History
Origins[]
Uatu was a member of the Watchers, an ancient and high intelligent race of beings. In the distant past, Uatu's people attempted to share their advanced knowledge with other, younger races of the universe. Uatu's father revealed the secrets of atomic power to a race called the Prosilicans, a gift that resulted in disaster, as the Prosilicans destroyed their own world in nuclear armageddon. Instead, the Watchers swore never to involve themselves in the affairs of another race. However, the Watchers struggled with the morality and impossibility of their own laws.[1]
Desperate to shed their own guilt and inability to live up to their strict code, they petitioned the ancient race of the Celestials for slavery, giving up their freedom voluntarily. The Celestials, who procreated by imbuing a planet with their essence and manipulating the genetics of the planet's native life forms to make them capable of protecting their world, put the Watchers to work watching the worlds manipulated by the Celestials.[1]
Many thousand years ago, the Celestials visited Earth, and charged Uatu with watching over it, creating the Moon to serve as his watchpost.[1] For milennia, Uatu humbly fulfilled his duty, dispassionately watching over the progress of mankind's development without interfering.[2]
In the modern age however, Uatu was forced to commit a cardinal sin. When Galactus, Devourer of Worlds, a cosmic being who sought to prevent the Celestials from overpopulating the universe and destroying it by consuming their embryos, came to destroy Earth, Uatu interfered with the planet he watched. He approached Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four and gave him the Ultimate Nullifier, a weapon capable of destroying Galactus. With the Nullifier, Reed was able to compell Galactus to leave, saving the Celestial embryo. Though Uatu's actions had rescued the embryo, it would unbeknownst to him ultimately lead to its destruction.[3] [4]
When the Inhuman king Black Bolt was abandoned by his people, who left the safety of Attilan to make their own way in the world, Black Bolt resolved to make the world safer for them by unleashing the Terrigen Mist upon the world. Before doing so, he blinded Uatu so that the Watcher would not be able to stop him or record his actions.[5]
Earth X[]
Uatu was blind as the entire population of the planet rapidly mutated due to the Mists.[5] Uatu and his masters began searching the Earth for someone that might act as Uatu's eyes. Years later, they settled on Aaron Stack, the hero formerly known as the Machine Man, a robot seeking desperately to know what it truly was to be human. Uatu approached Aaron, offering to reveal humanity's destiny. He transported him to the Moon, removing his human appearance in the process.[2]
When Aaron stumbled upon the Watcher's Citadel, Uatu revealed himself to him, showing him the ancient history of the planet and the Celestials' connection to it. However, rather than reveal the truth, Uatu led Aaron to believe that humanity's ultimate destiny was to become like the Celestials themselves. Referring to Aaron by his model number "X-51", he hoped to gradually dehumanize him, rendering him indifferent to the true purpose of humanity; serving as anti-bodies to protect the Celestial embryo until it could be born. [2] [6]
Giving X-51 access to his machinery, the two looked upon the Earth and the events that transpired there, giving Uatu valuable information about what had happened while he had been blind.[7] Uatu, who held a low view of mankind and completely rejected human notions of morality and meaning, soon grew irritated with X-51's idealism and his growing worry for the fate of the planet and its inhabitants. Uatu demanded that he delete his personality before he received the full extent of Uatu's knowledge of humanity's fate.[8]
After X-51 seemingly did so, Uatu uploaded the full extent of the Celestial plan to his harddrive, only to realize too late that X-51 had deceived him.[9] Desperate to save humanity, X-51 told the truth of the Celestial plan to Reed Richards.[5] While X-51 was away, Uatu attempted to convince John Jameson, an astronaut residing on the Moon who had stumbled upon the Watcher's citadel, of the danger that X-51 posed. He gave Jameson the Ultimate Nullifier, telling him to use it to force X-51 and Richards to stand down.[6]
This plot failed however, as the pair managed to talk Jameson down.[10] Just as the Celestials arrived to purge Earth of all life to protect their embryo, Black Bolt flew out to meet them, using his mighty voice to cry out a single name in a call for aid; "Franklin".[3] Just as the Celestials arrived, they were shocked to find Galactus arriving to defend Earth. Uatu would soon learn that Galactus was in fact Reed Richards' own son Franklin Richards. Reed, unaware of Galactus' role as a cosmic equalizer, had turned the original Galactus into a star. His son, whose mutation had advanced to the point where he could be shaped to replace Galactus, took his place, forgetting his true identity.[10] [11]
Black Bolt screaming his true name drew Franklin to Earth, where he successfully repelled the Celestials. While Uatu remained defiant, declaring that the humans had merely exchanged one executioner for another, as Galactus would be forced to consume the Earth, Reed spoke to Galactus, convincing him to remove the Celestial embryo without destroying the planet. As punishment for his role in nearly dooming the Earth, X-51 disconnected Uatu from his equipment, leaving him alone in the dark, while X-51 remained as the new "Watchman" of Earth.[11]
Universe X[]
Three years after the defeat of the Celestials, the Earth had undergone catastrophic climate changes as a result of the loss of mass caused by the removal of the Celestial embryo. Still troubled by his reaction to the name "Franklin", Galactus returned, seeking out X-51 to learn the history of Franklin Richards. X-51 was forced to honor Galactus' request, but was shocked when his equipment displayed the death of an alternate reality version of Franklin, thus maintaing Galactus' identity. Seeking answers, X-51 returned to Uatu, offering to plug him back into his equipment in return for Uatu's knowledge.[12]
Uatu did not give X-51 the knowledge he sought, driving him to instead seek out the Supreme Intelligence, who had been hidden on the Moon many years ago. The Supreme Intelligence told X-51 of the multiverse and revealed that each alternate reality Earth had its own embryo and Watcher.[13] When Mar-Vell and his companions came to the citadel to retrieve the Ultimate Nullifier from Uatu, he attempted to escape, even threatening to use the Nullifier, but ultimately agreed to give it over to Mar-Vell.[14]
Paradise X[]
Seeking to free these alternate Earths of their embryo, X-51 assembled the Heralds, a group composed of individuals from throughout the multiverse whom X-51 promised to aid in exchange for their help in warning alternate realities.[15]
While X-51 and his Heralds were travelling the multiverse, Uatu was visited by his fellow Watchers and warned them of all that had occurred. The Watchers took Uatu into custody, intending to try him for his mistakes in revealing their purpose to the humans of his Earth. X-51 and his Heralds returned in time to free Uatu, escaping with him and tricking the other Watchers into a trap, causing them all to reveal themselves to the Earths they watched. X-51 knew that this would sow the seeds of curiosity, giving the other Earths the chance to learn the truth behind the Watchers' purpose.[4]
With all Watchers now guilty of the same crime as Uatu, they were forced to leave him be. X-51 declared that Uatu was now free to do more than watch, and asked him for his help.[4] Uatu agreed to help him. Shortly thereafter, the Watcher's Citadel was attacked by the Guardians of the Galaxy, who incapacitated Uatu as they interrogated X-51 to learn what had happened to the Earth.[16]
Despite his reconciliation with X-51, Uatu remained robbed of his purpose and reason to exist, and fell ill. The only thing preventing him from passing away was the destruction of Death herself, who had been killed by Mar-Vell as part of his plot to save the universe from the interference of the Celestials and Elders of the Universe.[17] [18]
When the greatest minds of Earth freed Jude the Entropic Man as a replacement for Death, X-51 decided to take Uatu to Earth so that Jude might free him from his torment.[19] [18]Attributes
Additional Attributes
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Weapons
Transportation
See Also
- 20 appearance(s) of Uatu (Earth-9997)
- 6 minor appearance(s) of Uatu (Earth-9997)
- 1 mention(s) of Uatu (Earth-9997)
- 5 image(s) of Uatu (Earth-9997)
- 2 quotation(s) by or about Uatu (Earth-9997)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Universe X #7
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Earth X #0
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Earth X #11
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Paradise X: Heralds #3
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Earth X #9
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Earth X #10
- ↑ Earth X #1
- ↑ Earth X #6
- ↑ Earth X #8
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Earth X #12
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Earth X #X
- ↑ Universe X: 4 #1
- ↑ Universe X #6
- ↑ Earth X #7
- ↑ Paradise X: Heralds #1
- ↑ Paradise X #0
- ↑ Paradise X #5
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Paradise X: X #1
- ↑ Paradise X #11