The Eternals Recruit the Avengers' Iron Man Into the Uni-Mind

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Avengers #4 by Jason Aaron, Paco Medina, Ed McGuinness, Juan Vlasco, Mark Morales, David Curiel and VC's Cory Petit, on sale now.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige sent shockwaves throughout the entertainment industry when he confirmed early development had begun to introduce Jack Kirby's Eternals into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If an Eternals feature film were to happen, it would take place following Avengers 4, which is set to bring this iteration of the MCU to a close next year.

The Eternals may not be a household name at the moment, but Marvel Studios claims to have plans for the evolutionary offshoot of humanity to be its next big franchise, as newer properties are set to be introduced. When asked about the Eternals, Feige had this to say: “Eternals is one of many, many, many things that we are actively beginning to have creative discussions about to see if we believe in them enough to put them on a slate."

This may explain why the characters and their creators, the Celestials, are getting the spotlight in Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness' current Avengers run.

After years of not being featured in a comic, the Eternals were name-dropped in Avengers #3, before making their debut in Issue #4. However, the Eternals' appearance is shortlived, as Iron Man and Doctor Strange discover the powerful beings dead in their home of Olympia. The only survivor is Ikaris, who uses what is possibly his final breath to bring Tony Stark, the Invincible Iron Man, into their cosmic fold.

The Eternals And Celestials, Explained

If you happened to pick up Avengers #4 and have no clue who the Eternals are, then you can thank Iron Man for the easy-to-digest explainer on the group's history, and their connection to the gigantic space gods, Celestials. According to Iron Man, the Eternals were created by the Celestials and left on Earth to watch over humanity. If the stories are true, the Eternals and Earth's Mightiest Heroes have a lot in common, as their both byproducts of the Celestials' scientific experimentation, resulting in the large outbreak of superhuman individuals occupying the Marvel Universe.

Now, with the Final Host arriving to eradicate Earth, the former guinea pigs of the Celestials are found dead. Did the army of Dark Celestials stomp out what they might consider a failed experiment? Could this be a coincidence? Doctor Strange doesn't believe so, after witnessing alien insects known as The Horde nesting inside the Earth. No, there is more to this mystery, and Ikaris is able to provide some clues while also raising all new questions.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='Is%20Tony%20Stark%20Now%20An%20Eternal%3F']

Meet Iron Man, The Newest Inductee Into the Uni-Mind

Ikaris may be wounded, but the Eternal has valuable information that could turn the tide in favor of the Avengers against the Celestials. After teasing the real reason why the Celestials left the Eternals on Earth, Ikaris begs Iron Man not to let the Final Host unleash The Horde, which were not only hidden underground, but also inside the bodies of Celestials crashing to the Earth. Then, Ikaris reaches out and touches Tony on the face, declaring, "...only the unimind can stop them. Only you can be the cure."

First appearing in 1977, the Uni-Mind is created when a group of Eternals combine their mental and physical powers together, with the manifestation taking the shape of a giant human brain (no, really). For an example in another form of media, think of the Uni-Mind as the Planeteers merging Earth's forces to form Captain Planet.

With the way Ikaris touches Tony's face, we can take the action to be the Eternal's way of bringing Tony into the Uni-Mind fold. Ikaris also calls Tony "the cure" to stop The Horde and the Final Host. The First Host in Marvel Legacy #1 came to Earth sick, which is what brought it into conflict with the Avengers of 1,000,000 BC. Whatever is plaguing the Dark Celestials, Iron Man seems to be the key to bringing the Avengers' Fresh Start saga to an end.

Looking at the larger picture, Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios do enjoy their synergy, with many aspects of the comics serving as inspiration for the films, and vice versa. Iron Man is the most popular character in the MCU, so having him tied to the Eternals in the comics can be considered a way to raise their profile before they make their big screen debut. There are some interesting times ahead for the Avengers and Eternals. The MCU could look vastly different by the time the Eternals arrive, and with their race now dead in the Marvel Universe, a relaunch of the franchise may be in the works.