The Celestials are
fictional
characters
Character or Characters may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk
* ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
appearing in
American comic books published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. Depicted as cosmic beings, the characters debuted in the
Bronze Age of Comic Books
The Bronze Age of Comic Books is an informal name for a period in the history of American superhero comic books usually said to run from 1970 to 1985. It follows the Silver Age of Comic Books and is followed by the Modern Age of Comic Books.
Th ...
and have reappeared on numerous occasions.
The Celestials also appeared in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
live-action films ''
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
It may more specifically refer to:
Comic book teams
* Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...
'' (2014), ''
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ' ...
'' (2017), ''
Eternals'' (2021), and ''
Thor: Love and Thunder'' (2022).
Publication history
The Celestials debuted in ''
The Eternals'' #1 (July 1976) and were created by writer and artist
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...
. They reappeared as regular guest stars in three subsequent
limited series Limited series may refer to:
*Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series
*Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered
*Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...
sequels: ''The Eternals'' vol. 2 #1–12 (Oct. 1985–Sept. 1986), ''Eternals'' vol. 3 #1–7 (Aug. 2006-Feb. 2007), and ''Eternals'' vol. 4 #1–9 (Aug. 2008–May 2009).
The characters have also been featured in other titles, including the "Celestial Saga" storyline in ''
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...
'' Annual #7 (1978), ''Thor'' #283–300 (May 1979–Oct. 1980), ''Thor'' #387–389 (Jan.–March 1988), ''
Quasar'' #24 (July 1991), ''
Fantastic Four'' #400 (May 1995), ''
X-Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003) ...
'' #43–46 (Aug.–Nov. 1989) and #48–50 (Dec. 1989–Jan. 1990). The first detailed account of the Celestials' origin was finally presented in ''The Ultimates 2'' #6 (2017).
Fictional history
The origin of the Celestials had long been unknown, with many species across the
mainstream
Mainstream may refer to:
Film
* ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film
Literature
* ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine
* Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher
* ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso
Mu ...
Marvel Universe having only legends about their beginning, none of which have been validated, until the so-called ''
Eternity War
The Ultimates is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Although the team takes its name from the unrelated team Ultimates, which was the Ultimate Marvel version of the Avengers, it is set i ...
'', during which major revelations about the origin and nature of the Celestials were revealed by the mysterious cosmic entity called the Queen of Nevers.
At the beginning of creation itself, countless billions of years ago, before the current Cosmic Order, creation was composed of a single and sentient universe, whose omnipotent intelligence was referred to as the First Firmament. For countless ages, the First Firmament was the sole being in creation, until its loneliness became unbearable. It decided to create the first life in Creation to give it companions as well as servants—an act that it would later come to regret. These servants were cosmic beings of a lesser order of power and were of two kinds: black and multicolored humanoid servants. The black servants dutifully obeyed and worshiped their creator. They even created their own servants and sought to preserve the simple order their creator had made complete and unchanging for all time. The First Firmament named these loyal beings Aspirants and was very pleased by their goals and desire to maintain the status quo of its reign. However, the multicolored ones had completely different values and desires from the Aspirants. Considered "rebels" by the First Firmament, they wanted a dynamic, diverse and continually evolving Reality where beings lived, learned, reproduced, aged and died in order to slowly improve themselves through evolution. The rebels wanted this with the ultimate long-term goal of producing superior cosmic beings with the power to create universes of their own and for the universe to evolve with them as they advanced towards that state. These were the beings whom one day would be called by lesser life forms, "The Celestials".
The two opposing factions of the First Firmament's children could not peacefully co-exist and the ensuing war nearly destroyed the first universe. At some point during the war, the Aspirants created a now-lost hyper weapon called the Godkiller, a space-borne tall humanoid robot that dwarfed even the Celestials themselves. It was powered by a cosmic artifact later called the Heart of The Voldi (named after the species which would adopt it) and operated by genetically engineered pilots. During the war, the Godkiller destroyed countless billions of Celestials and brought them to the brink of extinction. At this point, for unknown reasons, a civil war broke out among the Aspirants that led to the Godkiller being stripped of critical parts for weapons. This division within the Aspirants gave the Celestials a chance to recover and make their last stand. In the final battle against the Aspirants, the Celestials detonated their ultimate weapons that tore the First Firmament apart and very nearly killed it. In a desperate act of self-preservation, the core essence of the First Firmament took the surviving Aspirants and fled outside Reality. In the wake of its near destruction, the major fragments of the First Universe that were torn off coalesced into a new cosmic being, one with multiple realities composing it. This was the birth of the Second Cosmos and the First Multiverse. After the birth of the first Multiverse, the "rebels" settled inside him, multiplied and began their vast plan to create and nurture transitory but evolving life on the newborn worlds within, a general outline of the basic plan the Celestials follow for shaping the evolution of life on a chosen planet after it develops primitive sentient life.
This initial visit is called a First Host of Celestials, after the chosen planet has been judged to possess the needed properties for an effective "seeding". The Celestials then return for follow-up visits or "Hosts", during which they monitor the subject planet's progress and make whatever modifications or interventions they deem appropriate. These Hosts have been documented on Earth, and have also been found on many other planets throughout the universe. Other major examples include the Skrull homeworld, hundreds of millions of years ago, and numerous Sh'iar worlds, such as Gladiator's homeworld.
First Host on Earth
Collecting a number of natives during the Stone Age, they then begin genetic experimentation that determines the future development of that species. They create two subspecies from the natives:
Eternals,
Deviants, and a majority "normal" strain that may or may not be modified in some manner that enhances its long-term development. For example, the Celestials first visited Earth nearly a million years ago and implanted a special genetic code into the early hominids. This implanted DNA structure has been revealed to be not only the source of the ability of select random humans to develop superpowers upon exposure to dangerous environmental catalysts, it also allowed for the development of benevolent mutations that caused the existence of inborn potential superpowers in
mutant
In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
s. In truth, the Celestials came to Earth to investigate the disappearance of a Celestial only to realize Earth may eventually create antibodies against the Horde infection via its powered inhabitants.
Second Host
Approximately 21,000 years ago, the Celestials returned to Earth for the Second Host and found that the Deviants had created a vast empire across the world based on the continent of Lemuria, where they had conquered most of the primitive human tribes with their superior technology. They were also about to go to war with the original human inhabitants of the neighboring continent of Atlantis. The Celestials then destroyed Lemuria and sank it under the ocean, utterly shattering the Deviants' empire and indirectly sinking Atlantis-therefore destroying both continents and reshaping the Earth.
Third and Fourth Host
Resenting the presence of the Celestials and their monitoring of Earth's progress, the
Skyfather figures of Earth (e.g.
Odin,
Zeus
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek reli ...
) attempted to stop the Third Host, but were quickly outmatched. The Space Gods then informed they would return 1,000 years later to judge Earth's right to continue existing.
The Skyfathers then developed a convoluted plan to stop the Fourth Host via the use of the
Odinsword
Odin Borson, the All-Father is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. First mentioned in ''Journey into Mystery'' #85 (Oct. 1962), the character first appears in ''Journey into Mystery'' #86 (Nov. 1 ...
and
Destroyer armour, but once again the Celestials prevented the offensive and melted the Destroyer armour into slag, scattering the
Asgardians' life forces. The
Earthmothers (such as
Frigga and
Hera) of Earth, however, had planned a peaceful solution and made an offering of twelve perfect humans, which was accepted, and the planet was spared judgment. The judgment process on another planet was witnessed by Thor, who observed Celestial
Arishem the Judge sending an execution code to
Exitar the Exterminator, a tall Celestial who carried out Arishem's "sentence". Exitar
terraforms the planet in question into a garden paradise, with only the "evil" inhabitants having been destroyed. On one occasion, the hero
Quasar observes a race completely failing the genetic test, with every living creature being destroyed with their planet.
The Fulcrum
The Celestials' actions conflicted with the policy of "non-interference" practiced by fellow cosmic entities the
Watchers, with the two races becoming enemies. The Celestials and their "opposites", the locusts of the universe, cosmic insect-like beings that would eventually be called the
Horde, are established as instruments of an entity referred to as The Fulcrum (apparently an aspect of the One Above All), their purpose to be "instruments of the planting/creation/teeming of the universe".
Knowhere
Knowhere (pronounced "no where") is a fictional location appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, and related media. It is depicted as the enormous severed head of an ancient celestial being, which serves as an interdimension ...
- The City Inside A Celestial's Head
One of the
Celestials
The Celestials are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Depicted as cosmic beings, the characters debuted in the Bronze Age of Comic Books and have reappeared on numerous occasions.
The Celestials ...
to first enter into the Abyss left after the destruction of the
6th Cosmos encountered the dark elder god
Knull and picked him up to examine him. Enraged over the Celestials despoiling the Abyss through their creation of the 7th Cosmos, Knull manifested a blade of living abyss from his shadow - creating the first All-Black The Necrosword - and decapitated the Celestial, thereby marking it as the first death in the renewed Multiverse.
A team of space adventurers, the
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
It may more specifically refer to:
Comic book teams
* Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...
, find and use as a base the severed head of a Celestial floating in an area of space known as "The Rip". Dubbed "
Knowhere
Knowhere (pronounced "no where") is a fictional location appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, and related media. It is depicted as the enormous severed head of an ancient celestial being, which serves as an interdimension ...
", the structure also acts as a common
port of call (complete with a market and bar) for travelers from all points in the
space-time continuum
In physics, spacetime is a mathematical model that combines the three dimensions of space and one dimension of time into a single four-dimensional manifold. Spacetime diagrams can be used to visualize relativistic effects, such as why differ ...
. The base is administered by its chief of security, Cosmo, a
telepathic
Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...
and
telekinetic
Psychokinesis (from grc, ψυχή, , soul and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), or telekinesis (from grc, τηλε, , far off and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person ...
Soviet space dog
During the 1950s and 1960s the Soviet space program used dogs for sub-orbital and orbital space flights to determine whether human spaceflight was feasible. In this period, the Soviet Union launched missions with passenger slots for at l ...
originally lost in Earth orbit in the 1960s. Courtesy of the deceased Celestial's "Continuum Cortex", travelers with special "passport" bracelets can teleport to any point in the universe instantaneously.
X-Termination
In the beginning, the Celestials were foolish to play god and thought that with life and creation, there must be also death and destruction, so they created the Exterminators to be that death and destruction. Their creation turned on them and since they were unable to kill their creation, they imprisoned the Exterminators to the walls that separated realities. Learning from their mistakes, they eventually created the Death Seed with the same purpose. The Exterminators remained there for millennia, until the walls began to crack and started to teleport between universes, which weakened the walls even more and were able to escape.
Dark Beast and an alternate version of
Beast used the Dreaming Celestial to open a portal to go through
Earth-295
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 comic book crossover storyline mostly published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The ''Age of Apocalypse'' briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616 and had ramifications in the main Marvel Comics ...
, which caused one of the Exterminators to travel to
Earth-616 and drained the Dreaming Celestial. Bosnos the seventh and most supreme of the celestials was sent to clean up after the destruction the Exterminators left behind. Combating early decisions of needing a more exponential race and to implant the universal numbers. Bosnos was Born.
The End of the Seventh Multiverse
During the "Time Runs Out" storyline, the
Beyonders are revealed to have killed all the Celestials in each reality across the multiverse, to perform an experiment by destroying the Seventh Multiverse.
The birth of the Eighth Multiverse
A number of Celestials from across the multiverse had survived the Beyonders' attack, however, having taken shelter within the folds of space-time. They were planning to reenter the Multiverse after it was reborn after the "
Secret Wars
''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'' for short, is a twelve-issue American comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter, with ...
" event. This rebirth however had an unforeseen consequence: it provided an opening for the embittered First Firmament, who had been patiently waiting Outside, to attack the newly reborn, and therefore greatly weakened Eternity, with the goal of destroying the multiverse and restoring itself to the center of creation. The Firmament first chained and then began infiltrating Eternity with both its loyal Aspirant agents and taking control over the lesser cosmic entities that protected the cosmic balance in its component universes. Under the Firmament's influence, Master Order and
Lord Chaos destroyed the reborn
Living Tribunal
The Living Tribunal is a fictional cosmic entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Strange Tales'' #157 (June 1967) and was created by Stan Lee, Marie Severin, and Herb Trimpe.
The ...
in front of
Galactus
Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, Galactus is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of t ...
the Lifebringer and then found their servant, The In-Betweener and forcibly merged into a new cosmic being many orders of magnitude of power greater that called itself Logos. Logos then located the surviving Celestials and destroyed all but
one of them who was rescued by The Queen of Nevers.
The Fifth Host
Later, while observing the last stand against the First Firmament, The Queen of Nevers reveals the reason why she had saved the One Above All. By using him as a seed, she raises the Celestials anew as her own Avatars of Possible in what she claims to be the Fifth Host. The Celestials then faced and defeated the Aspirants of the First Firmament.
The Final Host
Later it was revealed that during the Stone Age, a Celestial referred to as "The Fallen" came to Earth. It was described as "deranged" as it dug into the Earth apparently searching for something. Due to the danger it posed, the Avengers of the Stone Age fought the Fallen and defeated it before burying it deep underground in the modern-day country of South Africa, where it was found and awakened by a group of archaeologists after they uncovered the cavern it was sealed in. The Fallen then summoned the Final Host while killing the archaeologists and soon afterwards was approached by Loki, the Asgardian God of Mischief, for unknown purposes.
[''Marvel Legacy'' #1. Marvel Comics.]
The secret origin of the new Marvel Universe
Some time later, Celestials began literally "raining" down on Earth forcing the Avengers to reunite again and just in time to see the arrival of the Final Host which is composed of Dark Celestials that are each physically unique and were the ones who easily took down their brethren. Soon afterwards it appeared that these Dark Celestials are in league with the Horde of bugs pouring out of the center of the planet and with Loki. In an attempt to learn more about the Celestials, Iron Man and Doctor Strange visited the Eternals, only to find them all dead or dying from self-inflicted wounds. Ikaris was found barely alive and used his last words to reveal to Iron Man that the Uni-mind was the only thing that can stop the Final Host from fully unleashing the Horde, as the existence of a dead Celestial that Loki calls the Progenitor is revealed.
The Progenitor is actually the first Celestial to ever set foot on Earth, when it was an insignificant speck of molten mud and utterly lifeless. He came to Earth not because of some grand cosmic design or godly destiny nor did he even consciously choose the planet, he came merely because he was dying and falling. As it turns out, even the omnipotent Celestials get sick, and the Progenitor was hopelessly infected by the Horde. As the Progenitor died, his blood and rotting flesh mixed into the shifting primordial elements of the newly formed planet and thus affected the course of Earth evolution as it made the planet a unique breeding ground for all the super-powered beings one day to come.
[''Avengers'' vol. 8 #5. Marvel Comics.]
Five billion years after the death of the Progenitor and his corpse's incorporation into Earth's "primordial soup", another Celestial eventually followed looking for him. This was The Fallen, who was known as Zgreb the Aspirant, the lover of the Progenitor and according to Loki, it became mad by the sight of its dead lover, or perhaps by the effect of the Horde latching onto him. In any event, Odin and his Prehistoric Avengers took on this Celestial, leaving it for dead deep in the Earth. Eventually, the disappearance of two Celestials brought down The First Host to Earth. They made quick work of the Prehistoric Avengers but left after the battle, rather than destroy the Avengers or the Earth. Loki surmises that the Celestials feared succumbing to the Horde themselves and believed it better to leave Zgreb buried deep underground to keep the Horde infection contained, creating in the process two opposing humanoid species – the Eternals and the Deviants - to defend the process under the false impression that they were actually protecting the human race.
Dark Celestials
When Loki revived Zgreb from his long slumber deep in the Earth, he discovered that the Horde did not kill Zgreb, instead they transformed him into Zgreb the Sorrower, a new breed known as Dark Celestial. Together with the rest of his kind, collectively known as the Final Host, they've killed or infected every other Celestial, the dead bodies of whom now litter the Earth, feeding the Horde.
As the entire planet panics due to the Final Host actions, the heroes finally realize why the Celestials did not cleanse planet Earth when they had the chance, they saw the potential to grow an antidote to defeat the Horde and so they waited, visiting the planet now and then to see if the cure had been developed. Eventually the world breathes a sigh of relief as the Avengers, combining their powers through the Uni-Mind (given to Iron Man by Ikaris) purged the Earth of the Horde, curing the infected Celestials. The newly revived Celestials then defeat the Dark Celestials.
Infinity Wars
In the 2018 ''
Infinity Wars
"Infinity Wars" is a 2018 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics as a follow-up to " Infinity Countdown."
Premise
The premise involves the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe deal with the outcome of the search for the new Infin ...
'' event, as the Infinity Stones are gathered once again, Loki dupes his own version of the Infinity Watch within the Soul World, stealing the six Stones belonging to the main Marvel universe from Gamora. He does so in order to dive deep into the Quarry of the Gods at the end of time, believing unlimited power awaits him there. But as he enters, he discovers the Stones hold no power in the bottom of the quarry, becoming just ordinary rocks. More so, he sees the area littered with thousands of Stones, confirming that this quarry is where these powerful artifacts originated and are actively mined. Loki immediately recognizes the miners as a squad of unique Celestials (this new group could very well be the oldest of their kind) who are clearly manipulating the fate of the multiverse by spreading the stones out across all the multiverse.
King in Black
During the "
King in Black
''King in Black'' is a comic book event written by Donny Cates with art by Ryan Stegman, and was published from 2020 to 2021 by Marvel Comics. It is a continuation to 2019's '' Absolute Carnage'', also containing fallout from 2020's ''Empyre''. I ...
" storyline, three Celestials are shown to have been slain by
Knull, with their corpses being possessed by his symbiotes. Thor and Knull later fight and Thor gains the upper hand until Knull distracts Thor by bringing in his symbiote-possessed Celestials and stabs Thor in the back. Iron Man arrives to use his Extremis-infected Symbiote Dragon in order to take control of the symbiote-possessed Celestials.
A.X.E.: Judgment Day
During the "
A.X.E.: Judgment Day" storyline, the Avengers and the Eternals that did not side with
Druig
Druig is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Eternal (comics), The Eternals'' #11 (May 1977) and was created by Jack Kirby. He is depicted as a member of the Etern ...
work to revive the Progenitor (which became the Avengers Mountain) when Druig awakens the Hex to attack
Krakoa. This was not to be a simple resurrection. Instead, they would re-write the "programming" of the Celestial, creating a being with ideals more aligned with their own. This new God would, if they succeeded, forcibly end Druig's war. Upon waking, the Progenitor did just that and ordered the Hex to leave. However, the Progenitor also quickly surmised that the inhabitants of Earth had driven it to ruin, so he declared they would have twenty-four hours to prove themselves more good than evil, else he would destroy the world. He immediately takes notice of Captain America, whom he harshly judges and declares a failure. The Progenitor is also well aware of its own weaknesses and showed the Avengers, X-Men, Eternals and essentially all of mankind a future of its death which also significantly devastated mankind. The Progenitor was skilled enough to fool even Jean Grey. He then continues its judgment declaring Emma Frost, Destiny, and Mystique as failures citing them as proof that the civilians of Earth cannot lay their trust in heroes to save them. It does give Kro positive judgment and will consider the others longer. Cyclops later visited the Progenitor in the Arctic. As it starts to pass it's judgment, Cyclops states that he requests a change of venue stating that Jean Grey is the only one who can judge him and that his fellow X-Men might scold him later. The Progenitor gives Cyclops a positive judgment. While the Progenitor has also passed positive judgment on the Deviants, it also gave positive judgment to Phastos, negative judgment to Makkari, deferred Ajak's judgment, and will consider Ikaris' judgment longer. Eventually after many judgments the Progenitor judged humanity as unworthy and while the heroes of the planet united against it, they were nevertheless defeated. The Progenitor demanded the Machine that is Earth to self-destruct, but the Machine refused and Phastos was able to reset it before the Progenitor could cause it to explode. Meanwhile, some of the Eternals, X-Men, Sinister, and Stark infiltrated the Celestial to activate its own self-destruct while continuing to be judged by the Progenitor. Upon reaching the core, they convinced the Progenitor that it itself is not worthy which resulted in it undoing every death it caused and reverted back to Avengers Mountain. It also empowered Ajak so that she could be the god the Progenitor could not. However, an aspect of the Progenitors' consciousness still exists and continues to observe the world and its inhabitants. It also communicated with Starbrand and told her things she should know, like the fact that her powers were shortening her lifespan.
Known Celestials
*
Arishem the Judge: A Celestial tasked with judging whether the civilization of a planet will live or die.
* Ashema the Listener: A Celestial tasked, along with Nezarr the Calculator, with retrieving
Franklin Richards for evaluation as a new member of the Celestials.
* The Blue Celestial: The first Celestial with a documented birth.
* Callus the Void: One of the Celestials turned into a Dark Celestial.
* Celestial Destructor: A member of the Aspirants, he was sent by the First Firmament to cause as much damage to
Eternity
Eternity, in common parlance, means infinite time that never ends or the quality, condition, or fact of being everlasting or eternal. Classical philosophy, however, defines eternity as what is timeless or exists outside time, whereas sempit ...
as possible. He was confronted by the
Avengers,
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...
,
Ultimates
The Ultimates is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics and created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch, which first started publication from ''The Ultimates'' #1 (March 2002), as part of the company's Ultimate Marvel ...
and other countless heroes and was banished by the magic users with the use of a spell from the
Book of the Vishanti
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...
.
* The Celestial Gardener: A Celestial tasked with the maintenance of the
Apocalypse entity on Earth.
[''Uncanny Avengers'' #7 (2013)]
* The Celestial Madonna: A Celestial who had arrived in 114 A.D. at Zhang Heng's palace. She was "pregnant" at the time and wanted to consume either Earth or the Moon to survive, but Zhang Heng convinced her to instead consume the Sun, which killed her immediately.
* Devron the Experimenter: A young Celestial tasked with watching over Earth alongside Gamiel the Manipulator.
* The
Dreaming Celestial
Dagger
Dagoth
Dagoth is a demon who has clashed with Doctor Strange.
Daken
Dakimh the Enchanter
Damballah
Daniel Whitehall
Daniel Whitehall is a British intelligence agent also known as the Kraken.
An elite assassin and member of the ...
: Originally known as Tiamut the Communicator; a renegade Celestial.
* Ea the Wise:
* Eson the Searcher: The Celestial tasked with "seeking."
* Exitar the Exterminator: A Celestial tasked with the destruction of life on worlds that fail the Celestials' tests.
* The Fallen a.k.a. Zgreb the Aspirant: A deranged Celestial that came to Earth during the
Stone Age, apparently searching for something.
This Celestial was actually the lover of the Progenitor and was searching for him before it was defeated and left for dead deep in the Earth by Odin and his Prehistoric Avengers. When Loki revived Zgreb from its long slumber, he discovered that the Horde did not kill Zgreb; instead the Horde transformed it into a Dark Celestial, now known as Zgreb the Sorrower.
* Gamiel the Manipulator: A young Celestial tasked with watching over Earth alongside Devron the Experimenter.
* Gammenon the Gatherer: A Celestial tasked with collecting samples of all life forms present on a planet during a Celestial Host.
* Godhead: A silent Celestial who was tasked to observe the planet Viscardi. After the inhabitants revealed their desire to become powerful like him, he created
The Black Vortex
"The Black Vortex" is a 2015 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics involving the All New X-Men and the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Plot
Prologue
Star-Lord (Peter Quill) tries to avoid the Slaughter Lords and those hunting him for a boun ...
.
* Geun the Executioner: A Human scientist turned Celestial.
[''Domino: Hotshots'' #4. Marvel Comics]
* Groffon the Regurger: A obscure Celestial who destroys planets. He is killed by
Deadpool
Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, Deadp ...
when trying to destroy Earth.
* Hargen the Measurer: A Celestial tasked with measuring or quantifying the planets the Celestials survey.
* Jemiah the Analyzer: A Celestial tasked with analyzing life-form samples.
*Kahltro the Tinkerer: A Celestial tasked with creating instruments of destruction.
* Marazov the Penitent: A Human scientist turned Celestial.
* Nezarr the Calculator: A Celestial who is a mathematician and possesses the ability to project illusions
*
Neena the Luck Dragon: The superhero Domino, she transformed into a Celestial by the Creation Constellation in order to stop Geun. ''Domino Hotshot #5 ''
* The One Above All: The leader of the Celestials and temporarily marked as the last living Celestial. He is not to be confused with
One-Above-All
Randy O'Brien
Blackjack O'Hare
Blackjack O'Hare is a fictional anthropomorphic hare in Marvel Comics. The character, created by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema, first appeared in ''The Incredible Hulk'' (vol. 2) #271 (May 1982).
Blackjack O'Har ...
.
* Obliteron: One of the Celestials that was turned into a Dark Celestial.
* Oneg the Prober: A Celestial tasked with experimentation and implementation.
* The Progenitor: The first Celestial to visit Earth. This Celestial had been infected, while traveling in deep space, by the Horde which eventually killed him. A new version of the Progenitor was later resurrected in order to end the Eternals' war against the mutant nation of Krakoa. This Celestial then began judging whether the civilization of planet Earth will live or die.
* The Red Celestial: The Celestial tasked with helping to birth the Blue Celestial.
* The Red/Blue Judge: The Celestial tasked with judging whether the civilization of a planet will live or die.
* Scathan the Approver: A Celestial from the alternate timeline/reality
Earth-691
Within Marvel Comics, most tales take place within the fictional Marvel Universe, which in turn is part of a larger multiverse. Starting with issues of ''Captain Britain'', the main continuity in which most Marvel storylines take place was des ...
who is tasked with approving or disapproving situations. It seems that Scathan also exists in Earth-616, the Prime Marvel Universe.
* Star Child: A "Variant Celestial", the son of the Celestial Madonna. He was born on the sun following the death of his mother and was retrieved by
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...
.
* Xodus the Forgotten: A mutant M'Kraan evolved into a Celestial at Earth-92131.
* Tefral the Surveyor: A Celestial tasked with surveying and mapping the geography of planets.
* Valknar the Exhumer: One of the Celestials that was turned into a Dark Celestial.
* Ziran the Tester: A Celestial tasked with testing the stability of the genetic material of life forms they alter.
Biology
Referred to as "space gods" by the
Eternals and the
Deviants, the Celestials appear as silent, armored
humanoids with an average height of . They weigh an average of 260 tons, meaning they are far denser than air. They are capable of feats such as reducing the
Asgardian construct known as the
Destroyer to slag, moving planets at will, and creating and containing entire pocket universes.
Reed Richards
Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member, and the leader, of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace and ...
theorized that the Celestials' source of power was
Hyperspace
In science fiction, hyperspace (also known as nulspace, subspace, overspace, jumpspace and similar terms) is a concept relating to higher dimensions as well as parallel universes and a faster-than-light (FTL) method of interstellar travel. ...
itself – the source of all energy in the Marvel Universe. The characters are almost invulnerable, and have only been harmed in rare instances, before instantly regenerating.
The first murder of a Celestial (which was also the first murder of the current multiverse) was carried out by the God of the Abyss, Knull, using the first Necrosword. The first known assassination of a Celestial was carried out by the
Apocalypse Twins
Warren Kenneth Worthington III, originally known as Angel and later as Archangel, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and is a founding member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, ...
,
who used the divinely-enchanted axe "Jarnbjorn" to pierce Celestial armor, against the
Celestial Gardener. Composed of Asgardian Steel, "Jarnbjorn" was unable to pierce the Celestial-armored Apocalypse until Thor blessed the axe with his blood. The now-lost hyperweapon, Godkiller, a space-borne humanoid robot which dwarfs even the Celestials themselves, was claimed to have destroyed Celestials literally by the billions.
New Celestials may be born by consuming the mass of the Black Galaxy, a place made out pure biological and organic matter, or with planets which were implanted with Celestial eggs/embryos at the core and after millions of years they would be born and would consume the planet, similar to the Celestials of
Earth X
''Earth X'' is a 1999 comic book limited series published by American company Marvel Comics. ''Earth X'' was written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian version of the Marvel Uni ...
. However, there are other ways for a Celestial to be born as witnessed with the Celestial Madonna who was carrying an infant Celestial. The Celestials also have an
immune system
The immune system is a network of biological processes that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to parasitic worms, as well as cancer cells and objects such as wood splint ...
, consisting of armored behemoths, jellyfish-like
antibodies and a swarm creature with wings and tentacles, which can fire blasts from their eye. The Celestials are all telepathically linked to one-another no matter the distance.
Thanos
Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant w ...
, wielding the
Infinity Gauntlet
''The Infinity Gauntlet'' is an American comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. In addition to an eponymous, six-issue limited series (comics), limited series written by Jim Starlin and Penciller, pencilled by George Pérez and Ron ...
, ranked the Celestials as being on roughly the same scale of power as
Galactus
Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, Galactus is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of t ...
, the
Stranger,
Odin, and
Zeus
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek reli ...
, but below that of Mistress Love,
Lord Chaos, and Master Order.
Reception
Accolades
* In 2020, ''
CBR.com
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
'' ranked the Celestials 3rd in their "Marvel's 10 Most Powerful Giants" list.
* In 2021, ''
CBR.com
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
'' ranked the Celestials 1st in their "10 Strongest Characters From Eternals Comics" list and 8th in their "Marvel: The 10 Strongest Cosmic Entities" list and 8th in their "10 Bravest Gods In Marvel Comics" list.
* In 2022, ''
Screen Rant'' ranked the Celestials 7th in their "16 Most Powerful Cosmic Characters In Marvel Comics" list.
Other versions
The characters also appear in the 1999
alternate universe limited series ''
Earth X
''Earth X'' is a 1999 comic book limited series published by American company Marvel Comics. ''Earth X'' was written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian version of the Marvel Uni ...
'', appearing as beings of energy encased in armor composed of
vibranium
Vibranium () is a fictional metal appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, noted for its extraordinary abilities to absorb, store, and release large amounts of kinetic energy. Mined only in Wakanda, the metal is associated w ...
, a metal with properties that prevent their dissipation. They reproduce by planting a fragment of their essence in a planet, which matures into a new Celestial over the course of eons. As a form of protection of that growing Celestial, its "parents" would manipulate the DNA of a planet's dominant life form to gain super-abilities and unknowingly act as antibodies, protecting the planet until the Celestial is born. The cosmic entity
Galactus
Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, Galactus is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of t ...
opposes them, devouring planets that incubate Celestial "eggs" in order to prevent the Celestials from overpopulating the universe.
In the
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters ...
universe, the Celestials are a race of powerful metahumans led by
Shen Xorn
Xorn is the alias of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in '' New X-Men Annual 2001'', he was created by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. He is a mutant who has a miniature ...
.
In the alternate reality of the 1998 miniseries ''
Mutant X'', the Celestials openly opposed the Goblin Entity, an all powerful being that consumed entire galaxies and the polar opposite of the
Phoenix Force. While they were ultimately successful in imprisoning their enemy, they would die from the injuries they sustained during the battle. The Goblin Entity escaped its prison several years later by attaching itself to the life force of
Madelyne Pryor
Madelyne Jennifer Pryor is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith, the character first appeared in ''Uncanny X-Men'' #168 (April 1983). Madelyn ...
.
The Celestials of Earth-4280 were convinced they were gods and attempted to conquer the Multiverse by use of the Bridge, a device created by
Reed Richards
Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member, and the leader, of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace and ...
that allows its users to observe and enter alternate worlds. They were defeated by the combined forces of
Galactus
Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, Galactus is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of t ...
and a
Franklin Richards from an alternate future.
In ''
X-Men '92
''X-Men '92'' was originally a limited series as one of the many tie-in titles for Marvel's 2015 ''Secret Wars'' event and later was released in its second volume as a continuous series in early 2016, starring members of the popular 1990s Fox Ki ...
'', the race known as the
M'Kraan had developed
mutants
In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
who then evolved into Celestials, such as Xodus the Harvester who thought that the mutants from other worlds would replace his kind.
''
What If? Secret Wars
''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'' for short, is a twelve-issue American comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter, with ...
'' features a version of
Doctor Doom with the powers of the
Beyonder
The Beyonder () is a fictional cosmic entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Mike Zeck, the Beyonder first appeared in ''Secret Wars'' #1 (May 1984) as an unseen, self-procla ...
and the
Infinity Gauntlet
''The Infinity Gauntlet'' is an American comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. In addition to an eponymous, six-issue limited series (comics), limited series written by Jim Starlin and Penciller, pencilled by George Pérez and Ron ...
who had defeated the Celestials.
In other media
Film
* The Celestials are featured in media set within the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
. As in the comics, their origin and nature are shrouded in mystery. Whatever can be known about them is known only by a few, such as
Taneleer Tivan / The Collector, who reveals that the Celestials utilized the
Infinity Stones
The Infinity Stones are fictional items in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). They play a significant role in the first three phases (also called the " Infinity Saga") of the MCU, including being the MacGuffins of the films '' Avengers: Infin ...
as a means of power against lesser life forms.
** The severed head of a deceased Celestial was converted into
Knowhere
Knowhere (pronounced "no where") is a fictional location appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, and related media. It is depicted as the enormous severed head of an ancient celestial being, which serves as an interdimension ...
and appears in the live-action films ''
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
It may more specifically refer to:
Comic book teams
* Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...
'' (2014) and ''
Avengers: Infinity War'' (2018), and the animated
Disney+
Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...
series ''
What If...?'' (2021). Knowhere is used as a congregation hub for space travelers, and the Tivan Group set up mining operations within it to harvest valuable resources.
[Truitt, Brian (February 17, 2014)]
"'Guardians of the Galaxy' crew comes down to Earth"
''USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...
''.
** In ''
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
It may more specifically refer to:
Comic book teams
* Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...
'', footage of
Eson the Searcher
The Celestials are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Depicted as cosmic beings, the characters debuted in the Bronze Age of Comic Books and have reappeared on numerous occasions.
The Celestials ...
is shown using the Power Stone to destroy a planet.
** In ''
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ' ...
'',
Ego the Living Planet
Ego the Living Planet is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Thor'' #132 (September 1966) and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby.
The character ha ...
,
Peter Quill / Star-Lord's biological father, is a Celestial who controls a humanoid avatar to travel the universe. His planetary form is a living extension of his Celestial consciousness. Over the course of many years, he planted thousands of alien seedlings to expand his existence across all life-sustaining planets. However, Ego needed another Celestial's assistance to activate them, so he fathered children with various alien races and had
Yondu Udonta
Yondu Udonta, or simply Yondu (), is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original version of the character is depicted as the last survivor of his species in the 31st century, and is a founding ...
retrieve them so he could gauge their Celestial powers. Quill is the only child who gained his father's Celestial abilities, though he loses them after killing Ego and foiling his plans.
** In ''
Eternals'',
Arishem the Judge,
Nezarr the Calculator,
Jemiah the Analyzer
The Celestials are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Depicted as cosmic beings, the characters debuted in the Bronze Age of Comic Books and have reappeared on numerous occasions.
The Celestial ...
, and
Hargen the Measurer
The Celestials are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Depicted as cosmic beings, the characters debuted in the Bronze Age of Comic Books and have reappeared on numerous occasions.
The Celestials ...
appear. Here, they are shown to stabilize the universe with their infinite powers and to plant seeds of their species in planets, destroying them in the process. To control those planets' population growth, they made the
Deviants. But when they disobeyed the Celestials' will, the latter created the
Eternals. Arishem has a greater rank than other Celestials. Tiamut the Communicator almost emerged from Earth, but was turned to marble by
Sersi
Sersi () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as a member of the Eternals, a race of superhumans. She was also a member of the Avengers and God Squad. Sersi first ...
after she and the others joined in a
Uni-Mind
The Eternals are a fictional race of cosmic beings appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The following is a list of known Eternals in the Marvel Universe.
Characters Earth
The following Eternals reside on Earth:
* Ikari ...
.
** In ''
Thor: Love and Thunder'', a Celestial Gardener and a Mad Celestial were seen outside the Council of Godheads chamber when Thor's group was fleeing from Omnipotence City.
Theme parks
* Eson the Searcher is the main antagonist of ''
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind'' at
Epcot
Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...
, where he steals a Cosmic Generator from
Nova Corps
The Nova Corps is a fictional intergalactic military/police force appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman, the Corps first appeared in '' Fantastic Four'' #205 (April 1979). They have since app ...
to create a portal to the dawn of time to erase the Earth from existence, resulting in a chase where the Guardians, Nova Corps, and riders work together to get it back.
Video games
* Eson the Searcher appears in ''
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2
''Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One on 14 November ...
''.
Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror (Nathaniel Richards) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is most frequently depicted as an opponent of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. A time-traveling entity, sev ...
uses his time crystal to summon the Searcher to fight the
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
It may more specifically refer to:
Comic book teams
* Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...
.
* An unnamed Celestial appears as a boss character in ''
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order''s Black Order Expansion Pass. After
Doctor Doom steals the Soul Stone from
Black Panther, the former uses it to resurrect a Celestial so he can protect the universe from an entity awakened following a clash between
Thanos
Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant w ...
and
Thane
Thane (; also known as Thana, the official name until 1996) is a metropolitan city in Maharashtra, India. It is situated in the north-eastern portion of the Salsette Island. Thane city is entirely within Thane taluka, one of the seven taluk ...
. While the heroes defeat the Celestial,
Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member, and the leader, of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace and ...
realizes Doom's motives and convinces him to join the heroes in order to stop the new threat instead.
References
External links
*
Celestialsat Comic Vine
Celestialsat Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki
25 Things That Make No Sense About Marvel’s Celestialsat Screenrant
{{Jack Kirby
Mythology in Marvel Comics
Characters created by Jack Kirby
Marvel Comics alien species
Fictional characters who can manipulate reality