The Eternals are due for a considerable amount of attention within the next year. With the characters' upcoming big-screen debut, these cosmic beings have finally popped up on peoples' radar. Previously, the Eternals were always on the more obscure side of Marvel's pantheon of characters. Now, especially with a new ongoing comic book on the way, it's important to explore the Eternals and their history.
Created in 1976 by comic book legend Jack Kirby, the Eternals were introduced as a group of mythological beings with a science fiction twist. The Eternals were spawned by a group of divine cosmic beings known as Celestials. These entities used proto-humans for experimentation, developing three species: humans, Eternals and Deviants. The Eternals were intended as defenders of humanity, molded by the Celestials into powerful, near-immortal beings.
Humanity's early interactions with the Eternals informed various cultures' mythological pantheons. Indeed, each Eternal has a very specific, godlike power set. Ikaris, the leader of the Eternals, has the power of flight, super-strength, energy projection and even limited teleportation. Makkari is a speedster, often confused for Mercury. Indeed, in the 1940s, Makkari fought crime amongst humanity under the guise of Mercury and Hurricane. Sersi, the sorceress, has been a regular member of the Avengers, even engaging in a romance with the Black Knight. The super-strong Gilgamesh, the Forgotten One, also briefly joined Earth's Mightiest Heroes, contributing his Herculean-strength to the team. All of the Eternals are ruled by Zuras, the firm but fair king.
Of course, while the Eternals informed humanity's perception of divinity, the Deviants contributed to mankind's mythological depiction of demons. The Deviants dwell underground as a group of violent, demonic creatures. These ugly characteristics make the Deviants natural enemies of the Eternals and the two forces are in constant conflict.
The Eternals are also at odds with the Celestials themselves, who periodically return to Earth to judge humanity. Occasionally, the Celestials will deem humankind unworthy of the Earth, unleashing biblical catastrophe on the planet such as a flood or another natural disaster. The Eternals have historically saved humans from these disasters. For example, Ikaris initially aided Noah in building his famous ark.
Within the Eternals themselves, there are several factions. Thousands of years ago, the forces of benevolent Kronos confronted the warlike Uranos' forces in a civil war among the Eternals. Eventually, Kronos won, exiling Uranos to space, while Kronos and his Eternals remained on Earth. Uranos' forces ended up on Titan, where Eros, the Avenger known as Starfox and his brother Thanos, the mad titan were born.
The Eternals made their most recent appearance in the Avengers' "Final Host" story arc, by Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness. During this storyline, a group of dead Celestials rained down from the sky. These divine entities were taken down by the Dark Celestials, known as the Horde. The Dark Celestials arrived to judge humanity by wiping out all life on Earth. The Avengers searched for the Eternals, in an attempt to stop the Dark Celestials.
Yet when the Avengers reached the Eternals' home, only Ikaris was left alive, as the rest of the Eternals seemed to have killed themselves. Ikaris revealed that the Eternals discovered they were actually intended to "cultivate" humanity for the Celestials as a defense against the Horde, rather than defend humankind. This revelation drove the Eternals mad and they either turned on each other or killed themselves.
Before he died, Ikaris revealed to Tony Stark the way to stop the Horde. According to Ikaris, the Avengers had to unleash the uni-mind, a sentient brain with psionic powers, usually formed when the Eternals merge their consciousness. With that last piece of advice, the last of the Eternals died.
Of course, the Eternals won't be gone for much longer, considering the new ongoing series set for November 2020. The Eternals will be written by Kieron Gillen and illustrated by Esad Ribic with colorist Matt Wilson. The tagline for the new series is "Never Die. Never Win." Other than these details, nothing else is known so far about the series.
Based on the cover, it seems that the Eternals will place a great focus on the evolutionary aspect of the characters. Indeed, the art shows the evolution of man, with Ikaris completing the chain. Regardless of the details, the Eternals are set for a comeback soon enough.