When Jack Kirby created the Eternals in 1976, he did more than create a brand new collection of heroes and villains. He also established and expanded the Marvel cosmic universe's history in unprecedented ways. The most notable of his contributions is the Celestials. According to the original series, these beings existed before the universe and were integral in creating Deviants, Eternals and humans. Now, they are about to get a full exploration in the Eternals film and may even ease fans into the knowledge of the more powerful cosmic beings in the Marvel universe.
The Celestials were first introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy. The film shows Eson the Searcher wielding the power of an Infinity Stone to decimate a planet. This Celestial is more akin to Jack Kirby's initial designs, which features beings that are cylindrical. They also appear with massive helmets that resemble the frogmen divers of the late 1800s. That being said, another design of these beings was shown in the film as the location called Knowhere. Knowhere is a community that lives within the head of a dead Celestial and is home to The Collector. These entities weren't spotlighted further until Eternals, but now their powers will finally be explored.
The early Eternals comics made no qualms about establishing the power of the Celestials outright. One example of this, and one of the most powerful, is Arishem the Judge. In the first volume, Arishem was meant to judge Earth for 50 years before deciding its fate. In his palm was the power to decimate the planet should he see fit, and no Earthly weapons could defeat him. However, even though he has immense strength and holds a huge responsibility, he is nothing compared to another known as the One Above All. Not to be confused with the Marvel diety of the same name, the Celestial is the leader of its kind and the most powerful of them all. Though the being is rarely seen, it has appeared before Eternals in the past to deliver messages or warnings. The One Above All remains largely unaffiliated with the work of its kind but can make the most difference all the same.
While the Celestials are powerful, other beings could challenge and even kill them in the MCU. For example, the Phoenix Force has existed for even longer than Celestials but carries with it the power to eradicate them. But since the entity is tied to the X-Men, it could be some time before it appears in the MCU. Another being that could stand up to them is the Living Tribunal. A staff named after them appeared in Doctor Strange, but the real entity has the power to reshape the universe as its acting judge. When combined, Lord Chaos and Master Order could also pack a punch as their combined form nearly killed One Above All.
Eternals will likely give fans a glimpse at the true Celestials that inhabit the MCU. These beings will be massive and carry with them vast power and knowledge. But even though many will be shown, it's likely they will only scratch the surface of how many there truly are in the cosmos. Their appearance also alludes to far more powerful beings that inhabit the deepest reaches of space, much like those mentioned before. Ultimately, the grandeur these entities represent also serves as a taste of the power that surpasses even them.
The Celestials are not to be trifled with, and while they helped create life on multiple occasions, they are also capable of taking it away. Eternals is the perfect film to explore these characters further. However, like Pandora's Box, once its secrets are revealed, there will be no going back to what was. As a result, the Celestials could open massive doors to the Marvel cosmic universe that could introduce beings even more powerful than them.
Directed by Chloé Zhao, Eternals arrives in theaters on Nov. 5.