What If? arrives on Disney+ later in the summer, and while it initially looked like a throwaway animated series that would simply explore some alternate timelines, it's since become clear that this show could have major ramifications for the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe.
What they end up being obviously remains to be seen, but in the latest issue of Disney's D23 Magazine (via The Direct), star Jeffrey Wright shared some hints about The Watcher's role in the show.
"In the comics, he's an observer - and then some," The Batman star explained. "Here, in the first season, he starts off as an observer, but he gradually becomes more compelled by what he watches." After comparing the character to Rod Serling in The Twilight Zone, Wright hinted at a future for The Watcher beyond this first batch of episodes.
"There are infinite possibilities with this series within the MCU. I'm open to all of it," he revealed. "One thing I think we're realizing with Marvel and Kevin Feige's leadership is that these are broad, broad canvasses they're painting on. I don't even try to anticipate, so I'm just open to all of it - as The Watcher would be."
In the same piece, producer Brad Winderbaum also opened up about what The Watcher brings to the MCU. "He's a godlike, omnipotent figure who is larger than life. The challenge with a character like that is: How do you make him human? How do you make him relatable? He is mysterious, but he's also kind of dangerous. You want to know more, and you're hanging on his every word as he invites you into all these stories."
It seems the ancient being is set to be more than just a narrator in What If?, and if those hints about some sort of team (the Guardians of the Multiverse?) assembling are correct, then we could see the events of this series play into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and beyond.