Who The Hell Are The Eternals? You’re About to Find Out!

Zoe Tunnell: Hi there! I’m Zoe Tunnell, and I think the Eternals are pretty neat. I’ve got a weird history with the team as they somehow were one of my first forays into the Marvel Universe! After getting into comics via the Ultimate Universe as a teen in the mid-2000s, I started scouring my local Borders for more comics and stumbled upon a hardcover of Eternals. 

Collecting the 2006 Gaiman/Romita Jr. Miniseries, I knew that folks sure liked Gaiman’s work elsewhere, so why not? I devoured the 7-issue run and fell in love with Marvel’s immortal demi-gods, which made the revelation that they are hilariously overlooked and underused in Marvel as a whole pretty surprising. 

Learning that my new faves were perennial C-Listers who had barely held a series since their 1970s debut was…a shock. Now, with a blockbuster movie on the way and a high profile ongoing from a killer creative team in Kieron Gillen and Esad Ribić out next week, it seems like the Marvel Universe is finally going to catch up with Teen Zoe’s tastes.

Karen Charm: Hello, I’m Karen Charm, and I also think the Eternals are neat. I first heard of them through a brief mention in Earth X’s pages, the 1999 miniseries drawn by John Paul Leon. It was the way Leon depicted the Celestials that forever imprinted on me how cool those things were.

When the MCU Eternals and Jonathan Hickman’s return to Marvel were announced last year, I was hoping the two were related, if only so the X-Men would be left alone (we can laugh about it now). I turned my sour grapes into sweet summer wine and decided to read Jack Kirby’s original run. I didn’t expect to fall in love with the whole thing, and since then, I’ve read almost every Eternals comic I could get my hands on.

I’m so happy the actual reboot of The Eternals is now upon us. It’s been so nice to share my enthusiasm for these characters with other fans and slowly break the resistance of others who never thought they’d want to read an Eternals comic.

ZT: Given the Eternals’ status as obscure at best superheroes, we wanted to do a handy-dandy primer for folks looking to jump on the Immortal Cosmic Demi-God train ahead of November’s launch. First up, the Eternals’ bosses and fixtures of Marvel cosmology: The Celestials!

THE CELESTIALS

ZT: They’re big. That’s all I’ve got. Karen?

KC: They are large! The so-called “Space Gods” visited Earth aeons ago to jumpstart humanity’s evolution. They are responsible for humankind as well as the Eternals and Deviants in a sort of “buy-one-get-three” deal. X-Men know the Celestials for giving Apocalypse all his fancy toys. These big guys return every few thousand years to see how their progeny are handling Earth, with the threat of total annihilation if we’re judged poorly by their point-man… 

ARISHEM, THE JUDGE

ZT: Coffee Cup Head! [Ed. Note: Forbidden drink…] He is the most famous Celestial and usually the figurehead whenever they appear. While he does, in canon, have a prominent role within their group as the arbiter of each planet they judge, I am sure it is just because artists are drawn to him on an instinctual level due to overwhelming caffeine addiction.

KC: He has a bunch of neat, alien writing on his thumb. There are a bunch of other Celestials, but they all kind of just amble around, ominously. Very little differentiates them from each other besides their color scheme and amazing name (shout out to Nezarr the Calculator).

TIAMUT, THE DREAMING CELESTIAL

ZT: This one, I know! Tiamut played a significant role in both Gaiman/JRJR’s Eternals and the following ongoing series. Reactivated after lying dormant for thousands of years, Tiamut had become a symbol of worship for Deviant society as a defender of their people. Using Makkari [Ed Note: See below!] as his herald, he observed the planet for several years before getting entangled in a bunch of X-Men storylines (they both lived in San Francisco for a while) and being killed in the mostly forgotten X-Termination crossover. There was some stuff about him ascending to a level beyond Celestial like a dang Super Saiyan in the Eternals ongoing, but everyone seems to have agreed to ignore that, and rightfully so.

THE ETERNALS

KC: The Eternals are the true-life story behind all your favorite (mostly Western) myths. They fly, shoot lasers from their eyes, live forever, have super-human strength, and roll themselves up Katamari-style into a giant floating brain called the Uni-Mind. Who are the main cast members we should know?

IKARIS

ZT: The big guy! Ikaris is THE Eternal as far as Marvel is concerned. Almost always the franchise’s figurehead, and consistently in a prominent role, the buff blonde laser himbo is one of the biggest players around.

KC: I really can’t figure out why! I’m trying to remember any moment where he’s at all interesting, and nothing comes to mind. He’s practically wet cardboard compared to…

SERSI

ZT: If Ikaris is The Eternals’ Superman, Sersi is their Wonder Woman. Well, except for Thena, who is ACTUALLY Wonder Woman. We’ll get to her. The only Eternal to successfully break free from the group and serve on The Avengers for an extended period, the resident flirty reality warper is a personal favorite.

KC: Mine too! Sersi is such a wonderful character. All the attention given to her over the years is so well-deserved. She lives among the humans as a socialite, living, laughing, and loving.

ZT: Also: tiddy.

MAKKARI

ZT: Makkari’s weird. Originally a supporting player, he took the spotlight in Gaiman/JRJR’s Eternals and became an essential character in that story.

KC: He was given the ability to communicate with Celestials, a skill only Ajak could perform previously. I’m interested in both of those characters going forward, not just because they rival each other for wildest costume designs but also because they’ll be gender-swapped in the MCU. We’ve already seen that reflected in Ribić’s design for Makkari moving forward.

ZT: To be honest, I’m just thrilled we have another lady speedster in the mix. It’s one of my favorite superpowers. The idea of Makkari being an outlet for Gillen to incorporate trans themes into his work further (already present in The Wicked+The Divine and Die) is very exciting.

THENA

KC: Like Zoe said, Thena is basically the Marvel Wonder Woman, often “confused” for Athena throughout history. Total no-nonsense, badass B, Thena is always decked out in battle armor. She’s the daughter of the Prime Eternal, Zuras, and has often butted heads with Ikaris over which of them will assume leadership when Zuras is taken off the board.

ZT: She rules, full stop. She had a human son, Joey, during the 00s revamp, but it seems like that plot thread may have quietly been forgotten. It’s a shame; exploring Eternals’ relationships with mortals and how they view their flickering lives is really interesting to me.

ZURAS

ZT: De facto King of The Eternals. Most of the time. The inspiration for Zeus and other all-fathers, Zuras, is the oldest of the Eternals and traditionally serves as their leader. He’s…well, he’s the old guy in charge. Not a lot there besides that.

KC: I really liked how John Romita JR drew Zuras, all big and blocky. He’s kind of got a Ganondorf vibe to his appearance. What else is there to say… as leader, he acts as conductor when the Eternals form the Uni-Mind.

AJAK

KC: This is a man with some impressive headgear. He starts off the series very light-hearted while keeping to the action’s fringes, just relaying messages with the Space Gods. When the series was relaunched in the 00’s, the Celestials spurn Ajak for Makkari, as mentioned above. Ajak gets hurt feelings and vows murderous revenge on Makkari. Am I missing anything major, Zoe?

ZT: I think we really need to emphasize the hat, Karen. It isn’t IMPRESSIVE; it is DANGEROUS. If you’re standing next to Ajak and he suddenly turned his head, well, RIP to you, my friend. I also think he has no idea who the Inca were, or what they dressed like, and refuses to admit it.

DRUIG

KC: Druig is Ikaris’ cousin and a pretty troubling dude. His branch of Eternals hails from the “polar” north, so Druig does a lot of scheming in Russia embedded within the KGB. He’s almost always at odds with the other Eternals, seeking to consolidate power for himself.

ZT: He’s the go-to scheming Loki-esque figure of the Eternals, but unlike Asgard’s favorite trickster: he sucks. He is cruel and callous and, frankly, gross as hell. Gaiman deploys some incredibly transphobic garbage with the guy in Eternals that sticks in my craw.

KC: Ugh, terrible. 

THANOS

KC: Wait, what?!? Yes, that’s right, through some good, old fashioned Marvel retcon magic Big Daddy Thanos is an Eternal. Zoe, would you believe me if I told you that a long, long time ago, a bunch of Eternals struck out for space, only to settle on Titan? This outer space Oregon Trail was led by A’lars (aka Mentor), brother to Zuras, father of Starfox, and Thanos. I don’t think anyone got dysentery, but Thanos was born with some kind of Deviation to make him purple and wrinkly. I admittedly know much less about this extraterrestrial band of Eternals, but solicitations tell us we will be getting our fill of Thanos soon enough. 

ZT: I’m fine with Thanos since Gillen last wrote him well during Secret Wars and,well, honestly, after Donny Cates’ stranglehold on the Cosmic Grimace anything is refreshing. I hope he isn’t a fixture, though; gimme more Deviants baybee.

THE REST OF ‘EM

KC: Let’s see, who else gets an invite to this family reunion… We’ve got Sprite (no, not Kate Pryde), a rambunctious little scamp who gets up to mischief like making all the Eternals forget who they are. Sometimes his nonsense turns out for the best, like when he brought the Forgotten One out of exile when no other hero was on hand. Also known as Gilgamesh, the Forgotten One is a serious bruiser. Phastos is the resident blacksmith/tinkerer, with his own super hammer – if you’re familiar with Steven Universe, think Bismuth. He’s going to be gay in the movie, which, again, would be nice to bring to the comics. Any more names for the place settings, Zoe?

ZT: KIIIIIIIIINGO!!!!! 

Okay. Cards on the table, Kingo barely exists. He appears on one (1) page of Kirby’s run, and that’s about it. But, he is the coolest goddamn guy in the room. Any room.

He’s a master swordsman who lived among the samurai in Old Japan and liked it so much he became a goddamn MOVIE STAR in Japan, specializing in, of course, Samurai Movies. I like to imagine he is Toshiro Mifune in a Kirby outfit, and no one can take that joy from me.

There are some other named Eternals but none that seem like they will play any sort of important role, so screw ’em.

THE DEVIANTS

KC: Ok! With Eternals covered, there’s the whole other side of the tracks to consider. Whereas the Eternals live forever and have great powers, the Deviants are “genetically unstable,” appearing monstrous and overly aggressive. Variation is the rule for the Deviants, each of them looking vastly different from the next. Having been punished during the Celestials’ Second Host for being a little too rowdy, the Deviants live in the subterranean Lemuria.

ZT: I love the idea of an entire race of people who are all wildly unique from one another in terms of appearance; it’s such a fun concept. However, most artists have drawn them as just pretty rote monster-men with slightly different accessories bolted on. Bummer.

KRO

KC: Be still my heart, it’s the moment I’ve been waiting for (thank you for bearing with me, Zoe). Kro is the chief warlord of the Deviants, but he’s so much more. Not only does he have the best sunglasses, Kro has somehow lived as long as some of the Eternals, during which time he engaged in a secret love affair with Thena!! Scand! He’s quite a Shakespearean-type villain, driven more by self-preservation than a desire for power. It’s not uncommon for him to ally with the Eternals when necessary. Did I mention his sunglasses? Ok, Zoe, you have to take the keyboard. Any thoughts on Kro?

ZT: Yeah, that’s about what I was expecting. Glad you got to vent about your favorite Pink-Purple Boy. Kro’s neat! He has a lot going on that I can easily see Gillen running wild with, so hopefully, he makes a return to the franchise.

KARKAS & RANSAK

ZT: MY BIG BOY! I LOVE KARKAS. Another entry in Jack Kirby’s Hall of Misunderstood Monsters, Karkas is a huge, powerful meat boy with a poet’s soul. Initially forced to serve as a gladiator with Ransak, he was freed from servitude by Thena and joined the Eternals as an ally and friend. He must be protected.

KC: Karkas is definitely a great character. I just wanna hug ‘im. His best buddy Ransak, aka “The Reject,” is less cuddly. The Reject may look like a beautiful Eternal, but he’s actually a horrifically ugly Deviant, hence the nickname. He’s kind of feral, so it’s good he has a buddy like Karkas to help keep him in check. The Reject plays a strangely important role in the Earth X trilogy, even though it doesn’t quite make sense.

FURTHER READING

ZT: Well. Good news! There ain’t a lot if you want to dive in.

Also: bad news! There ain’t a lot if you want to dive in.

Eternals Vol. 1 #1-19 w/ Annual #1 – This is the original Eternals by Jack Kirby. It’s short, it’s INCREDIBLY Kirby, and it’s completely wild. Available in a new collected edition and on Marvel Unlimited.

Eternals Vol. 2 #1-12 – The first attempt at following up on Kirby’s work, from Peter B. Gillis and Sal Buscema, and the series that wholesale integrated them into the Marvel Universe. It has been out of print for ages but has just been added to Marvel Unlimited ahead of its inclusion in the big hardcover “Complete Saga” omnibus. 

Eternals Vol. 3 #1-7 – The modern revamp from Gaiman and JRJR. Slick, accessible, and mostly aged well. Highly recommend it if you’re looking to dip your toes in the pool. Available in a new hardcover collection and on Marvel Unlimited.

Eternals Vol. 4 #1-9 w/ Annual #1 – The short-lived attempt at a follow-up on the successful miniseries. The Knauf brothers prove a poor act to follow Gaiman’s outing, but Daniel Acuña’s art is mainly stunning and home to some of Celestials and Eternals’ best versions you’re ever going to see. Collections are temporarily out of print, but the entire run is available on Marvel Unlimited.

Eternals: Secrets from the Marvel Universe #1 – A one-shot released last year collecting many back-ups that ran in What If? by Ralph Macchio, Mark Gruenwald, and Peter Gillis sharing the pen. It provides the groundwork for most of the post-Kirby lore, including the origin of the Titan-based Eternals. It’s new enough you may still find it in comic shops, and it’s on Comixology and Marvel Unlimited.

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

ZT: Aaaand, that’s about it! There are lots of other little details we could throw in, but, honestly, you probably won’t need them. Gillen seems to be making a very stripped-down approach that builds on what the Eternals have to drive them now that their Celestial masters are six feet under (courtesy of Jason Aaron and Ed McGuiness’ Avengers), which sounds like a perfect angle to take to me.

KC: I am ready to be pleased! I did not like where the Marvel Universe left off with the Eternals, and can’t wait to see them dusted off and shown a bit more respect. I honestly don’t know what to expect, but there will be some gorgeous Esad Ribić comics to drool over regardless of what happens.

ZT: My hopes for Gillen’s run could be broken down into 3 parts:

1. Focus on their lack of humanity. The moments where the Eternals being immortal godlike beings who had had their fully developed and aware societies kicking around before humans were even a species and how that affects their ability to form relationships with humanity are some of my favorites.
2. Trans Makkari Trans Makkari TRANS MAKKARI. The gender-swapping of Makkari has LOADS of potential for exploring trans themes and ideas, and given Gillen’s history of doing so, I have high expectations.
3. Gimme some Black Knight. He’s in the movie and had a lengthy romance with Sersi. Dane Whitman is a long time fave of mine, and I would love to see him as a part of the title.

KC: I don’t have much of a connection to Black Knight, but I am completely on board with those other points (trans Makkari!). All it would take for me to be happy is to see Kro playing a role. But beyond that simple requirement – so easy to fulfill – there are some other areas of the mythos I’d be interested in seeing explored. I find the Deviants fascinating and would love to see them handled with nuance. Their whole thing is being Other, divergent, non-normative, non-conforming – what does that look like when they’re not just monstrous villains all the time? Based on the first issue, I think I’ll be pleased. 

Other than that, I’m really just looking forward to what kind of bold new direction Gillen has in store for us! And more Kro.

KC: I think that’s all we’ve got! Zoe, thanks so much for doing this with me. I’m very excited to enter the Eternal unknown with you soon and look forward to sharing the good word of the Purple One. Is there anything else you’d like to add before we say TTFN?

ZT: I would try and do some Great Value Jack Kirby narration here, but no one wants to read that, so, instead: thanks! I think we both know the Eternals aren’t high on most folks’ list of favorites, and we hope that this helped you see why two weirdos on the internet like them so much. With any luck, we’ll have a bunch of fellow weirdos joining us in the future! Later!