Warning! Spoilers ahead for Eternals #1 from Kieron Gillen and Esad Ribić
In the Eternals’ debut issue, which is paving the way for the team's introduction to the MCU, the question has been raised whether or not they are about to completely destroy Marvel’s timeline. Right off the bat, the stakes have been set extremely high for a single issue, which could theoretically impact the entire universe.
Eternals #1 is written by Kieron Gillen with art by Esad Ribić and continues the legacy of Jack Kirby’s obscure cosmic title. The issue opens with Ikaris as the final Eternal awakened in the hidden dimension of the Exclusion with narration to elaborate on his current situation. When another Eternal called Sprite suddenly travels to Earth, the two of them run into Iron Man. After their brief crossover with the Avenger, the story takes a dramatic turn for Ikaris, who had previously been able to cheat death.
When Ikaris encounters a glimpse of the future, he learns that a boy will someday die because of his failure to save him. A grave with the name “Toby Robson,” who died at 13 years old, is revealed to Ikaris, causing him to spiral out of control. With this new knowledge, Ikaris makes a vow that he will prevent the boy’s death. However, the events of Age of Ultron proved such changes to fixed events in the Marvel timeline could spell out chaos and total destruction for the entire universe. In that storyline, Wolverine and the Invisible Woman travel back in time to assassinate Henry Pym before he created the threat of Ultron. However, the heroes’ time travel attempt to save the world resulted in catastrophe as they returned to find Morgan Le Fay leading an invasion.
If the death of Henry Pym can change the course of history, Marvel heroes shouldn’t take rewriting the past lightly, even if it’s meant for good. For all Ikaris knows, the sparing of one life could be enough to throw off space and time, leading to significantly worse consequences. Since Sue and Wolverine caused a ripple effect, there’s no telling what could come of Ikaris’ actions if he succeeds. It’s unlikely that only the Eternals would be affected, as such an event has the potential to carry over into other books and change the tide of the whole Marvel Universe.
If Iron Man’s cameo is meant to foreshadow a later crossover, it could mean that this revelation isn’t only setting up an arc specific to the Eternals. After Ikaris makes his promise that this tragedy will never occur, Avengers villain Thanos appears, who is insulted by the Eternals’ inability to die. For the first installment in the new Eternals series, a lot has been put on the table at once. While the book may be the introduction for many readers to Jack Kirby’s cosmic characters, there are quite a few references that reward longtime fans. Eternals #1 is currently available for purchase.