What If…? Star Jeffrey Wright Addreses the Watcher’s Evolution and ‘Epic’ Season 2 Finale – CBR – Comic Book Resources

Jeffrey Wright reprises his role as the Watcher in Marvel's What If?, teasing his character's critical role in the Season 2 finale.

Wright told Entertainment Weekly that he prefers to be oblivious about his character's next arcs in Marvel's What If? It's apparent that he wants to join audiences as they experience the episodes upon release. He says this is all for the better, because unlike Uatu he can only do so much to manage his priorities. "The multiverse of things that I am to oversee sometimes overwhelms my hard drive," he remarked. The actor did acknowledge the epic scale of stories explored in Season 2, and considering the nature of his character, the Watcher will also likely play a central part in the finale.

"He's not the Watcher that he was at the beginning," Wright said. "He's a different Watcher now. He's broken the fourth wall, so that's wonderful because it gives a nice complexity to the character, and it also allows him to be active in ways that he wasn't at the beginning of the series." What If? Season 1 saw the Watcher shift from an impersonal, neutral entity to an agent of change, taking the side of the protagonists. But since the concept of the series allows for virtually infinite storytelling possibilities, Wright said he would rather "stay in his lane and anticipate events like everyone else."

Wright describes Marvel's What If? as a homage to the oldest types of storytelling. "There's always a push towards something that's befitting the epic nature of this series," he said. "What I love about the Marvel Universe is that when it's done right, there's a type of modern myth-making that happens on a pop culture level, and it goes back to the oldest types of storytelling. The stories of these heroines and heroes is something that's almost primal to humans, and the culmination here is epic and sweeping, so it's only fitting." What If? does break out of the MCU's mold, giving its creatives free rein to explore new character arcs and crossover stories.

Wright revealed the Watcher is even more personable to the superheroes now he did assemble the team to save the multiverse in Season 1. "Yeah, they're all up in my business now," he confirmed. "It's a bit shocking. There's so much yet to explore with him, particularly this idea that he's hidden and then he's not, and who it is that's able to perceive him." The Watcher's adaptation in What If? is in keeping with the comics, as the character has broken his oath numerous times to prevent cataclysms. This same dilemma will likely now plague Loki, who was recently promoted to the god of time in Loki's series finale.

Seasons 1 and 2 of Marvel's What If? is now streaming on Disney+.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Exploring pivotal moments from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and turning them on their head, leading the audience into uncharted territory.

Read more:

What If...? Star Jeffrey Wright Addreses the Watcher's Evolution and 'Epic' Season 2 Finale - CBR - Comic Book Resources