The Eternals' war with the X-Men could see their greatest secret revealed to the world at last. It sometimes feels as though the mutants just can't catch a break. They've ascended to a height greater than ever before, with the entire mutant race now residing on the living island of Krakoa. This new mutant nation has accomplished unprecedented feats, with Omega-level mutants synergizing their powers to terraform the planet Mars. But the greatest accomplishment to date surely lies in the Resurrection Protocols, with mutant powers and Cerebro technology coming together to conquer death itself.
The Resurrection Protocols are now public knowledge. Even those who previously supported the X-Men are shaken by the news the mutants have created a way to resurrect the dead that only works for their own kind. The worst reaction of all has come Druig, new ruler of the Eternals, who has declared the X-Men's Resurrection Protocols to be "excess deviation." Eternals are sworn to destroy excess deviation, meaning Druig has essentially just declared a genocidal holy war on the mutants of Krakoa. There's now a state of open conflict between the X-Men and the Eternals, with the Avengers choosing to side with the X-Men to boot.
The Eternals are on the offensive, but they're unlikely to be able to maintain that. Already the X-Men are fighting back, with Exodus in particular proving a single-handed match for any Eternal. The world may be behind the Eternals right now, but there's one way the X-Men could fight back.
The Eternals' Greatest Secret Would Undermine Their War With The X-Men
The Eternals have always believed themselves to be functionally immortal, simply because whenever an Eternal dies they are immediately brought back by the Great Machine. But Marvel has recently revealed the true cost of Eternal resurrections; to maintain the balance of life and death across the planet, a random human being dies every time an Eternal is brought back to life. The Eternals themselves were entirely ignorant of this truth until recently, and only a small number of them are aware of it at this time. Ikaris in particular is devastated, because his latest resurrection killed a human named Toby Robson, who he had sworn to protect.
Druig has presented his war on mutantkind as a heroic act, even sending out a message to every human on the planet explaining his actions. The current response from humans is mixed; some support them, some oppose them, but most are simply keeping their heads down. The Eternals' secret has the potential to change everything, however, because people would find their immortality far more concerning than the mutants. Every time an Eternal falls in conflict with the X-Men, a random person somewhere on Earth will simply drop dead. Sersi wasn't exaggerating when she claimed the Eternals' war on the X-Men had the potential to sterilize the planet, because the X-Men's attempt to defend themselves could kill countless humans.
The X-Men don't yet know about the Eternals' version of the Resurrection Protocols. But the mutants really shouldn't be underestimated; they have skilled combat leaders such as Cyclops, scientists who are already beginning to figure out Eternals tech, and a black-ops division led by Beast that won't be pulling any punches in Krakoa's defense. It's surely only a matter of time before the X-Men start to figure the Eternals' secret out, and they'll definitely be making the most of it.
How The Eternals' Secret Could Be Revealed
Previews for AXE: Judgment Day #2 support this theory, with the issue introducing readers to six "important" people on the planet. They are just ordinary people, innocents living their everyday lives, and at this moment there's no way to say for certain why they are so important. But one disturbing possibility is that they are fated to die. The island of Krakoa is currently being attacked by a group of enormous Eternals known as the "Hex," and most readers have assumed they're named because of some aspect of their powers. In reality, the name could be derived from the suffix "Hexa," which is tied to the number six. If there are six members of the Hex, then a victory for the X-Men will result in six humans dropping dead. These could be the victims.
The mutant civilization of Krakoa is governed according to three laws, one of which is "Kill No Human." In ethical terms, should the X-Men learn the secret of the Eternals' resurrection they will find themselves faced with an impossible situation. They have no choice but to defend themselves from the Eternals, but every time they kill an Eternal an innocent person will die somewhere across the planet. No doubt the Quiet Council will simply invoke "Force Protocol" - the authorization given to X-Force, allowing its members to break that particular law - but it would be cold comfort.
How Will AXE: Judgment Day End For The Eternals?
All this naturally raises the question of how the Eternals' war on the X-Men is going to play out. It has begun with the secret of mutant resurrections revealed to the world, but it could easily twist round to see the secret of Eternal resurrections revealed at last. If that does indeed happen, the X-Men and the Avengers will find themselves united in an attempt to shut down the part of the Great Machine responsible for bringing Eternals back from the dead. Neither can accept a status quo where the death of any Eternal immediately results in a random human death somewhere on the planet.
This could potentially change everything for the Eternals. Should their resurrection abilities be shut down, they would still live forever - barring accidents or an intentional death. The prospect of mortality would shake Eternal culture to the core, forcing every one of their number to reconsider the value of both their own lives and those of the humans they claim they are protecting.
If the X-Men really do expose the Eternals' greatest secret, and then take steps to bring the resurrections to an end, then the Eternals would be in serious trouble.