Nova asks more questions

[skjam]

I picked up a few regular comics as well as the free ones on Free Comic Book Day. After the previous post where young Nova asks some semi-relevant questions, I noticed that he's doing it again in Original Sin #0.



As the new kid on the block, I guess it's only fair that he gets to be the viewpoint character for expository information.



The story opens with Sam Alexander, the new Nova, recapping his origin, including his difficult relationship with his father. He can't afford to be too introspective at the moment, though, as he is battling Tomazooma, the Living Totem. Once Nova realizes Tomazooma's true nature, the fight is a short one. It's at this point the Avengers arrive, and Iron Man compliments Nova.



Does anyone know if Reed Richards ever asked? The Watcher's origin story from back in the day has him addressing the readers directly, no sign of any superheroes listening.

So, Sam decides to visit Uatu on the moon. He even brings a gift! The Watcher doesn't say anything, but when he goes inside his domicile, he leaves the door open. Nova follows. Sam's helmet is trying to tell him something, but it's not quite clear what. The path leads through the armory, and Sam shows his maturity by not touching anything.

Uatu doesn't speak in answer to Sam's question, but does allow Nova to see events on a viewscreen. It's the critical moment when the race that would become the Watchers decided what they were going to do with their vast intelligence and power. One named Emnu says that they should not even bother with the lesser species, but Ikor argues that they should uplift others. Ikor's arguments win the day, and the Watchers start with their nearest neighbors, the Prosilicans. Among other things, the Watchers teach the Prosilicans how to use nuclear energy to benefit all Prosilicankind. Ikor's son Uatu is pleased that his father's work is going so well.




Now Sam begins to understand the vow of non-interference and observation. He asks how much of this is Uatu's to watch, and suddenly we see the multiverse. (Including a world where Sam's little sister was his big sister, and became Nova instead.) It's too much for Nova to focus on, but then he sees a pattern, a recurring moment that is the same in all realities.



"I wanted my dad to be right too."

And then there's one final surprise.




In other news, I'm participating in a blogging challenge, to make 20 posts during the month of May. See some of the results at http://www.skjam.com

Comments

[icon_uk]

That's.... remarkably unoriginal as a motivation, heck, the Time Lords use exactly the same reason for their non-interference.

I think that Quasar and Uatu talked a time or two, but I can't recall if this came up.

[skjam]

It's the same origin the Watchers had in Tales of Suspense #52-53 in 1964. I'll check over on TV Tropes to see if anyone else had it first.

eta: No, not explicitly, though non-interference clauses go back to 1930s SF.

[icon_uk]

Good to know, thanks!

[obsidianwolf]

I want to say it might have during the whole thought plague incident when Quasar saved the whole race but I don't have access to the issues right this moment to check.

[icon_uk]

Yeah, if it was going to be anywhere it would be about then, but I don't have mine to hand either! :)

[starwolf_oakley]

IIRC, the Watchers were willing their own death because even just watching and recording unseen and unknown counted as interfering. Even their existence counted as interfering. When Quasar pointed out how invaluable the Watchers' records would be millions/billions of years in the future, they realized this. And then the "dead" Watchers woke up.

[obsidianwolf]

I think he also brought up how there dying would also be interference since most of the advanced races of the universe were aware of them and might freak out if they all vanished.

I really have to dig out the issues and reread the run.

[md84]

It's been their origin since forever. As reasons go for a non-interference clause, it's not a bad one. If my first attempt at helping others ended with mass genocides, I'd probably be soured on trying again.

[silicondream]

"Pfft, sissies," say the Guardians of the Universe. "Our well-meaning interference has caused mass genocides roughly 685 times now, and you don't see us throwing in the towel!"

[cainofdreaming]

Even though half the universe is begging them to. And the other half is preparing to help with it.

[q99]

Yep. I was never fond of the 'one mistake makes a species give up helping/interfering forever' approach either.

And probably why Uatu fudges when he can.

[obsidianwolf]

And it makes the few times he outright says screw it and intervenes all the more awesome IMO. Like the time he saved the Earth Solar System from Aron during that whole Celestials versus Watcher's fight. Or during Time Quake when he and the Time Variant Authority of all things saved the multiverse.(though supposedly he had permission to ignore his oath then.)

Not to mention the alternate universe takes like What if The Avengers faced Galactus when he came to Earth or the end of of the 2099 imprint.

[md84]

The Aron example was perfectly justified since Aron was also a rogue Watcher. Uatu was arguably just enforcing his race's non-interference clause.

[obsidianwolf]

True enough though is speech when he did it would have probably gotten him in trouble.

Though my all time favorite Uatu breaks the rules moment has to be from the collection obsession storyline over in AVengers. When he breaks the rules by pointing while being watched by an Avenger on Earth right as the team exploring the collector's ship comes to a fork in the path.

[q99]

Indeed. I'm down with Uatu himself (in FF he pseudo-intervened too, he set it up so he'd be attacked so there'd be reprisals), I'm just surprised more don't do similar!

[timefire]

There's also Marvel 1602 - I guess that'd count on a technicality? :P

[leoboiko]

when he can like every other Saturday

[md84]

Given the consequences of said mistake, it's understandable why the Watchers haven't tried again. Except Uatu, and even he severely limits his own actions to merely making appearances most of the time.

[q99]

To an extent, but these are a people with millions of years to see what intervention does on countless scales and what works and what doesn't.

They should have mountains of research to indicate that while their original methods were foolish, intervention by other species regularly works when done cautiously and with care.

[skemono]

"Listen, kid. No offense, but this was hardly the sort of giant, cosmic-level event for which the Watcher tends to log in a personal appearance. You were just fighting a giant robot! It's not like you were doing something that would get his attention, like discussing the political ramifications of a proposed piece of legislation that would affect a single country on a single planet."

[md84]

Or a wedding.

[dr_archeville]

I do find the idea — that in all the Multiverse, Uatu cannot find one reality where the early Watchers didn't screw up — to be interesting. The most obvious reason is that theirs was an act of hubris so profound it can't have gone any other way, but it seems to me the tipping point was how the Prosilicans chose to use the power they were given. So if those proto-Watchers had chosen some other race to be the first to receive their gifts, things could have gone another way.

Or, y'know, if one of the proto-Watchers had stayed behind and kept an eye on things, to make sure their gifts/lessons were used properly. I'd say that's their big failing: not that they gave advanced science & tech to a "primitive" race, but they they did so and then didn’t stick around to make sure it wasn't abused.

[skjam]

Possibly it's the point in time that created the multiverse Uatu can see--that has to happen, or Uatu cannot see alternate realities, an inherent limit in the process.

I was reminded of the story posted here a while back about the book store that has every book ever...but one.

[shadowpsykie]

Why is Nova fascinated with the Watchers?

[tianyulong]

What's not to be fascinating about them? They are a race of beings who have near unlimited power, are essentially gods, but who take a vow not to interfere with the universe. I'd be pretty fascinated by them too if I lived in the Marvelverse.