Hargen the Measurer first appeared in The Eternals #9 (March 1977). He was created by the legendary writer and artist Jack Kirby during his monumental return to Marvel Comics in the 1970s. Hargen, like the entire Celestial race, was a product of Kirby's unbridled creative ambition during this period, which saw him introduce vast, new cosmic mythologies into the Marvel Universe.
The creation of the Celestials was heavily influenced by the “ancient astronaut” theories popularized in the late 1960s and 1970s by authors like Erich von Däniken in his book Chariots of the Gods?. Kirby tapped into this cultural zeitgeist, imagining a race of silent, colossal space gods who had directly interfered with early human evolution, creating the god-like Eternals and the monstrous Deviants. Hargen's design is classic Kirby: a massive, armored, and utterly inhuman figure whose scale and silence were meant to evoke a sense of profound awe and cosmic dread. His role as “the Measurer” adds a layer of cold, scientific calculation to the Celestials' otherwise mysterious agenda, positioning them not as angry gods, but as something far more terrifying: impartial cosmic scientists.
The origin of Hargen is inseparable from the origin of the Celestial race itself, a history that spans the entire lifetime of the Marvel Universe and has been subject to significant expansion and retcon over the decades.
In the prime Marvel continuity, the Celestials are among the oldest beings in existence. Their origin is tied to the very first iteration of the cosmos, known as the First Firmament. This primordial, sentient universe created servant races: the dark and subservient Aspirants and the brightly colored, creative Celestials. The Celestials desired a dynamic, evolving universe where life could change and grow, a concept anathema to their creator and its Aspirants who sought eternal stasis. This ideological schism led to a catastrophic cosmic war. The Celestials, creators of the first Hyper-weapons, ultimately shattered the First Firmament. Its broken pieces formed the second iteration of the cosmos and the first Multiverse. The surviving Aspirants were cast out into the void, eventually evolving into the destructive cosmic locusts known as the Horde. Victorious, the Celestials began their grand experiment: seeding nascent life across the countless galaxies of the new creation. Hargen the Measurer was one of the billions of Celestials born to carry out this great work. His specific function—to measure—is fundamental to their entire process. The Celestials operate in groups called “Hosts” that visit planets at key evolutionary stages.
Hargen's role during these visits is crucial. While others like Oneg the Prober and Jemiah the Analyzer conduct specific tests, Hargen is believed to be responsible for the overall quantification of a species' progress. He measures their genetic stability, their technological advancement, their capacity for good and evil, and their overall “worth” against an unknowable cosmic standard. His findings are then presented to the Host's leader, typically Arishem the Judge, who casts the final, irrevocable verdict. Hargen is not an individual in the mortal sense; he is a living instrument of cosmic calculation.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe presents a significantly streamlined, yet equally compelling, origin for the Celestials. While Hargen the Measurer has not been explicitly named or shown on screen, the function he represents is a core element of the MCU's cosmic lore, as revealed primarily in the film Eternals (2021).
In the MCU, Celestials are primordial beings of immense power who predate the universe itself. Their fundamental purpose is reproduction. To create a new Celestial, they require a vast amount of energy, which can only be generated by a large, complex population of intelligent life. Their process is as follows:
1. A Celestial "seed" is planted deep within the core of a chosen, fertile planet. 2. The lead Celestial, [[arishem_the_judge|Arishem]], then creates a race of synthetic, immortal beings—the [[eternals|Eternals]]—and a race of predatory creatures—the [[deviants|Deviants]]. 3. The Deviants are sent to the planet to eliminate apex predators, allowing intelligent life (like humanity) to flourish unhindered. The Eternals are sent to protect the intelligent life from the Deviants, who inevitably mutate and become a threat themselves. 4. The Eternals guide and protect the planet's population, allowing it to grow and become technologically advanced over thousands of years. 5. Once the population reaches a critical mass, the Celestial seed in the planet's core has absorbed enough energy to awaken. This event, called "The Emergence," results in the birth of a new Celestial, but at the cost of the complete destruction of the host planet and all life on it.
Comparative Analysis: The MCU reframes the Celestials' purpose from one of abstract “judgment” to a tangible, biological imperative: procreation. Hargen's role is therefore not to measure “worthiness” in a moral sense, but to measure readiness. In this context, Arishem himself performs the function of The Measurer. He is constantly monitoring Earth's population growth and energy signature to determine the precise moment for the Emergence of the Celestial Tiamut. The key difference is motivation:
This adaptation makes the Celestials' agenda more comprehensible for a film audience while retaining their terrifying, inhuman scale of thought. The conflict becomes less about passing a cosmic test and more about a species realizing it is merely livestock for a higher being's life cycle.
As a Celestial, Hargen possesses power on a scale that defies mortal comprehension. He is less a “character” and more a fundamental force of the universe, and his attributes reflect this status.
Hargen, like all Celestials, appears as a colossal humanoid figure encased in a fully sealed suit of armor. He stands approximately 2,000 feet (610 meters) tall. This armor is not a separate garment but an integral part of his physical being. The true nature of the entity within the armor is unknown and possibly unknowable; it has been suggested that Celestials are beings of pure energy who construct these physical shells to interact with the material universe. Their physiology is so complex that even a being like Galactus finds them difficult to analyze.
Hargen's abilities are functionally limitless within his designated purpose. While all Celestials can manipulate matter and energy on a cosmic scale, Hargen's power is likely focused through the lens of analysis and measurement.
Hargen's primary piece of equipment is the massive, staff-like instrument he is often depicted carrying. This is not merely a weapon but is presumed to be a highly advanced cosmic tool of unimaginable complexity. This “Measuring Staff” likely serves as a focus for his powers of analysis, allowing him to scan, quantify, and record the vast amounts of data required for his task. It may function as a universal scanner, a genetic sequencer, and a sociological analyzer all in one, operating on a planetary scale.
Hargen has no personality in the human sense of the word. He is utterly silent, inscrutable, and impassive. His actions are dictated entirely by his function. He displays no emotion—not malice, not benevolence, only purpose. When confronted by Odin and the Destroyer, he and his fellow Celestials did not react with anger or fear; they simply weathered the attack and effortlessly dispatched the threat, as one might brush away a gnat. This profound indifference is perhaps the most terrifying aspect of the Celestials. They are not evil; humanity and its concepts of good and evil are simply beneath their notice, like microbes in a petri dish.
While Hargen is not present, the abilities of the MCU Celestials establish a clear baseline for what his power level would be.
The MCU depicts Celestials as the largest living entities in the universe, dwarfing planets and even stars.
The MCU focuses more on the Celestials' raw power and creative capabilities than the specific, granular roles seen in the comics. The idea of a “team” of Celestials each with a different job (Prober, Analyzer, Measurer) is streamlined into a single, commanding entity—Arishem—who oversees the entire project. If Hargen were to be introduced into the MCU, he would likely be a subordinate of Arishem, perhaps a specialized architect or surveyor who appears to give a final “reading” on a planet's readiness for Emergence. His power set would be consistent with what has been established: planet-scale energy and matter manipulation focused on data collection. The key difference would remain in the purpose of the measurement: comics Hargen measures for abstract “worth,” while an MCU Hargen would be measuring for biological “ripeness.” The MCU version's task is arguably simpler, but the consequences—planetary annihilation—are identical.
Hargen's relationships are not personal but functional, defined entirely by his role within the Celestial hierarchy and his interaction with other cosmic forces.
Hargen's only true “allies” are his fellow Celestials, with whom he operates as part of a single, unified consciousness known as the Celestial Host. Key members he has served alongside include:
The Celestials operate on a level where few can be considered true “enemies,” but several cosmic forces oppose their work or philosophy.
Hargen's sole affiliation is with The Celestials. He is an inseparable part of their collective will. His most notable missions were his participation in the Celestial Hosts that visited Earth:
Hargen's history is defined by his participation in the grand, cosmic-scale events orchestrated by the Celestials, particularly their four visits to Earth.
While not individually depicted, Hargen was part of the First Celestial Host that descended upon primordial Earth. This Host identified the nascent human species as having immense genetic potential. They captured a number of primitive humans and performed a series of genetic experiments. This act of cosmic engineering splintered a single species into three:
This is Hargen's most significant and visible storyline, detailed in Jack Kirby's Eternals and later followed up in the pages of Thor. The Fourth Host, including Hargen, Arishem, Jemiah, and others, arrived on Earth to begin their 50-year period of judgment. Their silent, colossal presence caused global panic. Hargen was seen performing his function, staff in hand, impassively surveying human civilization. The conflict reached its apex when Odin, in defiance of his ancient pact with the Celestials, confronted them to protect his beloved humanity. Empowered by the life forces of all Asgardians (save Thor) and inhabiting the invincible Destroyer Armor, Odin wielded the Odinsword and attacked the Celestials. Hargen and the others stood unmoving as the Destroyer unleashed its full power, which barely scratched their armor. In a display of overwhelming might, Arishem and the others fired a single, coordinated blast that melted the Destroyer into slag, severed Odin's connection to it, and silenced Asgard's defiance. Ultimately, the Earth was judged worthy of survival, due in part to the sacrifice of the Eternal “Uni-Mind” and the offering of twelve of humanity's greatest specimens. Hargen's measurements provided the data for this fateful decision.
In the modern era of comics, the story of the Celestials was drastically re-contextualized. It was revealed that four billion years ago, a diseased Celestial known as the Progenitor, infected by the Horde, came to die on the barren planet Earth. Its cosmic blood and ichor seeped into the planet's core, creating the “engine of possibility” that made Earth so uniquely suited for the genesis of super-powered beings. When Loki brought the Progenitor's insane, dark brethren—the Final Host—to Earth, the Avengers were forced to battle them. This storyline casts the Celestials' “experiment” on Earth in a new light. It wasn't just a random choice; Earth was special because of the dead Celestial at its core. While Hargen was not a member of the villainous Final Host, this event fundamentally alters the history of his race and their connection to Earth, suggesting their interest was not as random as once believed. It implies Hargen may have been measuring the long-term effects of the Progenitor's influence on humanity's DNA.
As a deep-cut cosmic character, Hargen the Measurer has very few prominent alternate-reality versions. His presence is usually tied to adaptations that directly involve the Celestials' core mythology.
Eternals film. In this reality, Hargen's function would be to measure the effectiveness of the “antibodies” (superheroes) and the growth of the Celestial egg.Eternals film revolves around the very function Hargen embodies: measuring a planet's readiness for a Celestial event.Thor #300, a history of the universe shows the Celestials easily defeating Odin, Zeus, and Vishnu, establishing their clear superiority over even the most powerful skyfather gods.The Eternals (Vol. 1) #1-19 by Jack Kirby and Thor (Vol. 1) #283-301 by Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, and Keith Pollard.