In this feature, I spotlight five scenes/moments from within comic book stories that fit under a specific theme (basically, stuff that happens frequently in comics). Here is an archive of all the patterns we've spotlighted so far.
Today I will spotlight five examples of the Watcher egregiously violating his non-interference oath...
Enjoy!
PLEASE NOTE: The concept of this feature is that I post five scenes/moments. It is not the five BEST moments or the ONLY five moments, it is just five moments. So if I didn't feature a moment you liked, it is not because I forgot it or didn't like it, it just didn't happen to be one of the five moments I chose to feature.
The Watcher's very first appearance in Fantastic Four #13 had him interfere with a fight between the Fantastic Four and the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes...
Despite revealing his non-interference oath in that very issue...
However, I think you have to give the Watcher some leeway when it comes to defending his own home. If a fight messes up his home, it is reasonable to expect him to avoid said fight. So here, we'll look at five examples where the Watcher was far more egregious in his actions.
First up was Fantastic Four #20 (by Stan and Jack), just seven issues later.
In it, the Watcher first summons the Fantastic Four to warn them of the threat of the Molecule Man...
After filling them in, the Watcher then insists that he can't interfere...
So the FF fight the Molecule Man and they eventually defeat him, separating him from his power wand. Again, the Watcher steps in...
Boy, that sure is some good not interfering there, Watcher!
Next is Fantastic Four Annual #3 (by Stan and Jack). In the story, Reed Richards and Sue Storm's wedding has been besieged by super-villains. Things look bad, until the Watcher steps in...
By this point, it sure seems like the Watcher just really loves the Fantastic Four, doesn't it?
Much later, in Fantastic Four #213 by Marv Wolfman and John Byrne, the Watcher again steps in to help the Fantastic Four...
This, of course, is a callback to what was, for a time, the ultimate example of Watcher interference, the Galactus Trilogy (FF #48-50 by Stan and Jack)!
First off, the Watcher tries to hide Earth from Galactus...
Then he tries to talk Galactus out of eating Earth...
Then he helps the Fantastic Four find a powerful device...
The device, the Ultimate Nullifier, wins the day...
You'd think that this would be most he could ever interfere, but you'd be way off! In Captain Marvel #36-39 (by Steve Englehart and Al Milgrom), the Watcher decides he will help the Lunatic Legion kill Captain Marvel!
In Captain Marvel #37, the Watcher actually kicks Captain Marvel's ass (the good Captain is distracted because Rick Jones has just dropped some acid. Yes, that actually happened)...
Ultimately, though, the Watcher saves Captain Marvel, just in time for Watcher to go on trial by his peers. Englehart uses this to show all of the examples where the Watcher had interfered up until that point. We ultimately learn why the Watcher went nuts...
Obviously, as I showed in the above Wolfman/Byrne pages, the Watcher was soon back to his old tricks!
If you have a suggestion for a pattern you'd like to see featured, e-mail me at bcronin@comicbookresources.com. Don't post your suggestions in the comments section!