What Is Phase 4's New Apocalypse: Eternals' Emergence Explained

The Eternals trailer introduces a new apocalyptic threat to the MCU for Phase 4, but what exactly is "the Emergence?" Eternals will span 7,000 years, showcasing a lot of the MCU's history and the team's time hidden away on Earth, but it primarily deals with the fallout from Avengers: Endgame. As the final Eternals trailer confirms, the team was commanded not to interfere in events on Earth, including Thanos' Infinity Stone quest and eventual Snap, explaining why they weren't involved during Avengers: Infinity War, but the consequences run much further.

Even more so than Thanos' actions, Eternals shows the impact of Hulk's Snap. The Blip restored Earth's population, but the fallout from it has been far from straightforward. Aside from the physical toll it took on Hulk himself, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showed that it created a geopolitical crisis with many those returning essentially becoming refugees, and now Eternals reveals another way it changed the world.

As explained by Ajax (Salma Hayek) in the Eternals trailer, the return of the universe's population "provided the necessary energy for the Emergence to begin," though she and the trailer stop short of explaining what the Emergence is. Based on what is shown, though, as well as what's known about Eternals' story in general, then there are two clear options. The Emergence is either the coming of the Deviants, the villainous offshoot of the Eternals and their long-time rivals, or it's the return of the Celestials, the the ancient cosmic race who created both the Eternals and the Deviants in the first place.

The Eternals trailer teases both races, each of which will appear at various points in the movie. It's unclear exactly what happened to the Deviants on Earth, since the Eternals have remained on the planet, guarding it from their threat. If they've been biding their time and waiting for the right moment to strike once again, then the Blip could have provided them with the opportunity. Kro, the leader of the Deviants, is being positioned as the villain of Eternals, so they will be making their movie, but whether that's actually the Emergence or not remains to be seen, and is arguably the less likely of the two options.

Instead, "Emergence" is a term that perhaps better fits with the Celestials. The all-powerful race were long believed to be extinct in the MCU; Knowhere was revealed to be a deceased Celestial head, there was a mention of Eson the Searcher, similarly believed to long gone, and Ego (Kurt Russell) appeared to be the last of his kind before his defeat in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. If the Celestials were somehow wiped out, chose to leave the universe, or were banished, then the idea of an energy leading to the Emergence would fit with this being them. Such power surges, even if not responsible for brining them back, would at the very least mean Earth catches their attention. In Marvel Comics, the Celestials judge planets in a series of tests (called Hosts), and so they could now be emerging to pass judgment on what has become of Earth and the Eternals, having sent them there 7,000 years ago. The Eternals trailer draws a clear link to the Celestials, with a quick shot of Eson, and it would be logical for this to be set up as an apocalypse-level event.

The Deviants may be the Eternals' enemy, but it's a threat they have dealt with plenty of times based on the trailer. The Celestials, however, are on another scale of power altogether, capable of erasing entire people, species, and planets from existence, and so if they are emerging to judge Earth, having been brought back thanks to Hulk's Snap, then that would be a far more worrisome prospect for the team to deal with in Eternals.

Next: Marvel's Eternals Powers Explained: What Each Team Member Can Do