Published Apr 11, 2026, 8:47 AM EDT
Fariba Rezwan is a Lead Editor for the Movie News team. She has been with ScreenRant for nearly five years, with roles ranging from list editor to junior news editor.
During that time, Fariba has led coverage for breaking movies and TV news, including Hunger Games, Marvel, and streaming. Additionally, she has actively provided commentary and reactions to the biggest movies and shows on her YouTube channel, The Movieception Show.
A Marvel extraterrestrial is officially watching the live-action cinematic universe.
Disney+ dropped Daredevil: Born Again season 2, episode 4, "Gloves Off." While many are stunned by a major character's presumed death, others are focused on a subtle detail in the final moments. As Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) attempts to catch up with an injured Bullseye (Wilson Bethel), some eagle-eyed viewers noticed that the background with the shattered glass was eerily shaped as the head of the Watcher.
Speculations sparked online whether this was a coincidence or a confirmed appearance of an extraterrestrial, and it's spreading like wildfire. Now, Brad Winderbaum, who is the Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation at Marvel Studios, broke his silence to address the guesswork. In an Instagram post, the executive producer posted a screenshot of the scene in question, with the caption "Always watching," while tagging What If? Based on his response, he seemingly confirms that the figure looking through the window is the Watcher.
Voiced by Jeffrey Wright, the Watcher is known as the interdimensional onlooker, who was introduced in the Disney+ animated series, What If? In the series, the being acts as a narrator who observes the alternate realities, where major events ended with a different result from the Sacred Timeline, which takes place on Earth-616. While looking over different dimensions, he vows not to interfere with the events, but ends up breaking the oath following the threat of Ultron at the end of season 1.
Although the Watcher has yet to debut in any live-action Marvel project, the race was acknowledged in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Stan Lee had a cameo as an informant who would report back to the Watcher detailing his adventures.
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige once hinted at the possibility of the Watcher crossing over to the live-action projects. In an episode of Marvel Studios: Assembled, he stated that "I really believe that deepening fictional mythologies is a way to appreciate them more, is a way to understand them more, look at them in a different way," and that some ideas may "spin into other mediums." The series What If? has since concluded after running for three seasons.
The Multiverse Saga is still ongoing, but it will conclude following the release of Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, which will release on December 18, 2026, and December 17, 2027, respectively. Robert Downey Jr. will make his Marvel return, but rather than Iron Man, the Oscar winner will portray the big bad Doctor Doom.
There has yet to be any information as to why the Watcher is observing Daredevil, and it's unlikely that it will ever be elaborated since season 2 is very focused on the conflict between him and Kingpin. However, it's quite possible that it was simply observing the situation, since he is simply an observer who can't meddle. It's uncertain if there are any plans to properly introduce a live-action Watcher in either of the Avengers movies, although both will be heavily focused on the multiversal impact.
Projects, like Loki and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, have explored the multiverse as the story's core element and will likely influence the MCU timeline leading into the next Avengers movies. As of writing, however, Cox has stated that Daredevil will not appear in Avengers: Doomsday.
New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again season 2 drop on Disney+at 9 pm ET until May 5. The Punisher: One Last Kill airs the following week on May 12.
English (US) ·