Marvel is just weeks away from launching their latest big summer event: Original Sin. Written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by Mike Deodato, Original Sin explores what happens when the Watcher is murdered and his eyes are stolen. Yeah, that's right (and gross) -- the Watcher's eyes contain everything he has ever seen, including all the dark secrets Marvel's heroes have been hiding. Who killed the Watcher? What will happen when his many secrets are leaked to the world? Those questions form the basis of the conflict in Original Sin.

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But what do you need to know in order to pick up and enjoy Original Sin? As it turns out, not much. While this event has been teased for a while now, it looks like it will be a self-contained murder mystery that can be read by itself.However, if you want the full story, the whole shebang, then we've got you covered with our primer for Original Sin. With any luck, these five tidbits will have you fully prepared when Original Sin #1 hits next month. The Watcher is a character who's been a part of Marvel's books nearly as long as Spider-Man and Hulk. He was first introduced in 1963's Fantastic Four #13, where readers learned that a race of immortal beings called Watchers are tasked with observing all events in the universe. This particular Watcher, Uatu, is charged with observing everything that transpires on Earth, which can't be a pleasant task some days. He lives in his laboratory on the "Blue Area of the Moon," a region with its own breathable atmosphere where shenanigans are always going down.The Watchers adhere to a strict vow of non-interference, though Uatu follows that mandate about as well as Captain Kirk respects the Prime Directive. He first broke his vow of noninterference in Fantastic Four #48 several years later. The Watcher appeared before the Fantastic Four to warn them of the coming of Galactus. That has turned out to be one of over 400 times Uatu has interfered in events on Earth. Like a rogue police detective, the Watcher breaks the rules, but at least he gets results.The Watcher has remained a recurring figure throughout the Marvel Universe in the decades since. Often times he merely appears as a silent observer in the build-up to a major storyline. If the Watcher suddenly shows up out of nowhere (as he did in Civil War or recently in Paul Cornell's Wolverine run), it's a clear sign that major things are brewing. But at times he again breaks his vow of noninterference and aids the Fantastic Four or other heroes in their quests. Once he got punched in the face by Red Hulk, because reasons.The Watcher is also famous for hosting Marvel's What If? comics. Most issues open with the Watcher explaining his role and ushering readers on a glimpse of another Marvel Universe where events unfolded in a different manner. It seems his all-seeing powers extend well beyond Earth and into the multiverse itself.The Watcher's most recent significant appearance occurred in the pages of Matt Fraction and Mike Allred's recent FF comic. Not only did Uatu aid the Future Foundation in their battle to defeat Doom the Annihilating Conquerer, but he revealed that he had taken a wife and was expecting a child. How exactly Mrs. Uatu and her unborn child will factor into Original Sin is unclear, but that plot point will be dealt with. Original Sin is essentially a murder mystery at its core. The series opens with Uatu being murdered on the moon. His all-seeing eyes are missing, as are many important artifacts and records from his laboratory. Whomever the killer is, they have the power to kill a Watcher and knowledge of many dirty secrets that unfolded during Uatu's reign. That murder sparks a two-pronged investigation, but matters will quickly become complicated as the stolen secrets begin leaking out into the world and various heroes have to deal with having their dirty laundry aired.Original Sin hasn't had the prolonged, steady buildup that events like Civil War or Avengers vs. X-Men did. Other than Original Sin #0 (out later this month), there aren't really any direct prologues to the event. But it is clear that this is a story Marvel has been planning for some time. The seeds of Original Sin were first planted in the Marvel Point One one-shot in late 2011. While ostensibly tasked with setting the stage for various post-Fear Itself comics like The Defenders and Age of Ultron, that issue also featured a framing story wherein a pair of armored thieves snuck into the Watcher's base and downloaded information.That story offers several key hints towards the events of Original Sin. It's clear that, even two-and-a-half years ago, Marvel was building towards a storyline where the Watcher would be murdered. Original Sin might even have been published in 2012 or 2013 if Avengers vs. X-Men hadn't taken precedent in Marvel's schedule. We know that the killer has a name - The Unseen - and that he obviously has the resources to circumvent the Watcher's all-seeing eyes and the minions to help carry out his plans. So what starts out as a manhunt will inevitably turn into a larger battle between the Avengers and the Unseen. The real question is whether this killer is a new character or a familiar face. One of Marvel's most popular storylines in recent years was Civil War, which saw the Avengers split into rival factions over the idea of mandatory registration and training for all heroes. With the events of Civil War leading to everything from Iron Man being crowned Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. to Captain America being assassinated, its effects rippled across the Marvel Universe for several years. The Avengers seem to be united under one banner again. They're at a high point as a team in the aftermath of Infinity. After all, it was the Avengers, not the Shi'ar or Kree or Spartax, who led the charge and saved the universe from the wrath of Thanos and the might of the Builders.But that post-victory high isn't going to last forever. And Original Sin may very well cause another schism among the Avengers. Jonathan Hickman laid the groundwork for that conflict early into his run on New Avengers last year. New Avengers follows the Illuminati, a group of powerful, influential heroes like Iron Man, Mister Fantastic, Doctor Strange, and Black Panther who have taken it upon themselves to respond to various global threats from the shadows. Among their responsibilities is safeguarding the six Infinity Gems and preventing them from falling into the hands of someone like Thanos again.But the Illuminati's primary mission these days is saving the world from complete annihilation. One of Hickman's predominate themes across all his Avengers work is that the structure of the multiverse is damaged. This is causing a phenomenon called Incursions, where the Earths of two universes begin to intersect and tear each other apart. Unless one Earth is forcibly eliminated, both will eventually be destroyed. This forces the Illuminati to wrestle with a terrible conundrum - is it justifiable to kill an entire world if it means saving their own?The idealistic Captain America wasn't willing to compromise, and the rest of the Illuminati chose to wipe his memory of their existence rather than risk derailing their plans. For now, they operate completely in secret, with no one else knowing the terrible danger facing their world or the deeds these heroes have been forced to resort to.But it seems that's all coming to an end during Original Sin. Hickman already teased the imminent outing of the Illuminati in The Avengers #24.NOW last December. And Marvel has since confirmed that Cap's mindwipe will be one of the many secrets revealed during the course of Original Sin. We don't know exactly how this will impact the various Avengers teams, but the fallout of this secret being revealed probably won't be good for Cap, the Illuminati, or anyone else. We may soon see the Avengers once again divided down the middle as some support Cap's "never compromise your morals" mentality and others recognize the need for desperate measures.