Spoilers for King in Black: Symbiote Spider-Man #4 ahead!

The King in Black has cut a path of destruction across the Marvel Universe, ultimately arriving on Earth and making short work of every line of defense the heroes had. His reign of terror has gotten so far out of hand that one of the last characters anyone would suspect is out to destroy the Knull: Uatu, commonly known to as “the Watcher.” It all goes down in King in Black: Symbiote Spider-Man #4.

Uatu the Watcher has been a part of the Marvel Universe for over 50 years, first appearing in 1963’s Fantastic Four #13. Created by the legendary Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Uatu’s race is one of the oldest in the universe. They catalog key events and beings throughout the history of the universe, with Uatu assigned to Earth. They are sworn to an oath of non-interference, although Uatu has come close to breaking it on occasion. The character has proven popular and even had a cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume Two during a post-credits scene featuring the requisite Stan Lee cameo.  Uatu perished during the Original Sin event, and was replaced for a time by Nick Fury, but he recently returned to life in the Empyre Fallout: Fantastic Four one-shot. Readers were kept in the dark as to exactly why Uatu had returned, but he promised a “reckoning” and that a war was coming.

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Ulik, an Asgardian Rock Troll, is seeking the Necro-Sword, one of the King in Black’s most powerful weapons, in order to destroy it. At the same time, a ragtag team consisting of Spider-Man, Black Knight, Rocket, Photon and Kang the Conqueror, have been fighting Mister E, seeking to separate him from the symbiote that has possessed him. They are successful in freeing him and send the symbiote to the Collector for safe keeping. They turn their attention back to Ulik, but before the fight can truly begin, Uatu the Watcher arrives, and informs Spider-Man and the rest that he sent Ulik to get the Sword because it is the only weapon that can destroy the King in Black.

The other heroes are understandably shocked by this, as Uatu has built a career out of non-interference and now he is apparently ready to take the fight straight to the King in Black. When Uatu returned, he told Nick Fury that a war was coming—did he mean against the King in Black? Could Uatu be acting in such a way as to preserve his own race? If the King in Black is successful, there is nothing to stop him from coming after the Watchers, so his act could be one of preservation and it is possible he is working without his people’s knowledge.

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The King in Black’s attack has forced the heroes of Earth to embrace new ways of thinking, and stepping outside their comfort zones. This apparently applies to Uatu as well. King in Black: Symbiote Spider-Man #4 is written by Peter David with art by Greg Land, inks by Jay Leisten and colors by Frank D’Armata; the issue is available in stores now and on all digital comics platforms.

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Shaun Corley
(1377 Articles Published)

Shaun Corley is a pop culture enthusiast living in the Pacific Northwest. After stints in both customer service and academia, he’s turned his attention to writing about comic books–his lifelong passion. He is a graduate of Radford University, with a degree in English. When not reading comics, he enjoys spending time with his fiance and their dog.

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