The MCU version of The Eternals could have been created by the Infinity Stones. Created by Jack Kirby back in 1976, the Eternals are an evolutionary offshoot of the human race who developed back in prehistoric times. They possess tremendous superhuman powers, unnaturally long lifespans, and advanced technology. Technically, the Eternals are already a subtle part of the MCU; the planet Titan, Thanos' homeworld, was an Eternal colony in the comics. A throwaway comment in Avengers: Infinity War, which referred to Thanos' father A'lars, suggested that the MCU is taking a comic-book-accurate approach.
Marvel's currently attempting to keep quiet about their MCU Phase 4 plans, but an Eternals film is an upcoming Marvel movie known to be in the works. Rumors suggest the movie will tell the origin story of this mysterious race, launching millennia ago and running through to the present day. Casting is underway, with Angelina Jolie reportedly negotiating for a lead role, and Kumail Nanjiana and Richard Madden also in talks to join the cast. Ma Dong-seok has recently joined in an undisclosed role.
Of course, the interesting question is just how this evolutionary offshoot of humanity will fit organically into the MCU. One possibility is that they will actually be tied to the Infinity Stones.
The Eternals Are Linked To The Celestials In The Comics
In the comics, the Eternals were created by a powerful alien race known as the Celestials. Essentially envisioned as the ultimate Space Gods, the Celestials traveled the cosmos experimenting upon races they believed had the potential to develop sentience. They typically created two new strains of the indigenous populations, the Eternals and the shapeshifting Deviants, who usually fell into conflict when the Celestials left. The Celestials visited Earth 100 million years ago, conducting their usual experiments on Neanderthal man, and then left, promising to return in order to judge whether their creations were fit to survive.
In the MCU, the Celestials have been portrayed as an ancient and possibly extinct race of powerful beings. Guardians of the Galaxy revealed that they used to travel through the cosmos, judging entire worlds, and using the Power Stone to destroy civilizations they deemed unworthy to survive. Something happened to the Celestials, though, and they largely vanished from the universe. The space-borne mining colony, Knowhere, is the severed head of a Celestial; according to the Marvel Studios Visual Dictionary the planet Sakaar (seen in Thor: Ragnarok) is littered with the corpses of Celestials. This may well explain why the Grandmaster had his agents dress in Celestial garb, making them look like the space gods whose bodies were scattered across the surface of his world. Ego, Star-Lord's father, was introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as the last surviving Celestial - and was destroyed by the Guardians.
The Celestials Could Have Used The Infinity Stones
The MCU version of the Celestials appear to be tied to the Infinity Stones. The Infinity Stones have been presented as mysterious singularities that predate the universe itself, forged into "concentrated ingots" by unknown beings, according to the Collector. Most fans assume the Celestials are the ones who did this, and indeed Barry Lyga's Infinity War novel, Thanos: Titan Consumed, confirmed the Celestials' origin. Although this novel has been branded non-canon, Lyga worked closely with Marvel Studios while writing the book, so it should still be taken seriously.
One thing is certain, though; in ancient times, the Celestials wielded at least one Infinity Stone. In Guardians of the Galaxy, Star-Lord and his friends were horrified to watch a recording of one Celestial using the Power Stone to judge an entire planet. Furthermore, in Avengers: Endgame, Nebula described the planet Vormir as "the center of Celestial existence" - and this was where the Soul Stone had been concealed for millennia. If the Celestials are associated with two Infinity Stones, they could well have had more.
This raises the possibility that, in the MCU, the Celestials used the Infinity Stones to create the Eternals. Several previous films have proved that beings who are exposed to the energies of an Infinity Stone can be transformed, granted phenomenal superhuman powers. It's unclear whether the exposure actually alters these people, or else unlocks something lying latent within them. Whatever the case may be, though, that means the MCU has already tied some sort of transformative energy to the Celestials - potentially laying the groundwork for the Eternals.
Beings The Infinity Stones Have Already Been Created
This idea was introduced in the post-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which revealed that Hydra had been exposing test subjects to Loki's Scepter - in reality, to the power of the Mind Stone. Most of the subjects died, but two twins survived; Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. The twins possessed very different powersets; Quicksilver was a super-speedster, while Scarlet Witch is a telepath and telekinetic. Wanda's abilities seem to be the most potent, given she was able to destroy the Mind Stone in Avengers: Infinity War, and overwhelm Thanos himself in Avengers: Endgame. More recently, Marvel has introduced a third being who was transformed in a similar way; Carol Danvers was exposed to a burst of Tesseract energy, and became Marvel's most powerful hero, Captain Marvel. She manipulates energy on an unprecedented level, and in Avengers: Endgame was single-handedly responsible for taking down Thanos' capital ship, Sanctuary II. Notice that Captain Marvel hadn't aged between 1995 and 2023 - perhaps indicating she's as ageless as an Eternal.
Interestingly, the energy manipulation powers of both Scarlet Witch and Captain Marvel both appear to be strongly tied to the Infinity Stones that granted them their powers. In Captain Marvel, the Skrulls noted that Carol Danvers' energy signature operates on exactly the same frequency as the Tesseract, and this allowed them to work with Carol to track down the Tesseract. Meanwhile, in Avengers: Infinity War, Wanda was able to destroy the Mind Stone precisely because her powers have a similar "signature" to it. If the Celestials did use the Infinity Stones to create the Eternals, then these beings would clearly be tremendously powerful - perhaps even operating on the same scale as Scarlet Witch and Captain Marvel. Meanwhile, their powersets would potentially be very diverse, given the Mind Stone was somehow able to either grant or unlock super-speed in Quicksilver.
Could The Eternals Reveal The Ancient History of the Infinity Stones?
If this theory is correct, it suggests that The Eternals is essentially a prequel to the entire MCU, revealing the ancient history of both the Celestials and the Infinity Stones. Indeed, it's even possible that The Eternals could answer some of the greatest mysteries of the MCU to date. For instance, how were the Celestials rendered extinct, and who scattered the Infinity Stones across the cosmos, hiding them in remote locations such as Morag? It's distinctly possible that the MCU's Eternals rebelled against their creators, somehow taking possession of the Infinity Stones and using their power against the Celestials. If that's the case, then they would be the ones who subsequently hid the Infinity Stones, placing them in containers like the Orb and the Tesseract.
