In Marvel Comics, Thor is often depicted as a himbo - a big-hearted, muscular dummy who relies on others to be the brains of the operation, but the hierarchy of power in the Marvel Universe has recently shifted. As of Thor’s recent status quo, Ikaris of the Eternals much better embodies the mantle of the himbo. However, even Ikaris is able to change, and recent Eternals developments may throw a wrench into his himboness.
Thor has recently had to take a much more active role in Asgardian society as the All-Father and King of Asgard, responsibilities bestowed onto him at the end of Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman’s War of the Realms. These new roles have forced Thor to step up and act with greater care and more nuanced thought, leaving little time or room for him to act as the Marvel Universe’s Prime Himbo. Therefore, a void has been left for another hero to claim the title of The Himbo Above All.
The role of Marvel’s resident himbo has, in Thor’s absence, been filled by Ikaris of The Eternals, but Ikaris himself is currently having to grapple with challenges to his straight-forward thinking. Ikaris is a true himbo, constantly described as "an arrow" because he’s so direct. In Eternals Vol 5 #1 by Kieron Gillen and Esad Ribic, the Eternals’ machine AI representing Earth admits, "I have watched Ikaris for a million years. I am still unsure whether he is very dry, completely clueless or both." Since Eternals can be brought back from the dead with seemingly no cost, Ikaris has never seen the need for strategy or subtlety, and this has contributed to his himboness. Ikaris doesn’t think ahead, he goes ahead. However, underneath everything, Ikaris is kind, a crucial aspect of himboism. In Eternals #2 by Gillen and Ribic, he vows to protect the life of Tony Robson, a regular child he’s never met, because of a vision he had of himself distraught at Tony’s grave.
Ikaris Is Not The Smartest Eternal, But He Means Well
In Gillen and Ribic’s Eternals #6, Ikaris and the rest of the Eternals discover the terrible secret at the heart of the Eternal’s resurrection process. Every time an Eternal is resurrected, a random human dies to bring them back. In Ikaris’ case, the human whose death brings him back in Eternals #6 is none other than Tony Robson. With Tony’s death, Ikaris’ straight-ahead, himbo-style way of thinking is challenged. Ikaris now knows that putting himself at risk of death only risks the lives of more humans, and therefore has to learn to act with a modicum of subtlety.
After the reveal of the cost of the Eternals’ resurrection, the main cast of Gillen’s book goes to the Deviants, also referred to as "The Changing People" in order to learn to do what the Deviants do, ie change. In A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants #1 by Kieron Gillen and Guiu Vilanova, Ikaris’ changes are shown when the Earth is shocked when Ikaris shows a minor degree of initiative.
Later in the issue, Ikaris also has the foresight to disable the Eternal Zuras by teleporting part of his brain out of his body instead of killing him. Ikaris’ himbo kindness and care for humanity has pushed him to try to think smarter not harder, but for his efforts, it doesn’t mean that he can transcend his himbo nature. When Thor inevitably returns to claim the crown of kind, dumb, buffness from Ikaris, the true himbo of the Marvel Universe will likely be proven, once and for all.