The Simpsons Are Secretly the Watchers of the Marvel Multiverse
No stranger to cameos themselves, The Simpsons frequent appearances in Marvel Comics suggest they are the Watchers of the Marvel universe. During their mission to save another universe from utter catastrophe, the reality-hopping Exiles save a nuclear power plant and meet a familiar-looking old man, his bespectacled subordinate, and a disheveled worker with a love of donuts. This cameo plus others in the Sensational She-Hulk or Immortal Hulk align with the Stan Lee MCU theory that despite different clothes or appearances, the Simpsons' eyes are all over the Marvel multiverse.
The Exiles are mutant heroes from other dimensions tasked with traveling to parallel worlds that require restoration, either by allowing specific events to occur or preventing a great catastrophe from occurring. In Exiles #52, the team travels to a world trying to recover from an encounter with Ego the Living Planet which allowed the Earth to become sentient and self-aware. Besieged by cube-headed creatures coming from inside the Earth itself, the overwhelmed Avengers turn to Doctor Doom when the Fantastic Four disappear in a mission to the Earth’s core. The Exiles teleport in the middle of an attack on a nuclear power plant where the Exiles are quickly overwhelmed but saved by teammate/leader Blink who cleverly teleports the entities into the Earth’s orbit.
In the story by Tony Bedard and Jim Calafiore, the Exiles are greeted enthusiastically by the plant’s manager, Mr. Brasington who is followed by a quiet, bespectacled assistant and a balding, rumpled worker who enjoys a snack now that the threat is over. Believing the Exiles’ cover of being a government black ops team, Mr. Brasington treats them to coffee and snacks, as the break room was unharmed during the attack, and informs them of the current events in this world. While the Exiles learn how this ties into their mission, it becomes clear that Mr. Brasington is a Marvel-ized version of the Simpsons’ elderly yet scheming Mr. Burns and the other two are his loyal confidant and assistant Waylon Smithers and the bumbling donut-munching employee Homer Simpson.
While this is not the only time the Simpsons appear in the Exiles, Morph uses the Comic Book Guy to explain his discomfort while teleporting, this was not the first time they appeared in Marvel Comics. In John Byrne’s Sensational She-Hulk #33, Homer along with the entire Simpson family are seen driving and bantering until they frightfully encounter zombies. In Immortal Hulk #32, Bart along with Milhouse, Lisa, and Kevin are seen while Bart uses one of the Simpsons’ phrases “embiggen” to describe the Hulk’s latest adversary, Xemu. These versions which exist in the mainstream Marvel world are a clear Simpsons homages yet each look different, similar to Stan Lee’s cameos throughout Marvel movies and the MCU. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 confirmed that Stan was acting as an informant for the Watchers, helping the nigh-omnipotent race tasked with gathering information and observing worlds without direct interference. While the other Simpsons cameos appear indirectly involved in their heroes’ stories, the Simpsons appearance with the Exiles not only sees them making direct contact by helping but also implies their presence exists in countless other Marvel universes as well.
While the Simpsons are no stranger to Marvel cameos, Stan Lee making frequent appearances along with others like Nick Fury or Thanos during the show's historic run, their presence in the Marvel universe proves they truly are everywhere. While these versions of the Simpsons appear content with letting their worlds’ heroes handle the big stuff, their infrequent yet noticeable appearances over the years suggest these Watchers are paying close attention to current events and like Uatu, they have no problem getting involved if necessary.