WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Eternals #7, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
For centuries the Eternals have lived with the belief that their primary purpose is to protect humanity from the threat of the Deviants. However, time has proven that the truth isn't as black and white as their mission statement leads them to believe. After discovering a terrible truth, some Eternals choose to do the unthinkable and work out a plan with the Deviants. However, their latest scheme is one that could never be brought to life with the Deviants of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
As a whole, Eternals is a series that melds the understanding of human nature with a mythic narrative akin to some of history's most classic beings, such as the Greek Gods. The outcome is a collection of beings who constantly try to connect with the human race that they consider adorable and full of surprises. However, Eternals #7 (Kieron Gillen, Esad Ribić, Matthew Wilson and Clayton Cowles) explores the impactful revelation discovered in the previous issue that a human dies in their place each time an Eternal is resurrected.
The truth strikes Ikaris the most, who loves humanity and dies protecting them whenever the situation calls for it. Instead of joining the thousands of other Eternals who see no problem with the arrangement, he, along with Sersi, Sprite, Phastos, Kingo and Thena desire to see change. The Eternals believe in their mission both physically and spiritually, and to them their technological advancements are more than just science. By trusting in the Celestials, they know there's a greater power at play, and they respect it wholeheartedly. However, after learning of the cost that comes with resurrection, their faith is shaken. Suddenly, their solid foundation represents a lack of change or growth.
In contrast, the Deviants know everything about change and growth. With this understanding, Sersi and Ikaris take their allies to the Deviant kingdom of Lemuria. While there, they meet with the Deviant leader Kro who displays how his people can change and grow by greeting their longtime enemies with minimal hostility. Kro's calmness reverberates throughout Lemuria as he converses with Sersi and grants the Eternals a chance to join them so long as they fall in line with their customs.
While their choice feels rash from an Eternals perspective, some relationships have foreshadowed this idea between the Eternals and Deviants. An example of this comes in the form of Thena, who has previously had a romantic relationship with Kro and is currently in one with a Deviant artist named Tolau. Through her relationships, she has shown the capacity for understanding the Deviants and living peacefully among them.
In the MCU, the Deviants are treated as primal creatures who relentlessly hunt their prey. Of the many the Eternals have encountered, Kro is the only one who has evolved, and he does not speak for the other Deviants in the film. If the MCU's Eternals were to join with the Deviants, it would likely be opposed with violence and hostility. Still, Eternals #7 offers the titular beings a chance to get closer to humanity, hopefully showing them a concept that has been widely ignored for centuries -- change.