With the Eternals poised to release in November, the time has come for fans to revisit the characters' origin. However, not many fans realize that the origin isn't to be found in the comics. It's in a 1968 book that spawned the Ancient Aliens phenomenon.
While a direct influence has never been confirmed, Jack Kirby's text piece from Eternals #1 has obvious parallels to Erich von Däniken's Chariots of the Gods?. This bestseller is also the foundation for the modern Ancient Aliens phenomenon. This is demonstrated regularly in the TV series Ancient Aliens with Giorgio Tsoukalos and other Ancient Alien theorists. Note: these theories are just for fun and not to be taken as scientific facts.
10 Aliens Visited Ancient Civilizations Long Ago
In Eternals, Jack Kirby has Ikaris tell his human companions the story of the Celestials, also called "Space Gods." The Celestials visited Earth before life evolved past apes. They genetically experimented on apes to create humans, Eternals, and Deviants.
The Celestials came back during the time of the Inca Empire. The Incas worshipped the Celestials and built a hidden sanctuary where their hero Tecumotzin served as a liaison with the Celestials. Tecumotzin waited as stored atoms for the Celestials' return.
9 Ancient Civilizations Depicted These Aliens and Their Technology in Sculpture
In the sanctuary city, the Incas built numerous grand sculptures depicting the Celestials. The genesis for this idea most likely comes from the sarcophagus sculpture of the Mayan king Pacal the Great. Many Ancient Alien theorists follow von Däniken's interpretation that this sculpture depicts an ancient astronaut.
Kirby's sculptures are grand constructions, dwarfing the characters in the story. In Eternals, he deftly conveys the awe-inspiring majesty of the hidden sanctuary. Even after opening with majestic sculptures, Kirby depicts the sanctuary with all the detail of Pacal the Great's sarcophagus.
8 Ancient Aliens Experimented On Prehistoric Humans
Ikaris relays to his companions the story of the first Celestial Host. When it came to Earth, the Celestials captured an ape and experimented on it. It would be the basis for three races on Earth. Humans were destined to inherit the Earth, the Eternals were powerful and godlike, and the Deviants were monstrous and genetically unstable.
In Ancient Aliens theory, it's drawn from the Sumerian myth that aliens created the human race as slaves. This is not from von Däniken's book. It instead comes from derivative works, such as Zecharia Sitchin's The Twelfth Planet, published the same year as the Eternals. Most likely, Kirby and Sitchin came to their stories independent of each other.
7 Many Of The Legends From Ancient Civilizations Came From The Manipulated Humans
Ikaris relates to his companions that many of humanity's legends actually involved Eternals like himself, as well as the Deviants. As an example, he tells of the second host of Celestials that sank Deviant civilization beneath a great flood. He then tells that he guided Noah's Ark, which believed him to be a bird.
Later, it's revealed that Sersi was actually the mythological witch Circe. The Eternals of Olympia were worshipped by the Greeks and Romans as Gods. The Forgotten One adventured and became known by many names due to his legendary exploits.
6 The Stories Of Demons And Devils Come From Manipulated Humans
While Ikaris tells his companions how the Deviants were the basis for many legends of monsters and demons, It's the Deviant warlord Kro that demonstrates how easily this is achieved. Since the Deviants have an unstable genetic and molecular structure, he's able to mimic the devil. He uses this to terrorize New York City.
It's extremely easy because his armies are various kinds of monstrous Deviant soldiers. Even after he explains his true nature in a press conference, humans are still unwilling to trust him. It's also assumed that this trick has been used in the past to create many of the demonic legends from myth and religion.
5 Ancient Civilizations Like Lemuria Vanished Because of Ancient Aliens
The Deviants were the first of the species that conquered the planet. They developed much-advanced technology that made them the masters of the world. They even enslaved humans to serve them.
When the Celestials' second host arrived, they saw the Deviants and judged them harshly. The Deviants also fought back against the Celestials, something they intend to do again, if at all possible. This judgment sank their civilizations like Lemuria under the seas.
4 The Great Flood Was Caused By Ancient Aliens
The judgment of the second host has harsh indeed. All of their technology, civilization, and much of the population were lost in massive flooding. This corresponds to much of the flood theories in ancient mythology. Ancient Aliens theory touches on this quite often.
Jack Kirby even incorporates his Eternals into this account. As mentioned, Ikaris guided Noah's Ark, being mistaken for a bird as he guided them towards a mountaintop. It might be one of the strongest ties Kirby's work has to Ancient Aliens Theory.
3 Ground Markings Like The Nazca Lines Are For Ancient Aliens
While this is not mentioned by Kirby directly, it is the kind of thing that is right up Kirby's wheelhouse. When the Celestials' ship arrives on Earth, seen on the plain below them are many markings. These are representative of the Nazca lines in Peru, the location of the hidden sanctuary in Eternals #1.
The Nazca lines are massive markings in the desert that depict many animals, people, and geometric shapes. They are best viewed from the air, which led Erich von Däniken to speculate that the designs had to be made by ancient aliens. He later admitted that humans could have made them using careful planning, but many Ancient Alien theorists still believe the purpose was to signal aliens.
2 Heroes and Gods Were Actually The Results of Celestial Manipulation
Many of the Eternals, especially from Olympia have names reminiscent of Greek and Roman deities. Thena and her father Zuras are reminiscent of Athena and Zeus respectfully. Makkari came to be recognized as Mercury.
This led to Makkari constantly being involved with humanity, just as Sersi was. Sersi even found herself trapped in Nero's Rome as it burned, requiring Makkari to rescue her. She even taught Merlin a few tricks, implying she added somewhat to the legends of King Arthur.
1 If Modern Humans Knew the Whole Truth, It Would Panic Humanity
When Kro fails to chase off the fourth host of the Celestials, he hatches a plan to get the humans to do the job instead. To accomplish this he disguises himself as the devil and leads a force to invade New York City. He correctly guesses that when faced with the truth, many humans will panic.
Many more will refuse to accept the truth. During a press conference where Deviant and Eternal abilities are demonstrated, several in attendance prefer to believe that everything is merely a trick. Whether this gets exhibited in the MCU remains to be seen.