Deviants

• Core Identity: The Deviants are a monstrous and genetically unstable race of humanoids created by the cosmic Celestials, serving as the chaotic, ever-changing counterparts to the god-like Eternals and a cornerstone of Marvel's cosmic mythology.
• Key Takeaways:
• Role in the Universe: As one of the three foundational branches of humanity engineered by the celestials a million years ago, the Deviants (Homo descendus) represent genetic chaos. Their unstable DNA causes endless, often grotesque, mutations, placing them in eternal opposition to the genetically perfect eternals.
• Primary Impact: Their ancient war with the Eternals has shaped human mythology, casting them as the demons, monsters, and goblins of legend. Their advanced, often cruel, technology and subterranean empire of lemuria have posed a recurring threat to both the surface world and the cosmic order.
• Key Incarnations: The primary difference between their comic and film versions is one of sapience and purpose. In the comics (earth-616), they are an intelligent, space-faring civilization with a complex culture and hierarchy. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they are initially non-sentient, bestial predators engineered by the Celestials to clear planets of apex predators, only later evolving intelligence by consuming Eternals.

The Deviants burst onto the comic book scene in The Eternals #1, published in July 1976. They were conceived by the legendary writer and artist Jack “The King” Kirby upon his celebrated return to Marvel Comics in the mid-1970s. This period marked a creative renaissance for Kirby, who sought to build a new, grand mythology within the Marvel Universe, separate from the heroes he had co-created in the 1960s. Kirby's work on The Eternals was heavily influenced by Erich von Däniken's popular “ancient astronaut” theories, which posited that extraterrestrials had visited early Earth and were responsible for humanity's technological and mythological development. The Deviants, Eternals, and their creators, the Celestials, were Kirby's comic book manifestation of this concept. The Deviants served as the perfect antagonists in this new cosmic pantheon: the flawed, monstrous “devils” to the Eternals' angelic “gods.” Their grotesque and infinitely varied designs allowed Kirby's famously dynamic and imaginative art style to flourish, filling pages with a menagerie of incredible creatures. Thematically, they explored ideas of genetic determinism, societal outcasts, and the nature of monstrosity, adding a layer of tragic depth to their role as villains.

The origin of the Deviants is a tale of cosmic experimentation gone awry, with starkly different narratives between the primary comic universe and its cinematic adaptation.

Approximately one million years ago, the colossal space gods known as the First Host of the Celestials arrived on Earth. They found nascent life in the form of early hominids and, as they had done on countless worlds, began a series of genetic experiments. From this common stock, they engineered three distinct species:

• The Eternals: Beings of immense power, immortality, and perfect genetic stability. They were beautiful, god-like figures designed to be the planet's protectors.
• The Deviants: Beings whose genetic code was intentionally left unstable, resulting in a state of perpetual mutation. No two Deviants are born alike, and their forms are often monstrous and unpredictable. They were the “failures” of the experiment, a testament to chaos.
• Baseline Humanity: The vast majority of early humans were left largely unaltered, but their DNA was encoded with the latent potential to evolve superpowers, most notably leading to the eventual emergence of mutants (the X-Gene).

The Deviants, with their superior strength and intellect over early humans, quickly developed an advanced civilization. Using their mastery of genetic engineering and technology, they established a vast, global empire centered on the continent of Lemuria. They enslaved the burgeoning human race and, in their hubris, decided to challenge their creators when the Second Host of the Celestials arrived for a planetary assessment. This act of defiance was met with swift and terrible judgment. The Celestials unleashed a cataclysm that sank Lemuria and much of the Deviant empire beneath the ocean, an event that would later be mythologized by humans as the “Great Flood.” The surviving Deviants were driven underground into subterranean cities, the largest of which was the rebuilt capital, also named Lemuria. This foundational trauma instilled in their culture a deep-seated fear and resentment of the Celestials and a burning hatred for their favored cousins, the Eternals, sparking a war that has lasted for millennia.

The MCU, as detailed in the 2021 film Eternals, presents a radically different and streamlined origin for the Deviants. They were not a result of experiments on early humans but were instead artificially created beings engineered by the Celestial Arishem the Judge. Their original purpose was entirely functional: they were created to be a form of cosmic pest control. On planets seeded with a nascent Celestial, like Earth, the Deviants were dispatched to eliminate the planet's apex predators. This would allow intelligent species, such as humanity, to thrive and multiply unhindered. A large, intelligent population is a prerequisite for the “Emergence,” the birth of the new Celestial, which consumes the planet in the process. However, the Deviants evolved beyond Arishem's control. They began to prey on the very intelligent life they were meant to protect, becoming a plague upon the worlds they were sent to cleanse. To correct this error, Arishem created a new set of synthetic beings: the Eternals. The Eternals were programmed to be immortal androids with cosmic powers, and their sole mission was to hunt the Deviants to extinction on each seeded planet, thereby ensuring the Emergence could proceed as planned. On Earth, the Eternals believed they had succeeded in killing the last Deviant centuries ago. However, some had survived, frozen in the ice. As the energy signatures heralding the coming Emergence of the Celestial Tiamut grew, the ice melted and the Deviants re-emerged. They had evolved a terrifying new ability: the power to absorb the cosmic energy of the Eternals they killed. This absorption not only healed and empowered them but also allowed their leader, a Deviant later named Kro by Thena, to develop sentience, humanoid features, and the ability to speak, transforming him from a mere beast into a vengeful intelligence seeking to halt the Emergence that would destroy his new home.

The fundamental nature of the Deviants differs so profoundly between the comic and film universes that they are almost entirely different concepts.

The defining feature of the Deviant race is their unstable genetic code. This results in what is known as “maverick genetics,” where every individual's offspring will have a completely unpredictable set of mutations.

• Unstable Genome: This genetic lottery means that no two Deviants (save for identical twins) look alike. Their forms can range from nearly human to utterly monstrous combinations of claws, tentacles, scales, and mismatched limbs. This is the source of their species' name, as they “deviate” from the genetic norm.
• The “Rejects”: A deep-seated cultural horror within Deviant society is the birth of a “Reject”—a Deviant who looks too much like a human or an Eternal. These individuals are typically ostracized or sentenced to death in the “Pits.” The most famous Reject is ransak, a perfect human-looking Deviant who became a renowned gladiator.
• Shapeshifting: While not universal, some Deviants possess a degree of control over their unstable cellular structure, allowing for limited or even total shapeshifting. The Warlord kro is the most prominent example, being a master shapeshifter who can alter his form at will. This ability is also the secret to his immortality, as he can consciously hold his cells together, preventing the decay of age.
• Varied Powers: Powers and abilities are as random as their appearances. Some possess superhuman strength, durability, or intellect, while others have unique energy projection or psychic abilities.

Deviant society is a rigid, paranoid, and often brutal hierarchy built upon principles of genetic “purity” (a paradoxical concept for their race) and absolute authority.

• Hierarchy: Their society is typically ruled by a dual leadership: a secular Warlord who commands the military and a Priesthood that holds religious and scientific authority. These two factions are often in conflict, with ambitious figures like the priestlord Ghaur constantly scheming to seize total control.
• Religion: The Deviants' religion is centered on fear and worship of the Celestials. They particularly venerate the Dreaming Celestial, a colossal Celestial who was imprisoned beneath the Earth for an unnamed transgression against his kind. The Priesthood believes that by controlling the Dreaming Celestial, they can usurp cosmic power for themselves.
• Location: Their primary seat of power is the massive, technologically advanced subterranean city of Lemuria, located deep beneath the Pacific Ocean. It is a dark, oppressive metropolis filled with laboratories, arenas, and temples.

Despite their monstrous appearance, the Deviants are technological geniuses, particularly in the fields of genetics and warfare.

• Genetic Engineering: They are masters of cloning, gene-splicing, and creating artificial lifeforms. They have created countless “Mutates” and artificial soldiers to serve in their armies.
• Warfare: Their arsenal includes advanced energy weapons (Brain-Mines, Stun-Pikes), powerful flying vehicles, and massive tunneling machines for subterranean travel.
• Architecture: Their cities are marvels of engineering, capable of withstanding the immense pressures of the ocean depths.

In the MCU, the Deviants are purely biological weapons, and their physiology reflects this singular purpose.

• Engineered Predators: They were designed as organic killing machines. Their bodies are a monstrous fusion of sinew, external muscle, and chitinous armor, often featuring whip-like tendrils and razor-sharp claws. They appear to share a hive-mind intelligence, coordinating their attacks with brutal efficiency.
• Cosmic Energy Absorption: Their most significant biological trait is the ability to absorb and integrate the cosmic energy of the Eternals. When a Deviant kills an Eternal, it not only heals its wounds but can assimilate aspects of its victim.
• Rapid Evolution: This absorption is the engine of their evolution. As the Deviants, led by Kro, killed Ajak and Gilgamesh, they began to change. Kro, in particular, developed intelligence, speech, a bipedal and more humanoid form, and the ability to manifest cosmic energy weapons in a manner similar to thena. This suggests that given enough energy, they could evolve into a truly sentient and powerful new species.

Initially, the MCU Deviants have no culture. They are a pack of predators operating on instinct. Their primary drive is survival and killing Eternals. However, the evolution of Kro marks a turning point. He develops a personal motivation: revenge against his creators, the Eternals and Arishem, and a desire to stop the Emergence to save Earth as his home. This is the first flicker of a potential future culture, one founded on a shared traumatic past and a singular, unifying goal.

The Deviants in the MCU possess no technology. All of their weapons and abilities are purely biological, extensions of their own monstrous forms.

While the MCU's Deviants are largely faceless monsters, the comic universe features a rich cast of complex Deviant characters.

• Warlord Kro: The most famous and recurring Deviant character. An immortal shapeshifter, Kro has been the leader of the Deviants for millennia. He is a cunning strategist and formidable warrior, but what truly sets him apart is his pragmatism and his secret, centuries-long love affair with the Eternal thena. This forbidden romance has often led him to act as an anti-hero, sometimes allying with the Eternals to save Earth from a greater threat.
• Ghaur: The ambitious and fanatical Priestlord of Lemuria. Ghaur is Kro's primary internal rival. A master geneticist and manipulator, his goal is not merely to conquer Earth but to steal the power of the Celestials themselves. His most infamous scheme involved attempting to absorb the power of the Dreaming Celestial, which required him to gather a “perfect” genetic sample from the most powerful Eternals and Deviants, creating a powerful artifact known as the “Celestial-killing essence.”
• Brother Tode: A former, despotic ruler of the Deviants. Enormously obese and grotesque, Tode was a cruel and decadent leader who treated his people as pawns. He was eventually overthrown, and his rule is remembered as a particularly dark period for Lemuria.
• Ransak the Reject: A Deviant born with a curse: he looks perfectly human. For this, he was cast out and forced to fight as a gladiator. Despite the hatred he faces from his own people, Ransak is a noble and powerful warrior who often fights to protect the innocent, becoming a reluctant hero.
• Karkas: Ransak's closest friend and companion. In contrast to Ransak, Karkas is a massive, crimson-skinned monster with immense strength, but he possesses the gentle soul of a poet and philosopher. The duo's dynamic explores the theme of appearances being deceptive.

• The Eternals: The Deviants' eternal, predestined foes. The conflict is ideological, aesthetic, and genetic. The Eternals represent order, perfection, and stability, while the Deviants embody chaos, monstrosity, and change. Their secret war has raged for a million years, often spilling over to impact humanity in disastrous ways.
• The Celestials: Their creators, gods, and executioners. The Deviants live in absolute terror of the Celestials. The memory of the Second Host's judgment and the sinking of Lemuria is a defining trauma that shapes their entire culture. They view the Celestials with a mixture of religious awe and abject fear.

The Deviants are fiercely xenophobic and isolationist, rarely forming alliances with outside powers. Their primary “affiliations” are typically networks of puppets or slaves. They have used their advanced technology to create the Delta Network, a clandestine web of human agents placed in positions of power across the globe to destabilize surface governments. On rare occasions, facing a mutual threat like a hostile Celestial judgment or the invasion of an Elder God, Warlord Kro has brokered temporary, uneasy truces with the Eternals or even Earth's heroes like the avengers.

Jack Kirby's original epic introduced the world to the Deviants. The story centers on the arrival of the Fourth Host of Celestials on Earth to pass judgment on their creations. This forces the Eternals, Deviants, and humanity into the open. The Deviants, led by Brother Tode and Warlord Kro, attempt to turn humanity against the “space gods” by presenting them as a threat. This storyline establishes their core conflict with the Eternals, Kro's complex relationship with Thena, and their absolute terror of their creators.

This massive crossover event saw the Priestlord Ghaur unite the Deviants with the Atlanteans under attuma. Ghaur's master plan was to bring the Serpent God set to Earth, using the formidable psychic Llyra as his high priestess. To achieve this, he required the creation of a new Serpent Crown. The plot involved kidnapping seven superhuman women (the “Brides of Set”) and battling nearly every major hero in the Marvel Universe, from the Avengers to the Fantastic Four, showcasing the scope of the Deviants' threat when led by a truly ambitious mind.

In this celebrated modern revival by Neil Gaiman and John Romita Jr., the Eternals have been mind-wiped and are living as ordinary humans, with no memory of their true nature. The Deviants, taking advantage of this, plan to awaken the long-dormant Dreaming Celestial, Tiamut, who is imprisoned beneath San Francisco. They believe that by freeing their “anti-god,” they can destroy the other Celestials and remake the world in their image. The story re-establishes the deep lore of the races for a new generation and highlights the apocalyptic scale of Deviant ambition.

• Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-199999): As extensively detailed, this is the most prominent alternate version. The MCU Deviants are a complete reimagining, shifting them from a complex, intelligent society of “monsters” into actual monsters who only develop intelligence through parasitic evolution. They are a functional plot device to explain the Eternals' purpose rather than a civilization in their own right.
• Ultimate Universe (Earth-1610): The Deviants did not have a direct, significant presence in the Ultimate Marvel comics. Their role as a “monstrous, shapeshifting alien threat” was largely filled by that universe's interpretation of the Skrulls, known as the Chitauri.
• Heroes Reborn (1996): In the pocket universe created by Franklin Richards, a version of the Deviants existed and were led by a villain named Pluto. They were depicted as a major threat who clashed not only with the Eternals of that world but also with its versions of Thor and the Asgardians.

• eternals
• celestials
• kro
• lemuria
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• thena
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