Oneg the Prober

• Core Identity: Oneg the Prober is a member of the enigmatic and cosmically powerful race of space gods known as the Celestials, serving as a planetary surveyor and data analyst during their judgment of nascent worlds.
• Key Takeaways: (Answering the fundamental questions about this cosmic entity.)
• Role in the Universe: As a designated “Prober,” Oneg's fundamental purpose is to psionically interface with a planet's biosphere, gathering incomprehensible amounts of data on its dominant species. This information is a critical component of the Celestials' multi-generational process of judging whether a world's life is worthy to continue existing or must be “cleansed.” He is, in essence, the chief field scientist for the Celestial Hosts.
• Primary Impact: Oneg's most significant act was serving with the Fourth Host of Celestials on Earth. His silent, methodical probing of humanity, the eternals, and the deviants provided the core data used by his superior, Arishem the Judge, to ultimately spare the planet from destruction. His work, though unseen by most, was pivotal to humanity's survival.
• Key Incarnations: In the prime comic universe (Earth-616), Oneg is a distinct, named Celestial with a specific function. In stark contrast, Oneg the Prober has not appeared by name or form in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). His analytical role has been conceptually merged into other Celestials, primarily Arishem the Judge, who monitors the Eternals' mission and the planet's progress toward the “Emergence.”

Oneg the Prober first appeared in The Eternals #7 in January 1977, a product of the boundless imagination of his sole creator, the legendary writer and artist Jack “The King” Kirby. His creation was part of Kirby's grand return to Marvel Comics in the mid-1970s, a period where Kirby was given immense creative freedom to explore cosmic and mythological themes on an unprecedented scale. The entire concept of the Celestials was a direct extension of Kirby's fascination with ancient astronaut theories, as popularized by authors like Erich von Däniken. Kirby posed the question: what if the gods of ancient myths were not supernatural beings, but hyper-advanced alien scientists? The Celestials were the ultimate answer to that question—impossibly large, silent, and armored beings whose motivations and science were indistinguishable from magic to lesser races like humanity. Oneg, with his specific and descriptive title of “the Prober,” embodied the scientific aspect of these new gods. While Arishem was the arbiter and Eson the searcher, Oneg was the data-gatherer. His design, like all Celestials, was pure Kirby: a towering, vaguely humanoid silhouette adorned with intricate, unknowable technology, exuding an aura of immense power and total indifference. His creation was not just to add another member to the Host, but to give a specific function and process to the Celestials' otherwise mysterious judgment, making their cosmic trial of Earth feel more methodical and terrifyingly deliberate.

The true origin of the Celestial race is shrouded in cosmic mystery, predating the current iteration of the Marvel Multiverse itself. They are among the oldest beings in existence, born from the First Firmament, the original solitary universe. Their desire for evolution and creation led to a cosmic civil war against their creator, a war that shattered the First Firmament and gave birth to the Second Cosmos and the concept of the multiverse. From that point on, the Celestials became cosmic gardeners, traversing their creation, seeding life, and testing its potential.

In the prime Marvel continuity, the Celestials first visited Earth approximately one million years ago. This “First Host” conducted genetic experiments on the nascent hominid population. From this evolutionary tinkering, three distinct subspecies were created: the god-like, immortal Eternals; the genetically unstable and monstrous Deviants; and the baseline Humans, who were uniquely imbued with the latent potential for mutation and superhuman evolution (the “X-Gene”). After this initial act of creation, the Celestials departed, promising to return in future “Hosts” to check on their experiment. Oneg the Prober is known to have served in these subsequent Hosts, though his most documented appearance was with the Fourth Host, which arrived on modern-day Earth. The arrival of the Fourth Host was a silent, world-changing event. Nine colossal Celestials, including Oneg, took up positions across the globe, ignoring all attempts at communication or aggression from humanity's governments and heroes. Oneg's specific duty was to commence the “probing” process. He stood motionless, a silent giant, while his consciousness extended across the planet. He psionically scanned the minds of countless humans, delved into the collective unconscious, and analyzed the genetic structure and societal progress of mankind. He also examined his race's previous creations, the hidden Eternals and the subterranean Deviants, to measure the results of their million-year experiment. This process was invasive on a conceptual level but largely undetectable by individuals, a testament to the sheer scale of his psychic power. His findings formed the basis for the ultimate question Arishem the Judge would answer: had humanity's potential outweighed its penchant for self-destruction?

It is critical to reiterate that Oneg the Prober does not exist as a named character within the MCU canon. The MCU presents a fundamentally different origin and purpose for the Celestial race, and Oneg's specific role is absorbed by others or rendered unnecessary by the new paradigm. In the MCU, as explained in the film Eternals (2021), Celestials are born from the core of specific planets. They require a massive amount of energy to gestate, which can only be generated by a sufficiently large and intelligent population of mortal beings. To facilitate this, the “Prime Celestial,” Arishem the Judge, creates the Eternals and the Deviants. The Deviants are sent to planets to clear them of apex predators, allowing intelligent life to flourish. However, when the Deviants evolved beyond their control, Arishem created the Eternals—synthetic, immortal beings—to hunt the Deviants and protect the mortal population, ensuring it grows large enough to trigger the “Emergence” of a new Celestial, a process that invariably destroys the host planet and its entire population. In this context, there is no “judgment” of worthiness in the same way as the comics. The planet's purpose is simply to serve as an incubator. The role of “probing” or data collection is handled differently:

• Ajak's Communion: The Prime Eternal of each planet, like Ajak on Earth, is able to communicate directly with Arishem, providing status reports on the mission's progress over millennia.
• Arishem's Oversight: Arishem himself is shown to have the ability to access the memories of the Eternals, as he does with Sersi at the end of the film. This direct access to his agents' experiences serves as his primary method of data collection.

Therefore, the function of Oneg the Prober is effectively automated and distributed between the Prime Eternal's reports and Arishem's direct oversight. The MCU's streamlined, birth-focused narrative for the Celestials removes the need for a dedicated scientific surveyor like Oneg.

As a Celestial, Oneg the Prober possesses power on a scale that defies comprehension by most mortal beings. His abilities are inherent to his nature as a “space god,” and while he shares a general power set with his brethren, his specific title denotes a unique specialization.

• Celestial Physiology: Oneg stands approximately 2,000 feet tall and is encased in a suit of nearly indestructible armor. This armor is an integral part of his being, and it is unknown if there is a biological form within or if the armor is the Celestial. He possesses incalculable levels of strength and durability. He can withstand direct hits from skyfather-level beings like Odin and nuclear arsenals without any discernible damage.
• Cosmic Energy Manipulation: Like all Celestials, Oneg has complete mastery over cosmic energy. He can project energy blasts of planet-shattering force, though he rarely does so, as combat is not his primary function. This energy manipulation also allows for:
• Matter Manipulation: He can transmute matter and create objects from pure energy on a vast scale.
• Size Alteration: He can change his size at will, though he typically maintains his 2,000-foot stature.
• Teleportation: He can traverse interstellar and interdimensional distances instantaneously.
• Role-Specific Powers: The Prober's Psionic Suite: This is what truly defines Oneg. His primary abilities are psionic in nature, operating on a level that makes even the most powerful mortal telepaths like Professor X or Jean Grey seem infinitesimal.
• Planetary Telepathy: Oneg can simultaneously read the mind, memories, emotions, and latent potential of every single sentient being on a planet. This is not a series of individual scans but a single, holistic intake of a world's entire collective consciousness.
• Genetic and Data Analysis: His “probing” extends beyond thoughts. He can analyze the genetic code of every lifeform, trace evolutionary paths, and predict future potential with near-perfect accuracy. He processes this information at a speed and complexity that is beyond mortal understanding.
• Psychic Cloaking: His mental presence is so vast and alien that it is effectively invisible to all but the most powerful cosmic entities. Mortals are completely unaware that their innermost selves are being cataloged.
• Personality and Weaknesses: Oneg is, for all intents and purposes, without a discernible personality. He is utterly silent, inscrutable, and defined entirely by his function. His actions are deliberate, methodical, and devoid of any recognizable emotion. His only known weakness is to forces of a similar or greater cosmic magnitude. He was ultimately killed by the Dark Celestials (the Horde), beings born from the void to be the antithesis of the Celestials, demonstrating that even these space gods are not truly immortal.

As Oneg does not exist in the MCU, we must analyze the abilities of the Celestials who fulfill his conceptual role.

• MCU Celestial Powers: Celestials in the MCU, such as Arishem and the nascent Tiamut, have demonstrated immense power.
• Cosmic Creation: Arishem is shown creating entire galaxies in his introduction. He personally engineered both the Deviants and the technologically advanced Eternals.
• Energy and Matter Control: Tiamut's partial emergence from the Earth's core caused worldwide earthquakes and geological chaos. Arishem can effortlessly teleport the Eternals across galaxies and project energy powerful enough to subdue them instantly.
• Vulnerability: The MCU introduces a key vulnerability: the “Uni-Mind.” By connecting their minds and powers, the Eternals were able to channel enough cosmic energy to defy a Celestial's will, with Sersi using this power to transmute the emerging Tiamut into inert marble, killing him. This is a significant departure from the comics, where such a feat would be unthinkable for the Eternals.
• MCU “Probing” Equivalent: The data-gathering function is performed by Arishem through his link with the Eternals.
• Memory Absorption: Arishem pulls millennia of memories directly from Sersi, Phastos, and Kingo to judge their actions and humanity's nature. This is the MCU's most direct parallel to Oneg's probing, albeit on a much smaller scale (focused on the Eternals rather than the entire planet).
• Telepathic Communication: Arishem communicates directly with his Prime Eternals across stellar distances, a form of focused, long-range telepathy used for command and control rather than passive analysis.

The concept of “relationships” for a being like Oneg is alien. He operates not as an individual but as a component of a much larger cosmic machine. His interactions are defined by function and hierarchy within the Celestial Host.

• Arishem the Judge: Arishem is the leader of the Fourth Host and the ultimate decision-maker. Oneg's relationship with him is that of a primary researcher to a project lead. Oneg gathers and processes all the relevant data on a planetary species, and Arishem uses that data to pass judgment. Oneg's work is the foundation upon which Arishem's verdict rests.
• The Celestial Host: Oneg is an inseparable part of the collective. He works in perfect synchronicity with other functionally-named Celestials like Jemiah the Analyzer, Tefral the Surveyor, and Gammenon the Gatherer. Each performs a specific task, and their combined efforts constitute the full process of a Celestial visitation. When threatened, as by the Destroyer, they can even merge their forms and powers into a single, even more powerful entity.

Celestials do not have “enemies” in the traditional sense, but they have faced opposition from beings who reject their cosmic authority.

• The Forgotten One (Gilgamesh): In a moment of incredible audacity during the Fourth Host's stay on Earth, the Eternal known as the Forgotten One directly attacked Oneg the Prober. Believing the Celestials to be a threat to the planet he had sworn to protect, he flew to the top of Oneg's towering form and struck him with a powerful cosmic blow. While the attack did no visible damage, it was a profound act of rebellion—a creation striking its creator—and drew the immediate attention of the entire Host.
• Odin and the Asgardians: Fearing the Celestials' judgment on Midgard (Earth), Odin, chief of the Asgardian gods, confronted the Fourth Host. He did so wearing the invincible Destroyer armor and wielding the Odinsword, empowered by the life-force of all Asgardians. Despite this incredible power, the Host, including Oneg, easily withstood the assault and melted the Destroyer armor into slag, forcing Odin's retreat. This encounter firmly established the Celestials as a power far beyond that of even a typical skyfather.
• The Horde (Dark Celestials): The truest enemies of the Celestials are their dark counterparts. When the Final Host arrived on Earth, they were not the familiar Celestials of old, but twisted, corrupted Dark Celestials. These beings systematically hunted down and slaughtered every member of the previous Celestial Hosts across the galaxy. Oneg the Prober was killed alongside all his brethren in this cosmic genocide, only to be resurrected later by the power of the reborn Progenitor during the A.X.E.: Judgment Day event.

• The Celestials: Oneg's only affiliation is with his own kind. He is a loyal and integral member of the Celestial race, participating in their ancient, galaxy-spanning mission of creation, observation, and judgment as part of the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Hosts.

Oneg's appearances are few but momentous, tied directly to the most significant Celestial-centric stories in the Marvel Universe.

This is Oneg's quintessential story. He arrives on Earth with the Fourth Host, taking up a silent vigil in Peru. His primary role in the narrative is to be the silent, terrifying embodiment of the Celestials' examination process. While other characters like Ikaris, Sersi, and Thor scramble to understand the Celestials' purpose and avert what they believe is certain doom, Oneg simply stands and… probes. His inaction is more menacing than any threat. The key moments of his arc include being the target of the Forgotten One's futile attack and withstanding the combined might of Asgard alongside the rest of the Host. In the end, after Gaea (the Earth Mother) presents the “Young Gods” as proof of humanity's potential, Arishem gives a thumbs-up gesture, and the Host departs. Oneg's data, collected over 50 years, was the basis for this act of cosmic mercy.

This storyline represents the lowest point for the Celestials. It is revealed that billions of years ago, a diseased Celestial (The Progenitor) fell to Earth and died, its cosmic fluids seeping into the planet and creating the potential for superhumanity. A cosmic insectoid race called the Horde was drawn to this sickness. In the modern day, the Horde, now revealed to be the Dark Celestials, arrive on Earth. The Avengers discover to their horror that the Final Host has already slaughtered all the previous Hosts. The sky rains with the dead bodies of Celestials, and readers are explicitly shown the corpses of named beings, including Oneg the Prober. This event served to demystify the Celestials' invincibility and establish a dire new cosmic threat.

Following their demise at the hands of the Horde, the Celestials are eventually reborn. A new Celestial, The Progenitor, is created by the Avengers and the Eternals using the corpse of the original Progenitor and the Celestial-sized armor of Iron Man. This new, unstable god resurrects the murdered Celestial Hosts, including Oneg, to serve it. Oneg and his brethren are then present during the Progenitor's judgment of Earth, acting as silent witnesses to the actions of their creation. Their resurrection re-establishes them as a persistent, fundamental force within the Marvel cosmos.

While Oneg himself has few direct variants, the concept of the Celestials has been reinterpreted in major alternate realities, most notably in a way that would heavily influence their eventual MCU depiction.

The 1999 series Earth X by Jim Krueger and Alex Ross presented a revolutionary new origin for both the Celestials and Earth's superhumans. In this reality, the Celestials are not simply cosmic gardeners but galactic farmers. They are beings of pure energy who require a shell—an armor—to contain their essence. They implant a “Celestial Egg” within the core of a suitable planet, then manipulate the dominant species' evolution (creating heroes and villains) to protect the planet until the Celestial is ready to hatch. The birth of the Celestial destroys the planet. This concept—a Celestial gestating within a planet, with its emergence being a planetary apocalypse—is the direct narrative blueprint used for the Celestials in the MCU's Eternals film. Oneg is not named, but the Celestials in this universe serve the same procreative purpose as their MCU counterparts, a stark contrast to their role as judges in the Earth-616 continuity.

As detailed extensively, the MCU serves as the most prominent “alternate version” of the Celestial mythology. By omitting Oneg and his role as a prober/judge and replacing it with Arishem's role as a cosmic shepherd overseeing a planetary incubator, the MCU created a version of the Celestials with a more tangible, understandable (if horrifying) motivation. This adaptation streamlined Kirby's vast, unknowable space gods into a threat with a clear goal and a process that could be directly interfered with by the film's heroes, making for a more contained cinematic narrative.

• celestials
• arishem_the_judge
• eternals
• deviants
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• odin
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