Eternals (comics)
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The Eternals are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe. They are an offshoot of humanity created on Earth by the alien Celestials, and wage war against their counterparts, the Deviants. The Eternals were created by Jack Kirby and made their first appearance in The Eternals #1 (July 1976).
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Publication History
In 1970, Kirby left Marvel Comics to work on DC Comics, where he began the saga of the New Gods, an epic story involving mythological and science fiction concepts, and planned to have a definite ending. However, the saga was left incomplete after the cancellation of the titles involved. Kirby began The Eternals when he returned to Marvel. The Eternals' saga was thematically similar to the New Gods', but the series was eventually cancelled as well without resolving many of its plots, particularly The Celestials' judgment over humanity (see Character History below.)
Writers Roy Thomas and Mark Gruenwald brought The Eternals into official Marvel Universe continuity in a long storyline in the Thor comic book series that climaxed in Thor #300, resolving those lingering plotlines.
Since then, The Eternals (and the mythology connected to them) have appeared or been mentioned in numerous Marvel comics. In particular, the Celestial's experiment on humanity has been used to explain how certain humans can develop super-powers. The gods of Titan (created by Jim Starlin) were later retconned as being Eternals as well.
The Eternals themselves have been featured on several limited series and specials, but have not had an ongoing series since the first (see Eternal Titles below.)
Fictional Biography
When the Celestials visited Earth one million years ago and performed genetic experiments on early proto-humanity, they created two divergent races: the long-lived Eternals, and the genetically unstable and monstrously grotesque Deviants. These experiments also lead to the capacity for superpowered mutations in humans. They also performed this experiment on other planets (such as the Kree and Skrull homeworlds) with similar results.
Despite looking human, Eternals are much more long-lived (but were not originally fully immortal) and that kept them from having much contact with their human cousins. Eternals have a low birth rate; they can interbreed with humans but the result is always a normal human. Despite this, the Eternals have in general protected the human race, especially from the Deviants, with whom they've always had an enmity. The Eternals also developed advanced technology.
Long ago, a civil war broke out amongst the Eternals over whether to conquer the other races, with one faction led by Kronos and the other by his warlike brother, Uranos. Kronos' side prevailed, and Uranos and his defeated faction left Earth and journeyed to Uranus where they built a colony. Some of Uranos' group soon tried to return to Earth to re-kindle the war, but they were attacked by a passing Kree ship and forced to land on Saturn's moon Titan. There they built another colony. (Experiments performed by Kree scientists on a captured Eternal lead them to go to Earth and perform their own genetics experiments on a group of humans, thus creating the Inhumans.)
One day, Kronos' experiments in cosmic energy caused a catastrophic release of energy throughout the Eternals' city, Titanos, destroying it, activating latent genes in the Eternals and disintegrating the scientist's body. The Eternals now found they could channel large quantities of cosmic energy themselves, granting them near-godlike power. The accident left Kronos in an immaterial state, so a new leader had to be chosen. For the first time, the Eternals merged into a single being, the Uni-Mind, to decide which of Kronos' sons, Zuras or Alars should be the new leader. Zuras was chosen, and Alars chose to leave Earth to avoid causing another civil war, and journeyed to Titan. There he found that a war (allegedly caused by the Dragon of the Moon) had erupted on Titan and wiped out all but one member, a woman named Sui-San. Alars fell in love with her, and in time they repopulated Titan. Due to the mix of activated genes from Alars and unactivated ones from Sui-San, these new Titanian Eternals are not as powerful or immortal as Terran Eternals, but are more powerful and longer-lived than the earlier pre-civil war Titanian Eternals.
While Zuras ruled, three new Eternal cities were built. The first was Olympia, located in the mountains of Greece, near the main portal between the Earth dimension and the Olympians' home dimension, which lead many ancient Greeks to confuse some of the godlike Eternals with members of the Olympian pantheon. Eventually, an agreement was reached with the gods where some Eternals, such as Thena, would impersonate the Olympians before their worshippers. The other two Eternal cities were Polaria (located in Siberia) and Oceana (in the Pacific).
18,000 years ago, the Celestials returned to Earth. The Deviants attacked them, but the Celestial's counterattacked, resulting in the sinking of Mu and Atlantis, and much worldwide havoc. The Eternals helped rescue many humans. An Eternal named Valkin, was also entrusted by the Celestials with an artifact of great power for safekeeping.
1000 years ago, the Asgardian god Thor encountered some Eternals, but the encounter was erased from his mind, to prevent him learning about the Celestials, who where about to return to Earth. An Eternal named Ajak became the Celestial's spokesperson, and put himself to sleep when the Celestials left, to wait for their return 1000 years later to judge humanity.
During the early 20th century, a human scientist made contact with the Uranian Eternals and was taken to live with them along with his young son, who would later became the (first) Marvel Boy. The Uranians were eventually killed by Deathurge. After mankind split the atom, some Eternals joined with some humans and Deviants to form the Damocles Foundation to decide what to do about it. Some Eternals, such as Makkari, were also active as superheroes, or living amongst humans, keeping their true nature hidden. The Eternals also helped to move the Inhumans' city to the Himalayas to keep it hidden.
At some point, Thanos of the Eternals of Titan nearly destroyed their colony, but they rebuilt it, and would help Earth's heroes to oppose him on several occasions.
When the Celestials returned to judge the worthiness of their creations a few years ago, the Eternals found themselves clashing with the Deviants again, and decided to publicly reveal their existence to humanity. Zuras feared what would happen if the Celestials judged unfavorably. They encountered Thor again, and were attacked by Thor's father Odin and the Olympian gods, who tried to prevent their interfering with the gods' plans to attack the Celestials. Eventually, the Eternals decided to help the gods and formed a Uni-Mind to assist the Destroyer's assault on the Celestials. They were forced to dissolve back into Eternals by the Celestials, and the shock of the attack killed Zuras. Before his spirit fully left the material plane, he instructed his daughter Thena to take his people to explore space. Most of the Eternals did so in the form of a Uni-Mind, but a handful -- those most heavily involved in Earthly affairs -- remained behind on Earth. Since then, the Eternals have helped Earth's heroes, particularly the Avengers, against several menaces. They also discovered the existence of the Titanian Eternals.
Recently, the Eternals have begun reappearing on Earth. Most seem to have no memory of their own history and abilities except Ikaris, and no records of their previous appearances remain. The cause of this has yet to be disclosed, but if his story is true, the Eternal known as Sprite seems to be the cause of the collective Eternals' amnesia, as well as their distorted perceptions of history (possibly a retcon: early stories portrayed most of the current generation of Eternals -- such as Ikaris and Thena -- as being "only" several tens of thousands of years old; if Sprite is telling the truth about altering the Eternals' perceptions and memories, they are actually each closer to a million years old). The story is ongoing.
Powers and Abilities
Due to the cosmic energy that suffuses an Eternal's body and the nigh-unbreakable mental hold they hold over their bodily processes, the Eternals of Earth are effectively immortal and unkillable. They live for millennia, do not fatigue from physical exertion, are immune to disease and poison, and unaffected by environmental extremes of cold, heat. Most cannot be injured by conventional weaponry, and even if they are, an Eternal can rapidly regenerate any damage. The only way to permanently kill an Eternal is to inflict enough damage to spread a significant portion of their body over a wide area. In the latest Comic Series, "The Eternals (2006)," even molecular dispersion has been shown to not be enough to kill them; the Eternal Leader known as Ikaris was destroyed in an experiment by the Deviants (who were themselves trying to determine the extent of the Eternals' ability to withstand damage) down to the atomic level by a disintegrator beam, yet he appeared fully restored in an unknown location shortly thereafter.
All Eternals are also superhumanly strong, able to lift/press an average of 15 tons.
This same cosmic energy can be channeled for a number of superhuman abilities. All Eternals can:
- Project damaging blasts and/or blinding flashes of energy from their eyes and hands.
- Fly (average top speed 600 mph) and levitate others.
- Read minds.
- Generate illusions.
- Teleport vast distances, though doing so leaves most Eternals momentarily fatigued or dazed.
- Transmute objects, altering both their shape and composition. This ability is very taxing to most Eternals.
Some Eternals choose to focus on a particular power in order to increased their effectiveness with it. Sersi, for example, has developed the power of transmutation farther than any other Eternal. Additionally, some Eternals choose to focus their cosmic energies into other, non-standard abilities. Ikaris, for example, channels cosmic energy to greatly enhance his senses, while the Interloper uses his to generate fear in others, and Makkari uses his cosmic energies for superspeed.
Generations
- First Generation Eternal (those born before the fall of Titanos): Arlok, Astron, Daina, Kronos/Chronos/Chronus, Master Elo, Oceanus, Uranos.
- Second Generation Eternal (those alive at the time of Chronus' experiment): Alars, Arnaa, Cybele, Forgotten One/Gilgamesh, Helios, Perse, Rakar, Tulayn, Valkin, Virako, Zuras.
- Third Generation Eternal (those born after Chronos' experiment but before the Second Host): Aginar, Ajak, Arex, Atlo, Domo, Ikaris, Interloper, Mara, Phastos, Sigmar, Thena, Veron, Zarin.
- Fourth Generation Eternal (those born after the coming of the Second Host, 20,000 years ago): Argos, Ceyote, Chi Demon, the Delphan brothers, Druig, Khoryphos, Makkari, Psykos, Sersi, Kingo Sunen, El Vampiro.
- Fifth Generation Eternal (those born after the coming of the Third Host, 3,000 years ago): Aurelle, Sprite, Titanis.
Antecedents
- Erich von Däniken's book Chariots of the Gods, a debunked 1972 non-fiction best-seller, postulated that ancient aliens gave knowledge to early humans, and were worshipped as gods.
- The Hurricane and Mercury, two characters of Timely Comics, the 1940s predecessor of Marvel, were retconned as being guises of the Eternal Makkari.
- Thematically, the Eternals were similar to another Kirby creation, the New Gods - another group of ancient godlike beings in epic stuggle with their opposites, with humanity caught in between.
Membership
| Character | First Appearance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ikaris | The Eternals vol. 1 #1 | A Polar Eternal, son of Virako and Tulayn, father of Icarus. It is not known what Ikaris' birth-name was; he adopted the name "Ikaris" after his son, the Icarus of legend, was killed. Became Prime Eternal after challenging Thena. Under the alias of "Sovereign", introduced the Eternals to the world as a team of super-heroes called the "New Breed" |
| Ajak | The Eternals vol. 1 #2 | Polar Eternal born to Rakar and Amaa, brother of Arex. With Arex, they were known in Greece as Ajax the Greater and Ajax the Lesser. Disintegrated himself after he discovered he had killed many sets of human twins in Eternals: The Herod Factor. |
| Sersi | The Eternals vol. 1 #3 | Manipulates molecules and atoms. Daughter of Helios and Perse. Sersi is the only Eternal who is a fifth-level adept at matter manipulation. Became famous in Greek Mythology through her encounter with Odysseus. Strong individual, causing friction with other Eternals, though she herself has few prejudices. Became Avenger after Captain America requested her aid undercover as a teenager. Put herself into exile, but has since returned. |
| Domo | The Eternals vol. 1 #5 | Former Head Technologist at the Temple of Command in Olympia. Domo was extremely dedicated to his work, which involved monitoring all of Olympia's advanced systems. Was responsible for contacting Earth's Eternals when it was time to form the Uni-Mind. Domo was among the Eternals who left Earth in the form of a Uni-Mind. |
| Makkari | The Eternals vol. 1 #5 | Superhumanly fast; Son of Verona and Mara. Speedy and impatient, many Eternals don't take him seriously. In the 1940s, Makkari was the superheroes "Hurricane" and "Mercury." Later he founded the Monster Huntersto fight Kro and joined the First Line as "Major Mercury". |
| Thena | The Eternals vol. 1 #5 | Daughter of Zuras and Cybele. Originally named Azura, but Zuras changed it to seal bond with Olympian gods. Often mistaken for Athena, Athens was built for her. Had [[twin children in affair with Kro and hid them. Became re-involved with children, after Dr. Damian tried to kill them. Has sought sanctuary with Heroes For Hire and the High Evolutionary. |
| Zuras | The Eternals vol. 1 #5 | Can manipulate energy; Son of Kronos, brother of A'Lars, father of Thena, husband of Cybele. Was first Eternal to form Uni-Mind, and was chosen to lead after Kronos' death. Was mistaken for Zeus, so made pact with Greek gods. Killed when the Celestials defeated Uni-Mind, but continued to exist. Finally died freeing Thena from a Brain-Mine. Spirit still seems to exist, still appears occasionally in Olympia. |
| Uranos | Captain Marvel vol. 1 #29 (1976) | Brutal Eternal who brought war to Titanos, until he was defeated Oceanus and Kronos, his brother. Uranos was exiled to space with 24 of his followers, who ultimately arrived upon Uranus, establishing an outpost there. They next moved to Titan, after their craft was damaged by the Kree. Uranos died on Titan when his own people went to war incited by the Dragon of the Moon, but his cruelty lives through Thanos, son of his follower Sui-San |
| Sui-San | Captain Marvel vol. 1 #29 (1976) | Follower of Uranos, who was the only survivor of the war on the surface of Titan. She was found by A'lars, who with her, founded the new Eternals of Titan. Sui-San's children included Eros and Thanos. She was slain by Thanos during his attack on Titan, when he dissected her with a medical kit, hoping to learn why he was different from other children |
| Sprite | The Eternals vol. 1 #9 | Has the appearance of a young boy. Adept at manipulating matter. Inspiration for Puck in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Sprite remained behind when Zuras called for Uni-Mind to examine the Celestials' Mothership. Is a TV star in new Eternals series. |
| Aginar | The Eternals vol. 1 #11 | A Polar Eternal who disguised himself as an aide to Valkin in the guise of General Vulcanin of the Soviet Military. Doesn't care much for his Olympian Eternal "cousins". Chosen to form the Uni-Mind which has left Earth to seek out a higher meaning for their race |
| Delphan Brothers | The Eternals vol. 1 #11 | Team of boxers from Olympia who enjoy getting into fights. They have little love for Polar Eternals, and once started a fight with them prior to the Ritual of the Uni-Mind. When Sersi refused to answer summons to Olympia, Domo sent the Delphan Brothers to New York and force her back. She temporarily turned them into armadillos for that. |
| Druig | The Eternals vol. 1 #11 | Son of Valkin, cousin of Ikaris, sometimes known as "Druig of Nightmares". In modern times, Druig served as an agent of the K.G.B. in Russia, enjoying the chance to inflict pain. |
| Master Elo | Quasar #12 | Dwells in the Himalayas. Master Elo was the Eternal who showed Makkari how to channel his powers into increased speed. |
| Kingo Sunen | The Eternals vol. 1 #11 | |
| Valkin | The Eternals vol. 1 #11 | Polar Eternal, father of Druig, brother of Virako, uncle of Ikaris. Valkin is known by some as the "All-Father", and served as the leader of the Polar Eternals. When Virako was slain, Valkin adopted Ikaris as his son. In the 20th Century, Valkin assumed the alias of "Colonel Vulcanin" in the Soviet Military. Following the death of Zuras, many Eternals turned to Valkin as their leader, even though Thena was next in line. This leadership problem was resolved when Valkin chose to lead most of Earth's Eternals into space as a Uni-Mind. |
| Zarin | The Eternals vol. 1 #11 | Polar Eternal who served as an aide to Valkin in his "Colonel Vulcanin" guise. Zarin also served as Valkin's pilot. He was among the Eternals who left for space in the Uni-Mind |
| Uni-Mind | The Eternals vol. 1 #12 | Gestalt entity born of collective energy of participants in Ritual of the Uni-Mind. Eternals, Humans, Deviants and Brethren have been a part of Uni-Minds. Zuras was the first Eternal to form a Uni-Mind, used it to determine who should become Prime Eternal. Since then, the Prime Eternal alone has the power initiate a Uni-Mind. Following Zuras' death, a Uni-Mind left Earth containing most of the Eternals' population and apparently still exists, though Ajak, and possibly others, have left. |
| The Forgotten One | The Eternals vol. 1 #13 | Has superhuman strength and durability. Later joined the superheroic Avengers. Eternal whose true name is not known. Over the centuries he has been mistaken for Samson, Beowulf, Gilgamesh, Hercules and Atlas. He also learnt to rope from Buffalo Bill Cody, fought alongside Achilles in the Trojan War, fought with King David in Judah, and helped Aeneas in his travels following the Trojan War. He was also responsible for cleaning the Augean Stables, rather than Hercules. Befriended the Interloper, but otherwise, has lived mainly in solitude from the Eternals. Was captured by a being claiming to be Kang and forced to train his Anachronauts, aged rapidly after he escaped. "Kang"/Immortus then sent an Anachronaut named Neut to slay him at the Avengers' Mansion. It remains to be seen if the Forgotten One is truly dead, with the revelation of Immortus' involvement |
| Sigmar | The Eternals vol. 1 #17 | Polar Eternal with an elderly appearance. Had at least two laboratories on Earth, one in Polaria, and one deep below New York City. Created the Molecular Reassembler, Dimension Cloud, and the Nerve Beast. Was one of the Eternals who left Earth in the form of a Uni-Mind, with Phastos watching over his laboratories |
| Kronos (Chronos) | Iron Man vol. 1 #55 | First Generation Eternal who led the rebellion against his brother Uranos. Shattered his sword to mark the new era of peace for the Eternals. With his wife Daina, had two sons, Zuras and A'Lars, but while experimenting in his lab one day, he was atomized by a blast of cosmic energy. Continues to exist as a cosmic being, one of the embodiments of time. |
| Mentor (A'lars) | Iron Man vol. 1 #55 | Assumed as head of the Eternals of Titan. |
| Thanos | Iron Man vol. 1 #55 | Son of Mentor and Sui-San, brother of Eros. Is a Mutant Eternal, with purple skin and a ridged chin, plus more power than a typical Eternal of Titan, including energy blasts, psionic abilities, and teleportation. Raised the child Gamora, and trained her to become the ultimate assassin. |
| Starfox (Eros) | Iron Man vol. 1 #55 | Titanian Eternal, child of Mentor and Sui-San and younger brother of Thanos. Became known on Earth as a hero. Former member of the Avengers, under the alias "Starfox". Has the power to control the emotions of others. |
| Khoryphos | Eternals vol. 2 #1 (1985) | Eternal who has been mistaken for Orpheus and Horus. He is a musician, whose current composition was started during the reign of Emperor Tiberius. Met a Deviant woman, Yrdisis, who he fell in love with. He is able to use his mandolin to subtely control the thoughts of other people. |
| Cybele | Eternals vol. 2 #1 (1985) | Mother of Thena and the wife of Zuras. Cybele usually lives in a secluded forest in Colorado, and does not usually take part in the affairs of her people, even though she was technically their queen while Zuras was alive. Has been mistaken for Gaea, Dyndymae, Rhea, and Agdistis. Aided the Eternals in battle against Ghaur, when he gained the power of the Dreaming Celestial. |
| Phastos | Eternals vol. 2 #1 (1985) | Eternal who was often mistaken for the Greek god Hephaestus. Built most of the Eternals' devices, including the sword of Kingo Sunen, and the flight harness used by Icarus. Normally, he lives and works in the Ruhr Valley of Germany. Recently helped revive Virako, and serves as a member of the "New Breed" as "Ceasefire". The hammer Phastos carries has the power to manipulate machinery in ways the Eternals' own matter control powers do. |
| El Vampiro | The Mighty Thor vol. 1 #290 | Eternal with Mexican features who masquerades as a vampire in his role as a wrestler in Los Angeles. He has a human wife named Maria. Was prevented from answering the call to the Uni-Mind during the 4th Host when El Toro Rojo assaulted him, and injured him badly. |
| Interloper | Defenders vol. 1 #147 (January 1986) | Polar Eternal who normally lives in seclusion in a cabin in Siberia. The only fellow Eternal that the Interloper has truly befriended is the Forgotten One, who has also lived a life consisting mainly of solitude. Died in battle against the Dragon of the Moon and transferred his life energies with the other Defenders, he was later resurrected by possessing the body of student Will Fanshaw, and transforming it into a replica of his own form |
| Virako | Thor Annual #7 | Father of Ikaris, brother of Valkin, husband of Tulayn. Virako is a Polar Eternal who participated in his people's missionary work to lesser cultures. He was mistaken by the Aztecs as Quetzalcoatl. |
| Arlok | What If vol. 1 #27 | |
| Astron | What If vol. 1 #27 | One of Uranus' followers, and leader of the Eternals of Uranus. Killed when Deathurge destroyed the dome protecting them in What If? vol. 1 #27 |
| Pixie | Marvel: The Lost Generation #12 | Member of the First Line. Can turn people to stone with "pixie dust." |
Trivia
- As seen in Eternals by Jack Kirby, the Eternals were, at first, not intended to be part of the normal Marvel canon. In issue #15, when the Eternals must fight an android of The Hulk imbued with cosmic powers, a press conference held by New York police sparks questions of whether or not "Doctor Doom and Thor are fighting too?" One reporter responds "These comic fans think all of Marvel's characters are running amok!" As the years went on, however, the Eternals entered the current Earth-616 continuity.
Eternals Titles
- Eternals #1-19 (July 1976 - Jan. 1978) Written and penciled by Jack Kirby
- Eternals Annual #1 (1977) — Written and penciled by Jack Kirby; occurs after The Eternals #12
- Eternals #1-12 (limited series; Oct. 1985 - Sept. 1986)
- Eternals: The Herod Factor (March 1991)
- The New Eternals: Apocalypse Now (also known as Eternals: The New Breed) #1 (Feb. 2000)
- The Eternal #1-6 (limited series; Aug. 2003 - Jan. 2004)
- Eternals #1-6 (limited series; Jun. 2006 - Dec. 2006) — Written by Neil Gaiman
Collections
- The Eternals (collecting Jack Kirby's Eternals #1-19 and Eternals Annual #1, 1976-1978, 392pp, hardback), ISBN 0785122052
