25 of Marvel’s best spacefaring characters

Uatu the Watcher (Image via Marvel)

21. Uatu the Watcher

Ever get the feeling that you’re being observed, somehow? You can’t quite pin down the source of the feeling or find the individual responsible, and yet the sense lingers. You try to ignore it, and eventually (hopefully), the feeling subsides.

Well, maybe you were right in the first place.

If you’re in the Marvel universe, at least, you’re potentially subject to the creepy, long-lived gaze of the Watchers. The Watchers are an ancient species who have stationed themselves throughout the cosmos in order to… watch people. That’s kind of all they do, actually.

The Watchers are hyper-focused on collecting information, and yet subject themselves to a strict code of non-interference. This being comics, there are always exceptions in order to further the plot and generally make things more interesting. Those exceptions often seem to come courtesy of one Uatu the Watcher.

He first reveals himself to the Fantastic Four when they stumble upon his home on the Blue Area of the Moon, an artificially sustained ecosystem that humans have conveniently missed. Perhaps most notably, he broke his oath when he tried to prevent world-devourer Galactus from getting to Earth.

As one of the Watchers, Uatu has already vast psionic abilities which have only been increased through intensive training. He is also incredibly intelligent – I mean, look at that massive, bald head and try to tell me otherwise. Given his assignment relative to Earth, Uatu has also spent millions of years studying the planet and its inhabitants. Guess we should be happy that the generally benevolent Uatu is on our side.