"Kid, why are you looking at me like that?" The old man, with his white beard and glasses, turned his head to meet Garus' gaze. He feigned ignorance, as if they had never met before.
"I feel like I've seen you somewhere before." Garus scrutinized him carefully. He thought about the Marvel universe but couldn't recall any superheroes who looked like this man.
"Impossible. We've never met." The old man shook his head. "Anyway, I can't chat—I need to get to the library. I'm just a librarian, nothing more."
"Stan Lee!" Watching the old man walk away, Garus suddenly slapped his forehead. That mischievous smile—it finally clicked. Wasn't this the legendary Stan Lee, the man who made countless cameo appearances in Marvel films?
Seeing him leave, Garus discreetly followed. There had to be something more to this man.
The trail led to a rundown apartment building. Garus watched him enter. Wasn't he supposed to be heading to the library? Why come here instead?
After a moment's thought, he summoned a Shade of Naxxramas to slip inside unnoticed.
Garus was extremely curious. This old man, who had appeared across various Marvel storylines, could he truly be, as rumors suggested, a Watcher?
He tailed him for an entire day without discovering anything unusual. Eventually, he lost patience and left the Shade to continue surveillance.
"What a mysterious young man," the old man muttered to himself. "But he shouldn't know who I really am. I always make sure to be careful." As a Watcher, concealment was his greatest skill—he had once stood before the Ancient One herself without revealing a trace of his presence.
In truth, he had been observing Garus since the moment he arrived on Earth, cautiously analyzing him. What intrigued him even more was Garus' origins. Why was he here? In that wormhole, he had sensed an ancient aura—one older than this very universe.
"Perhaps I should meet him after all," he mused. There were things he wanted to understand, and the young man did not appear to be a threat.
Yet before he could act, a swirling black portal materialized before him. A figure stepped out.
"Huh?!" The old man was dumbfounded. "You?!"
Garus had already learned everything through the Naxxramas Eye. So, this man really wasn't ordinary after all.
The Shade beside him flickered, slowly solidifying from its ethereal form. The old man sighed and dropped his disguise.
Gone was the elderly, bearded man. In his place stood a being with an elongated head, resembling an alien—like something out of a sci-fi movie.
"Allow me to introduce myself," he said. "I am Uatu, a Watcher tasked with observing Earth's civilization. If you wish to learn more, follow me." He pressed a device on his wrist, and before them, a blue portal shimmered into existence.
Without hesitation, Garus stepped through. He sensed no energy from Uatu—just the aura of an ordinary person. Was the Watcher concealing his power too well, or was he truly just an observer?
On the other side of the portal, Garus found himself in a grand, resplendent hall. The walls were adorned with murals.
"This is Earth's history." Uatu gestured at the paintings. "These were created by my predecessors, as well as myself. No other planet in the universe has a civilization as… colorful as Earth."
The Celestials' experiments, the wars between mutants and Inhumans, two World Wars, the clash between the Ancient Order and Dormammu, the eternal struggle of Heaven and Hell, the Asgardians, the Vanir, the Dark Elves… Chaos upon chaos, all unfolding on Earth.
As Uatu spoke, Garus gained a deeper understanding of this world. It was truly a dangerous place.
"I consider myself lucky to have survived this long," Uatu admitted. "I've observed Earth for millennia. Several Watchers before me have perished here."
The sheer number of powerful beings emerging from Earth astonished him. His fellow Watchers had deemed the planet a forbidden zone.
"Why continue watching a place so hazardous?" Uatu shook his head. "One wrong step, and you might get caught in a conflict you can't escape. Watchers are not invincible—we are far weaker than the Celestials, Odin, Yahweh, or the great cosmic entities."
Garus chuckled. "So, basically, you're just a spectator? A cosmic bystander?"
"A bystander?" Uatu frowned. "What does that mean?"
"Someone who watches from the sidelines."
After a moment of contemplation, Uatu nodded. "Yes, I suppose you could put it that way."
"Now you understand who I am. But tell me, how did you know I wasn't an ordinary human?" Uatu asked, puzzled. "Even Heimdall of Asgard cannot see through a Watcher's disguise."
"I can't explain that." Garus wasn't about to reveal his secrets. "By the way, is this the Moon?"
Outside the window was a vast darkness, and on the horizon loomed a massive blue planet—Earth.
"Yes. This has been my home for eons." Uatu took a sip from a bottle containing a strange purple liquid. "The Moon has become quite lively lately. The Skrulls you brought have begun constructing a city here, alongside the Inhuman capital, Attilan, which was established decades ago."
Garus pointed at one of the murals. "That battle between two factions of superhumans—was that the Inhumans and the mutants?"
"Correct. The Inhumans were driven off Earth by the mutants. Both sides suffered greatly. The Inhumans have since rebuilt on the Moon, regaining much of their strength. The mutants, however, have faced… other challenges." Uatu paused. "But that's enough for today."
He activated the portal once more. "I am merely a spectator. I do not interfere with Earth's affairs—that is the Watchers' sacred rule. I will no longer observe you, and I ask that you do not trouble me again."
His predecessors had met grisly fates after being discovered by powerful beings. Uatu had no intention of following in their footsteps. It was best to stay out of Garus' business altogether.
"Fine by me." Garus knew Uatu spoke the truth. The Marvel universe really did have its fair share of cosmic rubberneckers.
"Then I'll leave you be." Garus didn't step into the portal. Instead, he gazed outside. "I want to explore. I'd like to see what kind of city the Skrulls are building—and I should visit Attilan."
"Wait—hold on—"
Before Uatu could finish, Garus smashed through the protective barrier surrounding the fortress and soared toward the towering Skrull ships in the distance, leaving the Watcher behind, utterly exasperated.
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