What If Actor Teases The Watcher Will Interfere In The MCUs Multiverse

Actor Jeffrey Wright has hinted his character, the Watcher, will interfere in the MCU's Multiverse in Marvel's What If..? The Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding at a remarkable rate on the Disney+ streaming service, and it's going to continue doing so by embracing the Multiverse. The upcoming What If..? series will explore alternate timelines in which events played out slightly differently, featuring stories in which Peggy Carter became a super-soldier and the Winter Soldier fights a zombie Captain America.

But, while viewers are expecting all these to be stand-alone stories, it's gradually becoming clear there is indeed some sort of overarching narrative running through the show. What If..? merchandise has teased the Guardians of the Multiverse, suggesting the stars of individual episodes will team up in the end. Now, more details are emerging courtesy of the Summer 2021 issue of Disney's D23 Magazine, which has even confirmed What If..? will tie in somehow into the Spider-Man films.

The Direct has also reported some intriguing details on the Watcher, who will be voiced by Jeffrey Wright. The character is lifted straight from the comics, where he is a near-omnipotent being who is charged with observing all humanity. According to Wright, in the MCU's Multiverse, the Watcher will become far more active. "In the comics, he's an observer—and then some," Wright observes. "Here, in the first season, he starts off as an observer, but he gradually becomes more compelled by what he watches."

Amusingly enough, Wright isn't entirely accurate in his claim that the Watcher is traditionally just an observer in the comics. Although Uatu is member of a race who are charged with simply being observers, he has a tendency to meddle, one that has sometimes gotten him in trouble with the rest of his people. He is most well-known for his various interactions with the Fantastic Four, who he has subtly assisted on many occasions; in fact, the Watcher was really the one who saved Earth from the threat of Galactus, when he prompted the Fantastic Four to seek out the Ultimate Nullifier in order to ward the Devourer of Worlds off.

But Wright's words, combined with the merchandise hinting at the creation of the Guardians of the Multiverse, raise the possibility this version of the Watcher will become more involved than ever. It's possible Marvel has modified an idea from another team of superheroes called the Exiles, interdimensional adventurers who protect the Multiverse, and that in the MCU, this group will be assembled by the Watcher. Thus the overarching story of Marvel's What If..? would be of the Watcher as a simple observer, watching different versions of Earth, increasingly becoming invested in humanity - until he sees a world where everything is going terribly wrong and assembles a team of champions to make matters right.

Here's every confirmed Marvel Cinematic Universe TV show coming to Disney+. Marvel Studios announced in 2019 plans to expand the MCU to the small screen like never before. The studio and Kevin Feige confirmed they are developing multiple TV shows for Disney+ that will be integral to the future of the franchise. These shows will push the MCU in new directions after concluding an 11-year story with Avengers: Endgame.