The New Gods: A Clarification and Guide to Marvel's Eternals

• Core Identity: The New Gods are a foundational cosmic property of DC Comics, created by Jack Kirby; their thematic and conceptual counterparts in the Marvel Universe, also created by Kirby, are the eternals.
• Key Takeaways:
  • A Common Point of Confusion: The New Gods (featuring characters like Darkseid, Orion, and Mister Miracle) and the Eternals (featuring Ikaris, Sersi, and Thena) are often confused due to their shared creator, Jack “The King” Kirby. He developed the Eternals for Marvel after his groundbreaking “Fourth World” saga featuring the New Gods at DC was prematurely canceled.
  • Thematic Parallels: Both concepts involve races of god-like beings locked in an ancient, ideological struggle. The New Gods are divided between the idyllic world of New Genesis and the hellish Apokolips, while the eternals are locked in a perpetual war with their monstrous cousins, the deviants. This duality is a hallmark of Kirby's cosmic storytelling.
  • Different Cosmic Pantheons: In Marvel's cosmology, the Eternals and Deviants were created by the immensely powerful celestials as an evolutionary experiment on early humanity. In DC, the New Gods arose after the destruction of the “Old Gods” (the pantheon from which Thor and the Asgardians are derived in Marvel) during Ragnarok, which split the god-world Urgrund into New Genesis and Apokolips.

The story of Marvel's Eternals is inextricably linked to the story of DC's New Gods. In 1970, legendary comic book artist and writer Jack Kirby left Marvel Comics for their chief rival, DC Comics. There, he was given complete creative freedom to launch his own interconnected series of titles, a mythos that became known as the “Fourth World”. This saga introduced the New Gods, a race of powerful beings from the twin planets of New Genesis and Apokolips. The core titles—New Gods, Mister Miracle, and The Forever People—were ambitious, epic in scope, and explored themes of freedom vs. tyranny, nature vs. technology, and the search for the Anti-Life Equation. However, due to underwhelming sales figures, DC canceled the entire Fourth World line in 1973, leaving Kirby's grand narrative unfinished. In 1975, Kirby returned to Marvel. Still brimming with cosmic ideas, he created The Eternals, which debuted in The Eternals #1 (July 1976). The series served as a spiritual and creative successor to his Fourth World work. It allowed Kirby to explore similar themes—ancient astronauts, genetic engineering by god-like aliens, and humanity's place in a vast, cosmic hierarchy—but within the framework of the established Marvel Universe. Many fans and critics view The Eternals as what Kirby might have continued to do with the New Gods had he been allowed, repurposed and reimagined for a new audience. The parallels are striking, from the character archetypes to the core conflict between two divergent offshoots of a primary race.

A critical distinction must be made between the origins of the Eternals in the primary comic continuity and their adapted origin in the blockbuster film franchise.

Approximately one million years in Earth's past, the First Celestial Host, a group of silent, colossal space gods, arrived on Earth. The celestials, led by Arishem the Judge and Ziran the Tester, began performing genetic experiments on the nascent hominid population that would eventually evolve into Homo sapiens. These experiments resulted in the creation of two divergent subspecies:

• The Eternals (Homo immortalis): Beings of immense power, longevity, and physical perfection. The Celestials imbued them with the ability to psionically manipulate cosmic energy for a variety of effects, including flight, energy projection, matter transmutation, and near-invulnerability. They were designed to be Earth's protectors, a beautiful and orderly race meant to defend the burgeoning Homo sapiens and the Celestial “seed” within the planet. The first generation of Eternals, led by Kronos, established a great city, Titanos, in the arctic. A civil war over their destiny eventually destroyed Titanos, leading to a schism. One faction, led by Uranos, departed for space and eventually settled on Uranus before a further conflict sent a small group to Saturn's moon, Titan, where they established a new colony. The Earth-bound Eternals, now led by Zuras, built the city of Olympia in Greece and largely withdrew from human affairs, occasionally inspiring myths of gods and heroes. A key component of their existence is “The Machine,” a planetary system that resurrects any fallen Eternal with their memories intact, making them functionally immortal.
• The Deviants (Homo descendus): The second creation of the Celestials, the Deviants were a genetic nightmare. Their DNA is wildly unstable, resulting in every member of their species possessing a unique, often grotesque, physical mutation. This “changing people” are physically powerful but chaotically diverse. Viewing themselves as the rightful rulers of Earth, they built the subterranean empire of Lemuria and used their advanced science to wage war on humanity and the Eternals for millennia. They are the eternal, monstrous adversaries to the god-like perfection of the Eternals, representing the chaotic “mistake” of the Celestials' experiments.

The core directive of the Eternals, as they understood it for centuries, was to “correct excess deviation,” which meant protecting the Celestials' grand experiment (humanity) from the Deviants. They were also tasked to protect the Celestials themselves upon their periodic returns to Earth for judgment.

The origin of the Eternals in the MCU, as detailed in the film Eternals (2021), presents a significant and streamlined departure from the comic book lore. In this continuity, the Eternals are not a species that evolved from early humans but are synthetic, artificial beings created directly by the Celestial Arishem the Judge in the World Forge. Each Eternal is programmed with a specific skillset and personality, designed to work as a team. They are equipped with memories of a fabricated homeworld, Olympia, to give them a sense of identity and purpose. Their stated mission is to travel to planets seeded with a nascent Celestial and protect the intelligent life on that planet from the Deviants—predatory creatures also created by the Celestials. The Deviants were originally intended to clear planets of apex predators to allow intelligent life to flourish, but they evolved beyond their programming, becoming a threat themselves. The Eternals' true purpose, hidden from them, is far more shocking. They are not meant to protect humanity indefinitely. Their actual function is to cultivate the human population until it reaches a critical mass, providing enough psychic energy to fuel the birth of a new Celestial growing within the Earth's core. This event, known as The Emergence, would result in the complete destruction of Earth and all life on it. The Eternals' memories are wiped after each successful Emergence, and they are sent to a new planet to repeat the cycle. The Earth-based Eternals are the first group to break this cycle, choosing to save humanity from their creator, Arishem. This re-contextualizes their entire existence from benevolent protectors to unwitting agents of planetary annihilation.

The Eternals of Earth-616 are a powerful and complex society with unique abilities derived from their Celestial creation.

• Powers and Abilities: All Eternals share a baseline of powers derived from their psionic control over cosmic energy.
  • Immortality & Durability: They do not age and are immune to all terrestrial diseases and toxins. Their psionic control over their own molecular structure makes them incredibly difficult to kill. Even if their physical body is dispersed, their consciousness can be re-integrated via “The Machine.”
  • Superhuman Strength, Speed, & Stamina: While varying between individuals, all Eternals possess physical attributes far exceeding the peak of human potential.
  • Flight: By psionically levitating themselves, all Eternals can fly at great speeds.
  • Energy Projection: They can project beams of cosmic energy from their hands and eyes, often manifesting as heat, light, or concussive force.
  • Matter Transmutation: One of their most potent abilities is rearranging the atomic and subatomic structure of matter. Sersi is the most skilled practitioner, capable of turning a building into dust or a Deviant into a tree.
  • Psionics: They possess limited telepathy and can create illusions. Druig is particularly adept at mind control.
  • Specializations: While all Eternals possess these core abilities, most choose to specialize. For example, Ikaris focuses on his energy beams and flight speed, Makkari channels all her cosmic energy into superhuman speed, and Sersi is the master of matter transmutation.
• The Uni-Mind: The pinnacle of the Eternals' collective power is the Uni-Mind. This ritual requires at least three Eternals to merge their physical bodies and consciousnesses into a single, immensely powerful psionic entity. The Uni-Mind is a being of pure energy and thought, possessing the combined knowledge and power of all its participants. It is typically formed to make critical decisions for their race or to combat existential threats. The Prime Eternal (the elected leader) typically initiates and controls the Uni-Mind.
• Societal Structure:
  • The Prime Eternal: The democratically elected leader of all Earth's Eternals. This role has been held by Zuras and, more recently, Ikaris. The Prime Eternal has the authority to initiate the Uni-Mind.
  • Cities: Their primary Earthly city is Olympia, located in the mountains of Greece. They have other outposts, including the arctic city of Polaria.
  • The Machine: A recent retcon in Kieron Gillen's run revealed that “The Machine” is effectively the planet Earth itself, which acts as a resurrection engine for all Eternals and Deviants. This comes at a cost: each resurrection uses the energy equivalent of a human life, a fact that was hidden from the Eternals for millennia and caused a major philosophical crisis.

The MCU's depiction simplifies and redefines the Eternals' powers and societal structure for a cinematic narrative.

• Powers and Abilities: Instead of a shared pool of powers, each MCU Eternal is given a unique and distinct primary ability by Arishem. This creates a more visually dynamic and team-oriented dynamic.
  • Ikaris: Flight and powerful optic energy beams.
  • Sersi: Matter transmutation (initially limited to non-sentient matter).
  • Thena: The ability to form weapons out of cosmic energy.
  • Ajak: Healing and the sole ability to communicate with Arishem.
  • Phastos: Superhuman invention and technological prowess.
  • Makkari: Superhuman speed.
  • Druig: Mind control over sentient beings.
  • Gilgamesh: Superhuman strength and cosmic-energy gauntlets.
  • Kingo: The ability to project cosmic energy projectiles from his hands.
  • Sprite: The ability to cast hyper-realistic illusions.
  • Shared Traits: All possess superhuman durability, strength, and longevity, but they are explicitly stated to be killable and do not have a known resurrection mechanism like their comic counterparts.
• The Uni-Mind: The Uni-Mind concept is adapted in the MCU. It is not a separate entity but a powerful energy circuit connecting the Eternals. Ajak, and later Sersi, as Prime Eternals, can initiate it. In the film's climax, the Eternals form a Uni-Mind to channel their combined cosmic energy into Sersi, amplifying her transmutation power to a planetary scale, allowing her to turn the emerging Celestial Tiamut into marble.
• Societal Structure:
  • Programmed Unit: They are less a society and more of a pre-programmed family unit or squad, with a clear hierarchy. Ajak serves as the Prime Eternal and team leader, reporting directly to Arishem.
  • No Cities, No Culture: They do not have their own cities like Olympia. Their base of operations is their starship, the Domo. Their entire culture and history are fabricated, leaving them isolated and without a true home until they choose to make Earth their home. This lack of a society is a central theme of their internal conflict.

• The Celestials: In both continuities, the Celestials are the creators and “gods” of the Eternals. In the comics, this relationship is one of reverence and duty, with the Eternals defending their creators' work. In the MCU, this relationship is shattered when the Eternals discover their true, disposable nature, turning their creator Arishem into an antagonist.
• The Avengers: In the comics, the Eternals have had limited but significant interactions with the avengers. Sersi served as a prominent member of the team for a long period in the 1990s, and Thor has often interacted with them, recognizing the similarities and differences between his Asgardian pantheon and the Eternals.
• Humanity: The Eternals' primary directive is to protect humanity. In the comics, this is a broad mission to safeguard them from Deviants. In the MCU, this mission becomes a deep, personal affection that leads them to defy a god to save the human race.

• The Deviants: The eternal and primary antagonists. In the comics, they are a sentient, technologically advanced civilization driven by a chaotic nature and a deep-seated resentment of the “perfect” Eternals. Their leader is typically Lord Ghaur or Brother Tode. In the MCU, they are re-imagined as monstrous, non-sentient predators, “cosmic hunting dogs” who only regain sentience late in the story by absorbing the energy of Eternals.
• Thanos the Mad Titan: The most famous character with Eternal heritage. In Earth-616, thanos is the son of two Eternals from the colony on Titan (A'lars/Mentor and Sui-San), but he was born with the “Deviant Syndrome,” giving him his unique purple hide and powerful physique. He is a genetic aberration who embodies a nihilistic rejection of all life, making him an enemy to the Eternals, the Avengers, and the universe at large. The MCU simplifies this, making him a powerful alien from the planet Titan without explicitly linking him to the Eternals' lineage.
• Uranos: An early, extremist Eternal from the comics who believed his kind should conquer all other life. He is the grand-uncle of Thanos and a major antagonist in recent comic storylines, representing the internal threat of fascism and tyranny within the supposedly perfect Eternal society.

• The Celestials (Formerly): Their creators and masters.
• The Avengers (Sersi): Sersi's long tenure with the Avengers is the most significant crossover between the groups.
• Gods of Earth: The Eternals of Olympia were often mistaken for the Greek Pantheon, creating a complicated relationship with the actual Olympian gods like Zeus and Hercules.

This is the foundational text. Kirby's original 19-issue series introduced the core concepts: the arrival of the Celestials (the “Space Gods”), the eternal war between Eternals and Deviants, and humanity caught in the middle. The plot revolves around the Fourth Host of Celestials arriving on Earth to pass judgment, forcing the Eternals to reveal themselves to humanity and confront the Deviants who seek to turn the judgment against Earth. It is a masterpiece of cosmic imagination, filled with grand ideas and dynamic art.

This seven-issue miniseries was responsible for reintroducing the Eternals into the modern Marvel Universe after years of obscurity. The story finds the Eternals living on Earth, amnesiac, believing themselves to be ordinary humans as a result of a scheme by the former Eternal, Sprite. Mark Curry (secretly Makkari) begins to have fragmented memories, and with the help of Ikaris, he must “awaken” the other hundred Eternals before their internal conflicts and forgotten enemies destroy them. The series was a critical success, modernizing the characters and setting the stage for their integration into major events like Civil War.

This is the culmination of the most recent era of Eternals storytelling. The storyline sees the Eternals, having learned the truth about their resurrection process costing human lives, in a state of civil war. The extremist Eternal Prime, Druig, decides the solution is to eliminate their ancient enemies, the mutants of Krakoa. This sparks a war between the Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals. The conflict escalates to the point where the Avengers reanimate the Celestial Progenitor as a new judge for humanity, forcing all three factions to unite against a god of their own making to prevent the destruction of the Earth. It fundamentally re-shaped the Eternals' place in the Marvel Universe, tying them closer than ever to the other major hero teams.

• Earth X (Earth-9997): In this alternate future, it is revealed that the Celestials did not create the Eternals and Deviants. Instead, the Celestials are cosmic beings who implant their “eggs” within planets, and humanity itself is a protective “antibody” shell. The beings who believed themselves to be Eternals and Deviants were simply early humans manipulated by a Celestial “shaper” to act as shepherds and predators for the human race, ensuring the Celestial embryo's eventual birth.
• The Eternal (2003) by Chuck Austen: A Marvel MAX (mature readers) series that presented a radical re-imagining. Here, “Ikaeden” is the herald of the Celestials' servant, the “Watcher,” and “Kurassus” is the leader of the Deviants. They are agents in a cosmic war, and their battle on Earth inspires the story of God and the Devil. This version is a standalone reimagining and is not part of the mainstream Earth-616 continuity.

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