The ending of Eternals saw Arishem taking the team members who stayed on Earth with him to an undisclosed location and letting them know that Earth would be judged – but how is he going to do that? With the Infinity Saga now over, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is exploring new characters, events, and concepts that can change this connected universe forever. The main theme in this new era is the multiverse, but the MCU is also taking time to introduce new characters and their stories that aren’t connected to the multiverse, as is the case of the Eternals.

Directed by Chloé Zhao, Eternals introduced the title team, who are an alien race created by the Celestial Arishem, who sent them to Earth to protect it from the Deviants, the Eternals’ evil counterparts. The Eternals stayed on Earth to guide humanity but without interfering in their conflicts, but they eventually parted ways at some point, reuniting years later after the return of the Deviants, the death of their leader Ajak (Salma Hayek), and the fast approach of an apocalyptic event called “The Emergence”. Of course, the surviving Eternals managed the stop The Emergence and save Earth, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be consequences for them.

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By the end of Eternals, Sersi (Gemma Chan), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), and Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) stayed on Earth as they had become attached to humanity and their lives on this planet, while Thena (Angelina Jolie), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), and Druig (Barry Keoghan) left the planet on the newly repaired Domo. Arishem arrived to take Sersi, Kingo, and Phastos with him as a result of them stopping the birth of the Celestial Tiamut, which not only will bring consequences to the Eternals but also to Earth, as Arishem let them know Earth will be judged, leaving the big question of how he will judge Earth and if that means its possible destruction.

Tiamut's crystalized body sticking out of the earth in Eternals.

Although the Celestials are now a big presence in the MCU, not much is known about them yet. Eternals was the first proper appearance of Arishem the Judge, the Prime Celestial who created the first sun and the Deviants, these ones with the purpose of aiding in the emergence of new Celestials in different planets. However, when the Deviants went rogue, he created the Eternals to fight them. As the seed of a new Celestial was planted on Earth, Arishem sent the Deviants and later the Eternals, but the latter team ended up stopping the birth of Tiamut. At the end of Eternals, Arishem told Sersi, Phastos, and Kingo that he would spare humanity but their memories will show them if they are worthy to live, and he will return for judgment. It’s unlikely Arishem will destroy Earth as that would repeat the plot of Eternals, but that doesn’t mean Arishem won’t judge humans harshly, though he’s now also aware that his own creations are powerful enough to stop a Celestial. Arishem could create other beings that could give humanity the punishment he thinks they deserve and that would also serve as the new enemies of the Eternals.

Of course, there’s also the possibility that Arishem, based on the memories of the Eternals, will spare Earth, though that would not only be strange but also underwhelming, as the abduction of Sersi, Kingo, and Phastos could end up being a pointless cliffhanger. Arishem possesses a lot of power, but many details about him continue to be a mystery so it’s hard to predict his next move. What’s for sure is that he will find a way to judge Earth without destroying the planet as he now knows he can be stopped, but his methods are a big mystery.

Next: Eternals Proves Avengers: Endgame Was An Anomaly In The MCU

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