Jack Kirby was one of the most important and prolific creators in comics history. While mostly known for his Marvel collaborations with Stan Lee, a partnership which created the modern Marvel Universe, Kirby was just as fruitful on his own, creating for both DC and Marvel, with two of his creations about to hit the big screen—Marvel's Eternals and DC's Fourth World.

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Each is quite different than the other but they also have some striking similarities. With fans wondering which Eternals will appear in the MCU and what powerful New Gods will hit the big screen, now seems like a great time to look at two of Kirby's greatest creations.

10 The Eternals: The Celestials

Kirby Quiz Celestials

While the Eternals' importance to the Marvel Universe has waxed and waned, one concept from the book that has proven evergreen is the Celestials. These massive space gods have become a huge part of the Marvel Universe, traveling their cosmos and working on their enigmatic experiments. Kirby cast them as the creators of life on Earth and the beings who made the Eternals.

The Celestials resonated with fans and creators in a way that Eternals didn't always and are a big part of the Marvel Universe. Plus, they just look cool, with Kirby putting his all into creating their distinctive armor, giving them a look that is unlike anything in comics.

9 The Fourth World: A New Mythology

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One of the things that Kirby set out to do with the Fourth World was giving DC its own unique mythology. Over at Marvel, Kirby had used a lot of Earth mythology as the basis of the stories he and Stan Lee were putting out, like Thor, but he wanted something different at DC. Instead of using the old gods, he would create his own, an entirely new cosmology full of benevolent gods and evil ones.

The New Gods of the Fourth World would take cues from the old gods of the real world but looked at through Kirby's superhero sci-fi lens, making them a truly unique creation, one that has stood the test of time and captured the hearts and minds of readers.

8 The Eternals: Chariot Of The Gods

Kirby Quiz Eternals

Kirby and Stan Lee liked to take pages from contemporary times and use them in their Marvel tales- there's a reason so many early Marvel characters are scientists or engineers trying to make the US number one against the communist threat. He would do the same thing with the Eternals, taking the nascent ancient astronaut theory and expanding upon it.

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From the way the Celestial armor had a Mesoamerican look to it to how the Eternals took on the guises of human gods throughout time, Kirby found a way to take a contemporary theory and use it in his books, creating something truly unique.

7 Fourth World: A Generational Tale

Darkseid battles Orion over Apokolips

A big part of all mythology is family. The polytheistic pantheons are often giant families, with their familial drama taking place on a bigger scale than a human's family ever could. Kirby took this idea and ran with it, creating one of the most powerful families in the DC Universe and making their drama into universe shaking craziness.

At the heart of said drama is the baby swap between Darkseid and Highfather, one that unites the warring factions in a new way and ends up completely backfiring for Darkseid, as both his son raised by Highfather and Highfather's son under his torturous thumb turn into his greatest foes.

6 Eternals: Redefining Earth Mythology

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Kirby was always very interested in mythology and the Eternals were a way for him to dip his toe in that well again for the Marvel Universe. He would do it a little differently this time, as he would place the Eternals, who had existed throughout human history, all over the place and have them play important roles in the development of mankind's myths.

The Eternals would become a part of human history, weaving themselves into the fabric of humanity's stories and helping guide the young race. Kirby's Eternals would be the inspirations for some of the greatest characters in human myth and allow Kirby to keep playing with toys he loved very much.

5 Fourth World: Creating Mister Miracle

Kirby Quiz Mister Miracle

There are few characters more emblematic of what Kirby was trying to with the Fourth World than Mister Miracle. Mister Miracle was the son of Highfather who was traded to Darkseid and grew up on Apokolips. Darkseid and Granny Goodness did their best to torture everything good out of Mister Miracle but they could never succeed, instead creating a man who would become one of their greatest foes.

Mister Miracle was all about the triumph of the purity at the heart of all beings, that no matter what terrors a person grew up in, they could still be a good person and fight for what's right. Mister Miracle showed just what goodness lies in the hearts of every good person.

4 Eternals: His First Marvel Solo Work

The Eternals Jack Kirby Ikaris

For just about his entire previous tenure at Marvel, Kirby had worked with Stan Lee. While it's debatable who was the heavier lifter of that collaboration, what's not debatable is that for years, Kirby's Marvel work was enmeshed with that of Stan Lee. Eternals would change all that, as Kirby would write and draw the whole thing himself.

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This was a big deal as it was the first time that Kirby had just been Kirby at Marvel, with no one interfering with his vision or what he wanted to do with the book. He got to indulge his creative instincts to the fullest, for better and worse.

3 Fourth World: Darkseid

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If Mister Miracle was Kirby saying that good can never be choked out even by the darkest evil then Darkseid was Kirby saying that evil exists in the most frightening ways possible. Darkseid wasn't just a villain who wanted to rule the universe, he wanted to control it and grind everything that existed under his boot.

Darkseid is the greatest representation of evil in comics because he doesn't do it for any other reason than because he can. He has no tragic backstory, no grand reasons behind his evil. He's evil for the sake of evil and that is what makes him one of the greatest villains in the DC, or any, universe.

2 Eternals: So Much Potential

Eternals: So Much Potential

Kirby's original Eternals comic didn't last very long but like just about everything Kirby did, it introduced a plethora of amazing concepts to the Marvel Universe, ones that other creators in later years would take up. Eternals would become part of the Avengers, multiple heroes would fight their main antagonists the Deviants, and Thanos would himself would become an Eternal—albeit one from Titan.

Kirby's Eternals have proven a fertile ground for creators for a long time and while they don't always get the respect they deserve, they've become a huge part of the Marvel Universe and their upcoming movie will show a wider audience just how great they are.

1 Fourth World: A Cornerstone Of The DC Universe

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Kirby's Fourth World has been embraced by the creators and fans of the DC Universe in a big way. In fact, the Fourth World has pretty much done exactly what Kirby wanted it to as it gave the DC Universe a unique cosmology that set it apart from the Marvel Universe and inspired years and years of tales.

It's hard to imagine the DC Universe without the characters of the Fourth World. Heroes like Orion, Mister Miracle, and Big Barda have all been a part of the Justice League and Darkseid has given the entire DC Universe a powerful villain to battle. The Fourth World will always go down as one of the best parts of the DC Universe and that's all because of Kirby.

NEXT: Marvel: 10 Things About Jack Kirby Every Comic Book Fan Should Know