UATU, THE WATCHER: WHAT IF...He had a 2024 Appreciation Thread?

[BuraddoRun]

Is anyone else here a fan? What if I told you he is my favorite Marvel character? When I was a kid in the 80's and early 90's, What If was my favorite comic series. At the time, multiversal stories were far more limited than they are today, and each issue was a treat, an adventure into a new world where our favorite characters made different choices which vastly changed the events in their lives. Uatu served as our host and guide, and like Rod Serling, his tales often had a moral at the end. But, of course, Uatu made appearances in other comics. And he was...IS...a hero in his own right. Despite his race's oath, he intervened countless times to protect the Earth. Of course there's our first meeting with Galactus, but there are plenty of other instances. In Marvel Team-Up 127, he helped Spider-Man save a family; not even the world, just a family. That's street-level hero stuff, but Uatu cares enough about people that he paid attention to people that most high cosmic beings would consider inconsequential.

Has anything happened with The Watcher since Dan Slott's Reckoning War? I was a little confused reading it. Is Uatu still the new powerhouse of his people or did he use that power up to restore things? And I know he vowed to not intervene again (didn't he?), but c'mon, after this last huge intervention, is he really gonna retire? I'd love to see some new, TRUE What If stories that aren't just different versions of characters we know, but more like the classic 2 series. I want to see original creators do single issues that explore different outcomes of events, whether big or small. Give me a Cates/Stegman King in Black What if (if Cates is up for it; I know he had that terrible accident). Give me a Ewing Hulk What If. Give me a Marz/Lim Silver Surfer story, since they've recently come back to do untold tales from their era. We never got a Power Pack What If, so give me an issue from Simonson/Bregman. A Hickman/Silva Krakoa X-Men issue. Heck, give me a Claremont/Byrne X-Men issue! Another bi-monthly ongoing with that extra bit of care would sell, I think. Or is the multiverse overdone at this point? And let Uatu be our host again.

uatu.jpg

[Riv86672]

UATU, THE WATCHER: WHAT IF...He had a 2024 Appreciation Thread?

^^^I would be the first to respond, and mention that an Order of Monks on Earth have dedicated themselves to him, after their founder had a close encounter w. Uatu centuries ago…

…which is pretty cool!

[Phoenixx9]

^^^I would be the first to respond, and mention that an Order of Monks on Earth have dedicated themselves to him, after their founder had a close encounter w. Uatu centuries ago…

…which is pretty cool!

Good point and info, Riv!

I like how the scan states that the "what-ifs will always be there, lurking in the shadows", as "what-ifs" and "alternate realities" will do that!

[Aarkus]

I was born a bit premature and have always been on the small/skinny side of my own age group. not trying to brag, but I also happen to have a decent IQ (145), so I always kind of related to Uatu as a kid, because his physical features were like an exaggerated version of my own - small/frial body with an oversized cranium.
I also always had trouble choosing favourite stories or characters - I had some preferences sure, but I generally liked any comic I could get my hands on back then.

those two things always caused me to see a bit of myself in the character, so yes, I have always apporeciated Uatu!

[BuraddoRun]

^^^I would be the first to respond, and mention that an Order of Monks on Earth have dedicated themselves to him, after their founder had a close encounter w. Uatu centuries ago…

…which is pretty cool!

That is cool! I haven't read much Shang-Chi, so this is my first time hearing about these monks. I'll have to hunt down that issue!

I was born a bit premature and have always been on the small/skinny side of my own age group. not trying to brag, but I also happen to have a decent IQ (145), so I always kind of related to Uatu as a kid, because his physical features were like an exaggerated version of my own - small/frial body with an oversized cranium.
I also always had trouble choosing favourite stories or characters - I had some preferences sure, but I generally liked any comic I could get my hands on back then.

those two things always caused me to see a bit of myself in the character, so yes, I have always apporeciated Uatu!

That is a great point about What If. It let readers sample all corners of the Marvel Universe and its broad selection of characters. I remember reading the What If Elektra had lived issue, for example, when I wasn't familiar with Elektra at all. I hadn't read the Daredevil Miller run.