Eternals

• Core Identity: The Eternals are a near-immortal, super-powered offshoot of humanity, genetically engineered by the cosmic gods known as the Celestials to silently defend Earth and foster its development.
• Key Takeaways:
  • Role in the Universe: Created one million years ago, the Eternals serve as the divinely appointed protectors of Earth's evolutionary “experiment.” They operate in the shadows, defending humanity from their monstrous counterparts, the Deviants, and ensuring the conditions are right for the eventual “harvest” of a new Celestial. The Celestials.
  • Primary Impact: Their existence represents one of the Marvel Universe's deepest and most profound secrets—the idea that humanity itself is a cosmic project with a specific, often terrifying, purpose. Their conflicts and internal schisms have shaped human mythology, inspired legends of gods and heroes, and occasionally threatened the entire planet.
  • Key Incarnations: In the Earth-616 comics, the Eternals are a vast, complex society with a long and often contradictory history, deeply tied to other cosmic entities. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they are synthetic, programmed beings with fabricated memories, sent with a much more singular and tragic mission: to cultivate a planet's population for sacrifice to create a new Celestial.

The Eternals were conceived and brought to life by the legendary “King of Comics,” Jack Kirby, upon his return to Marvel Comics in the mid-1970s. First appearing in The Eternals #1 (July 1976), the series was Kirby's grand platform to explore themes that had long fascinated him: ancient astronauts, mythology as a reflection of forgotten history, the nature of divinity, and humanity's place in a vast, unknowable cosmos. Coming off his monumental “Fourth World” saga at DC Comics, Kirby infused The Eternals with a similar sense of epic scale and mythological weight. The characters were designed to be archetypal and god-like, with Kirby drawing inspiration from Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology, as well as the popular “ancient aliens” theories of author Erich von Däniken. The series posited that the gods and monsters of human legend were, in fact, misremembered visitations by the god-like Eternals and the monstrous Deviants, all creations of the enigmatic, space-faring Celestials. Kirby's original series ran for 19 issues and one annual before its cancellation, leaving many plot threads unresolved. However, the concepts were too compelling to lie dormant. Writers like Roy Thomas and Mark Gruenwald later integrated the Eternals fully into the mainstream Marvel Universe, establishing connections to characters like Thanos and the Kree/Skrull history. Over the decades, writers like Peter B. Gillis, Neil Gaiman, and most recently Kieron Gillen have built upon Kirby's foundation, each adding new layers of complexity, philosophical depth, and dramatic retcons to the Eternals' lore.

The fundamental story of the Eternals—their creation by Celestials as protectors against the Deviants—is a constant. However, the specifics of their nature, purpose, and memories differ dramatically between the two main continuities.

Approximately one million years in the past, the colossal space gods known as the Celestials arrived on Earth. This “First Host” conducted genetic experiments on the nascent hominid population. From this single genetic stock, they engineered three distinct species:

• The Eternals (Homo immortalis): Genetically stable, beautiful, and immensely powerful beings. They were imbued with the ability to process and manipulate cosmic energy on a molecular level, granting them immortality, flight, energy projection, and a host of other superhuman abilities. They were tasked with “correcting excessive deviation” in the planet's dominant species—a mandate they interpreted as protecting Earth from the Deviants. Their society was established in grand cities like Olympia (Greece), Polaria (Siberia), and Oceana (Pacific Ocean).
• The Deviants (Homo descendus): Genetically unstable beings whose DNA was prone to chaotic mutation. This “Deviant Syndrome” resulted in each Deviant having a unique and often monstrous appearance and power set. Their society, based in the subterranean kingdom of Lemuria, was built on a brutal caste system and a religious reverence for the “Sleeping Celestial” buried beneath their city. They are the sworn enemies of the Eternals.
• Baseline Humanity (Homo sapiens): This group was also altered, but more subtly. The Celestials implanted a latent genetic potential within humanity that would, over millennia, lead to the emergence of super-powered individuals, or “mutants.” This makes humanity the key to the Celestials' true, long-term experiment.

The leader of the Earth Eternals, Zuras, guided their civilization for millennia. A schism led by his brother, A'lars (later known as Mentor), resulted in a group of Eternals leaving Earth to colonize Saturn's moon, Titan, where they established another great society. It was on Titan that A'lars's son, Thanos, was born with the Deviant Syndrome, marking him as an outcast and setting him on his path of cosmic nihilism. For centuries, the Eternals of Earth operated in secret, their battles and deeds inspiring the myths of ancient Greece, Rome, and other cultures. Their immortality is not absolute; if an Eternal is killed, they can be resurrected through “The Machine,” a vast, planet-sized computer that is, in fact, the re-purposed Earth itself. However, as revealed in Kieron Gillen's modern run, this resurrection comes at a terrible cost: every time an Eternal is reborn, a random human life is consumed by The Machine to pay the “price of a soul.” This fundamental law—“To be an Eternal is to be a machine that costs a human life to run”—has become the central, tragic secret of their existence.

The origin of the Eternals in the MCU is a radical and tragic departure from the comics. As revealed in the 2021 film Eternals, these beings are not a divergent species of humanity. They are entirely artificial, synthetic beings created by the Prime Celestial, Arishem the Judge, in the World Forge. They are, in essence, highly advanced, immortal androids. Their mission, as they were told, was to travel to emerging worlds, protect the intelligent life from the predatory Deviants, and guide the population's development without directly interfering in their conflicts. For 7,000 years, the ten Eternals stationed on Earth—Ajak, Ikaris, Sersi, Thena, Kingo, Sprite, Phastos, Makkari, Druig, and Gilgamesh—believed this lie. They fought the Deviants to extinction and then integrated into human society, waiting for a call from Arishem to return “home” to the planet Olympia, a world that never actually existed. The truth is far darker. The Deviants were also created by Arishem, originally to clear planets of apex predators to allow intelligent life to flourish. However, the Deviants evolved beyond Arishem's control, becoming predators themselves, which necessitated the creation of the Eternals to hunt them. The true purpose of the Eternals' mission is to cultivate a planet's population. Intelligent life, like humanity, generates a unique cosmic energy required for the birth of a new Celestial. When a planet's population reaches a certain threshold, the Celestial “seed” gestating within the planet's core awakens. This event, known as The Emergence, completely destroys the host planet and all its inhabitants. The Eternals' role is to ensure the population grows large enough for this to happen. After each successful Emergence, the Eternals' memories are wiped clean in the World Forge, and they are sent to a new planet with the same false mission. The Eternals of Earth were only the latest in a countless cycle of planetary sacrifices. Their decision to defy Arishem and prevent the Emergence of the Celestial Tiamut from Earth's core marks the first time any group of Eternals has broken their programming, a choice with galaxy-spanning consequences.

The abilities of the Eternals stem from their shared biological design, but their expressions vary greatly between continuities and individuals.

The core of an Eternal's power is their ability to psionically manipulate cosmic energy, a feat for which their bodies were perfectly designed by the Celestials. This manifests in a suite of abilities shared by nearly all Eternals:

• Immortality & Durability: Eternals do not age and are immune to all terrestrial diseases and toxins. Their psionic control over their own molecules allows them to regenerate from almost any injury. Even if their body is completely disintegrated, their consciousness can be transferred and resurrected by The Machine.
• Superhuman Strength, Speed, & Stamina: While variable, all Eternals are far stronger, faster, and have greater endurance than the finest human athletes. Elite warriors like Gilgamesh and Ikaris possess strength comparable to beings like Thor or The Hulk.
• Flight: By psionically levitating themselves, most Eternals can fly at supersonic speeds.
• Psionic Abilities: They possess low-level telepathy and can communicate with each other over long distances. They are also capable of creating powerful illusions and manipulating the minds of humans.
• Cosmic Energy Projection: They can project beams of concussive force, heat, or light from their eyes and hands.

Beyond these shared powers, each Eternal has spent millennia honing their cosmic energy manipulation towards one or two specific disciplines, achieving a level of mastery far beyond their peers:

A key aspect of their culture is the Uni-Mind. By joining together in a specific psionic ritual, a group of Eternals can merge their physical bodies and consciousnesses into a single, immensely powerful psionic entity. The Uni-Mind possesses the combined knowledge and power of all its constituent members, and it is through this form that they often commune with the Celestials or face overwhelming threats.

The MCU streamlines and codifies the Eternals' powers. They are all powered by an internal cosmic energy source, visually represented by golden, thread-like energy constructs. While they all share enhanced strength, durability, and immortality, each of the ten Eternals sent to Earth was programmed with a single, highly specific power, creating a balanced and complementary team. This is a significant departure from the comics, where most Eternals share a baseline of powers and then specialize.

The Uni-Mind also exists in the MCU, but its function is different. It is not a merged physical entity but rather a “connection” that allows one Eternal (the Prime Eternal) to channel the power of all others into a single, god-like feat. Sersi used this connection to channel the combined energy of her team and the nascent Celestial Tiamut to transform Tiamut into inert marble, saving the Earth. There is no “Machine” for resurrection; in the MCU, if an Eternal is killed, they are dead permanently.

• The Celestials: In both universes, the Celestials are the Eternals' creators and, for most of their history, their gods. In the comics, this relationship is one of awe and terror; the Eternals exist to serve the Celestials' judgment. In the MCU, the relationship is one of a programmer to its creation, with Arishem viewing the Eternals as tools to achieve a purpose, devoid of free will until they rebelled.
• The Avengers: In the comics, the Eternals have occasionally allied with the Avengers, particularly when facing planetary threats. Sersi served as a prominent member of the Avengers for a significant period in the 1990s, where she developed a close relationship with the Black Knight (Dane Whitman).
• Humanity: The Eternals' primary mandate is to protect humanity, though their methods and motivations differ. The 616-Eternals see humanity as a sibling race to be defended. The MCU-Eternals were programmed to see humanity as a crop to be cultivated, though many, like Sersi and Phastos, developed genuine love and affection for the people of Earth.

• The Deviants: The primary and eternal enemy. In the comics, they are a vast and cunning civilization bent on conquest. Their conflict is ideological—the perfect, ordered Eternals versus the chaotic, ever-changing Deviants. In the MCU, the Deviants are far more bestial and instinct-driven, functioning as predators that evolved beyond their programming, with their leader Kro gaining sentience only after absorbing the energy of Ajak and Gilgamesh.
• Thanos the Mad Titan: The most infamous being connected to the Eternals. In the comics, Thanos is the son of the Titanian Eternal A'lars, born with the Deviant Syndrome, which gave him his unique purple, craggy appearance. His nihilistic philosophy and quest for the Infinity Gauntlet make him a threat to all life, a twisted perversion of the Eternals' purpose. He is the ultimate cosmic “error” they feel responsible for.
• Uranos: An early, fanatical Eternal from the comics who believed his race should conquer all others. His civil war against his brother Kronos led to his exile and the eventual founding of the Titanian colony. He represents the dark, imperialistic potential within the Eternals' nature.

The Eternals are largely a self-contained society. Their primary affiliation is to their own race and their creators, the Celestials. Their isolated and secretive nature means they rarely join other cosmic or terrestrial organizations. Their history is defined more by internal schisms—such as the conflict between Zuras and his brother A'lars, or the ideological divide between Ikaris and Druig—than by external alliances.

Kirby's original run established the entire mythology. It introduced the world to the “Space-Gods” (Celestials), the god-like Eternals, and the monstrous Deviants. The central plot revolved around the arrival of the Fourth Host of Celestials to pass judgment on Earth. The series positioned the Eternals not as traditional superheroes, but as mythological figures caught between cosmic forces far beyond their understanding, with humanity's fate hanging in the balance. It was a pure, undiluted blast of cosmic sci-fi that set the stage for everything to come.

This landmark miniseries served as a major relaunch and was a primary influence on the MCU film. The story begins with all the Eternals living on Earth as ordinary humans, their memories completely wiped. A medical student named Mark Curry (secretly Makkari) begins to have strange visions, and with the help of a similarly afflicted Ikaris, he slowly pieces together their true identities. The cause of their amnesia is revealed to be Sprite, who, tired of being trapped in a child's body for millennia, used the power of the Dreaming Celestial to rewrite reality. The series re-introduced the Eternals to a modern audience with psychological depth and a compelling central mystery.

Writer Kieron Gillen's run, starting with Eternals (2021), fundamentally redefined the species for the modern age. This era introduced the three core Principles of Eternal society (“Protect Celestials. Protect the Machine. Correct excess deviation.”) and the horrific secret of their resurrection—that each revival costs a human life. This revelation shattered their self-perception as noble protectors and reframed them as parasites. The storyline forced the Eternals to confront their complicity in a cosmic system of slaughter and saw them make their secrets known to the world, including the Avengers and the X-Men's Quiet Council on Krakoa. This era directly led into the massive A.X.E.: Judgment Day crossover event, where a newly awakened Celestial judged the entire population of Earth based on the Eternals' failings.

• Ultimate Universe (Earth-1610): The Eternals of this reality are far different. They are not a separate species but rather a highly advanced group of Homo sapiens who were genetically modified by a Kree science team a hundred thousand years ago. They were granted immense power and longevity to act as Earth's “immune system.” However, their leaders were eventually corrupted, leading to a devastating global war that wiped out most of their race and was a precursor to the rise of Apocalypse.
• The Eternal (Earth-X): In the dystopian future of Earth-X, “The Eternal” is a single, powerful being created by the Celestials. This being's purpose was to guard the Celestial embryo growing within the Earth. He was a composite figure, combining elements of Ikaris and other Eternals, who manipulated humanity for eons to protect the planet's cosmic purpose.
• Heroes Reborn (2021): In a world where the Avengers never formed, the Eternals became reclusive and xenophobic. They were ultimately manipulated by the Squadron Supreme's Power Princess (Zarda) into a genocidal war against the Deviants of Lemuria, showcasing a darker, more isolationist version of the race.

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• deviants
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• ikaris
• sersi
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• avengers
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