Watcher (Highlander)

Able to take each other's Quickening through killing, many immortals wage a secret war called the Game, believing that one day the last few will meet for the Gathering and a final battle will take place.

In the season 2 premiere episode of Highlander: The Series, "The Watchers", Joe Dawson explains the purpose of his organization: "For as long as your kind's been around, we've been watching... We observe, we record, but we never interfere... Too much of man's history has been lost.

The Watchers are meant to keep their existence secret so that the general public does not hunt immortals out of fear and ignorance.

The Watchers seem to have vast resources and wealth, but several such as Joe Dawson run their own businesses to provide a cover identity as well as independent income.

Some are assigned to research areas of history and legends that require more factual evidence, such as the "Methos Project" where Watchers tried to uncover the truth behind the legendary figure said to be possibly the oldest living immortal.

[5] In the late 20th century, a high-ranking Watcher named James Horton concluded that immortals were abominations and that humanity would suffer and be enslaved no matter who won the Prize, believing none of them could resist being corrupted by such power.

When they killed the immortal Darius, who had given up violence to become a priest, the group earned the attention of his friend Duncan MacLeod.

It is unclear if the immortals who joined the Sanctuary knew they would be placed into a state where they would not be able to change their minds and ask for freedom unless awakened by someone else.

Matthew Hale, the Watcher who supervises the facility, is desperate that the Prize must not be won and decides to kidnap new immortal "volunteers" to maintain the Sanctuary's purpose.

Despite this, a number of fans criticized Highlander: Endgame for showing Jacob Kell killing other immortals on holy ground without any consequence and didn't care for the implication that it was simply a rule that others (including evil immortals) followed out of tradition, especially when the movie then showed Connor and Duncan being unwilling to kill Kell when he is on holy ground himself later.

To simplify matters, the DVD and digital editions of Highlander: Endgame removed all reference to the Sanctuary being built on holy ground.