Eternals Introduces The MCU’s 'True' Celestials: Full Details

Eternals will introduce the True Celestials in the film, straight from creator Jack Kirby's designs. Eternals is the latest film from Marvel Studios, which will bring a whole new batch of superheroes (and supervillains) to audiences around the world. Directed by Chloé Zhao, Eternals stars Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, Bryan Tyree Henry, Lia McHugh, Barry Keoghan, Lauren Ridloff, Ma Dong-seok, and Kumail Nanjiani as a race of beings known as Eternals. The characters were created by legendary comic artist Jack Kirby in 1976 for Marvel Comics and have appeared in multiple comics ever since.

In the original comics, the Eternals are a race created by the Celestials, a group of powerful cosmic beings who originate from the very dawn of existence. The Celestials created the Eternals on Earth to act as protectors and defenders, helping to stabilize and assist in humanity's progression. However, there is an offshoot of the Eternals, known as The Deviants, which are essentially experimental Eternals gone wrong. Their existence on Earth is a source of strife for Eternals, who are in constant battle with the mutations in order to keep the planet safe for humans.

During a set visit for Eternals, Screen Rant was on hand along with other publications to learn about the upcoming film, with producer Nate Moore providing more insight into how The Celestials will appear in the film. Moore said that The Celestials will be "true Jack Kirby Celestials," but with an updated modern design. Moore said that they wanted to show the beings "in all their glory" and that "a ton of visual effects" would help to make that happen. The producer says that bringing The Celestials to life was one of the things that got the filmmakers "really excited." Moore also commented on how The Celestials appeared in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, saying that they weren't quite as big as they imagined them to be, which will be remedied for Eternals.

"In the Collector's lab, they're frankly not as big as they would be in our mind, and obviously Ego was a much different version. So this gets to be the giant monolithic space gods and you get to see them, which is exciting."

The Celestials have only been teased in James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy films. The Celestial known as Eson the Searcher is briefly shown in the first Guardians film in the Collector's lab, while Ego (as played by Kurt Russell), a Celestial, is the key villain in GOTG 2. Ego is also Peter Quill/Star-Lord's father, making Quill a Celestial-human hybrid. In addition to the aforementioned appearances, the giant space port known as Knowhere is the severed head of a Celestial, which was cut off (in the comics) by a dark god named Knull, who is also the creator of the alien symbiotes which would later become Venom and Carnage.

The Celestials represent the furthest depths of the MCU, ultimately reaching out to the very origins of all creation. Given that, seeing them in all their glory would seem necessary to make viewers believe in their omnipotent power. What's also interesting about The Celestials is that the origins they set up in Eternals could be a gateway to bringing in another race of beings into the MCU: Mutants. Now that Disney has the rights back for X-Men, it's entirely possible that Eternals will serve as the catalyst that brings about a relaunch of the X-Men into the MCU. The evolutionary implications of The Celestials in creating Eternals opens the door wide open to explore that option, and it could very well lead to a post-credits scene of epic proportions if Marvel chooses to go down that route. Audiences will find out on November 5 when Eternals opens in theaters. Tickets are available on pre-sale now.

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