been doomed. Keeping this in mind, there is no doubt that Uatu broke his vow of non-interference to help the Fantastic Four and save the Earth.
Of course, this wouldn’t be the last time that the Watcher would interfere in the affairs of the Marvel Universe. The “Galactus Trilogy” was only the most prominent example of the Watcher’s interference in human affairs. Uatu’s occasional interference demonstrates that, as much as he tries to uphold his vows, the Watcher ultimately has a soft spot for humanity. With a great investment in their stories, Uatu the Watcher will aid humankind whenever he feels the need.
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