Eternals will answer some big questions about the MCU’s Celestials, according to the film’s producer. Directed by Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao, Eternals stars an ensemble cast that includes Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Harish Patel, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie. Eternals is scheduled to release in theaters on November 5, 2021.

While the main story of Eternals will focus on the eponymous team of superpowered humanoid beings and their bitter rivals, the monstrous Deviants, there will also be a lot of lore added about the Celestials. The ancient race of giant godlike spacefarers has been mentioned and glimpsed at different points throughout the MCU – most notably in the Guardians of the Galaxy films – but they’ll be front and center in Eternals as they created both the Eternals and the Deviants. The Celestials are a huge piece of the Marvel Comics universe, and they could play an equally large role in the story of Phase 4 of the MCU.

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During a set visit attended by Screen Rant, Eternals producer Nate Moore revealed that the film will answer four big questions about the MCU Celestials – what their role was in the creation of the universe, how they’re different from each other, what their ultimate objective is, and what the exact nature of their connection to the Eternals is. Answering those questions will mean adding a ton of new lore to the MCU, fleshing out the ancient history of the universe and setting up some massive plotlines for the future. Read Moore’s full quote below.

“The notion of diving into the history of these space gods, what is their role to play in the creation of life across the galaxy, how are they different, what is their endgame? All things that we will learn in the film. We'll also learn the connection between the Eternals and the Celestials.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Celestials

So far, the MCU Phase 4 has been all about building out the Marvel universe, rather than a particular overarching story. The establishment of the multiverse, the additions of many new characters, and now the reintroduction of the Celestials are all expanding the scope of the franchise in new and exciting ways. And with Kang the Conqueror becoming a primary antagonist going forward, the future of the MCU looks like it could feature some exciting crossovers.

It should also be interesting to see how closely the MCU Celestials mirror those of the Marvel comics. From what’s been shown of them in the franchise so far, they seem pretty similar, but the story of Eternals could introduce some big changes. The MCU’s Celestials have been closely tied to the Infinity Stones, and in the comics, they’re responsible for the creation of the mutant x-gene. That means that Eternals could lay the foundation for the X-Men to join the MCU, but only time will tell.

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