| Eternals | |
 Cover art for Eternals (vol 2) #1. Art by Daniel Acuסa. Daniel Acuña is a Spanish Comic book artist. Biography In college, Acuña studied in Painting and graduated |
|
| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Eternals vol. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc In Comic books and other stories with a long history first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a Fictional character. 1 #1 (July 1976) |
| Created by | Jack Kirby |
| Characteristics | |
| Notable members | Ikaris Thena Makkari Sersi Sprite Druig Phastos Cybele Virako Kronos Zuras Interloper Ajak Forgotten One Khoryphos Kingo Sunen |
The Eternals are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe. This is a list of Comics -related events in 1976. Related year entries List of years in comics | 1975 in comics | 1976 in comics Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg, August 28, 1917 &ndash February 6, 1994) was an American Comic book Ikaris is a Fictional character, a member of an alien race known as the Eternals in the Marvel Comics universe. Thena (born Azura) is a Fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. Makkari, formerly known as Hurricane and Mercury, is a member of the Eternals, a fictional race of Superhumans in the Marvel Sersi is a Fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine created by Jack Kirby. Sprite is a Fictional character appearing in the Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Druig is a Fictional character appearing in the Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Phastos is a Fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. Cybele is a Fictional character, appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. Virako is a Fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. Kronos (alternate spelling Chronos) is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Zuras is a Fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. The Interloper is a Fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. Ajak is a Fictional character, a member of the Eternals, a race in the Marvel Comics universe. The Forgotten One (also known as Hero and Gilgamesh) is a Superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Khoryphos is a member of the Eternals, a fictional race in the Marvel Comics universe Kingo Sunen is a member of the Eternals, a fictional race in the Marvel Comics universe This list contains Humanoid species from works of fiction For humanoid creatures from folklore and mythology see List of legendary creatures by type. A superhuman is an entity with intelligence or abilities exceeding normal human standards Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc The Marvel Universe is the fictional Shared universe where most of the comic stories published by Marvel Comics take place They are an offshoot of humanity created on Earth by the alien Celestials, and wage war against their counterparts, the Deviants. Within the Marvel Universe, the species Homo sapiens, and its Genus Homo is far more prolific and active than in the real world EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 Extraterrestrial life is Life originating outside of the Earth. The Deviants are a fictional race of Superhumans in the Marvel Comics' universe. The Eternals were created by Jack Kirby and made their first appearance in The Eternals #1 (July 1976). Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg, August 28, 1917 &ndash February 6, 1994) was an American Comic book This is a list of Comics -related events in 1976. Related year entries List of years in comics | 1975 in comics | 1976 in comics
Contents |
Publication history
In 1970, Kirby left Marvel Comics to work at 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. This is a list of Comics -related events in 1970. Related year entries List of years in comics | 1969 in comics | 1970 in comics DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company The New Gods are a Fictional race published by DC Comics, as well as the title for four series of comics about those characters 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 Fictional Biography 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. Roy Thomas (born November 22 1940, Missouri, United States) is a Comic book Writer and editor, and Mark E Gruenwald ( June 18 1953 - August 12 1996) was an American Comic book writer and editor The Marvel Universe is the fictional Shared universe where most of the comic stories published by Marvel Comics take place In Fiction, continuity (also called time-scheme) is consistency of the characteristics of persons plot, objects places and events seen by the reader or Thor is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Since then, the Eternals (and the mythology connected to them) have appeared or been mentioned in numerous Marvel comics. In particular, the Celestials' 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. James P "Jim" Starlin (born October 9 1949) is an American Comic book writer and artist who has worked for Marvel Comics Retroactive continuity is the deliberate changing of previously established facts in a work of serial fiction
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 five-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. The Deviants are a fictional race of Superhumans in the Marvel Comics' universe. These experiments also lead to the capacity for super-powered mutations in humans. They also performed this experiment on other planets (such as the Kree and Skrull homeworlds) with similar results. The Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the Fictional Marvel Universe. The Skrulls are a Fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in Publications by Marvel Comics.
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 (alternate spelling Chronos) is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. 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. In the Marvel Universe, Saturn 's moon Titan is the fictional home of the Titanian Eternals. 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. The Inhumans are a fictional race of Superhumans created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. )
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. Immaterialism is the theory propounded by Bishop Berkeley in the 18th century which holds that there are no material objects only minds and ideas in those minds For the first time, the Eternals merged into a single being, the Uni-Mind, to decide which of Kronos' sons, Zuras or A'lars should be the new leader. The Uni-Mind is a fictional composite being in the Marvel Universe. Zuras is a Fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. Mentor ( A'lars) is a Fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe, who first appeared in Iron Man vol 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. The Dragon of the Moon is a Fictional character, a malevolent entity appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. 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. Olympia is a fictional city in the Marvel Universe. It first appeared in Eternals #5 (Nov 1976 and was created by Jack Kirby. The Olympians are a fictional species in the Marvel Comics universe, based loosely on the Twelve Olympians and other deities of Greek mythology Eventually, an agreement was reached with the gods where some Eternals, such as Thena, would impersonate the Olympians before their worshippers. Thena (born Azura) is a Fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. 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 Celestials counterattacked, resulting in the sinking of Mu and Atlantis, and much worldwide havoc. Mu, as the name of a sunken Pacific Ocean Continent, was first used by James Churchward in his 1926 book "The Lost Continent of Mu Motherland Atlantis is a Fictional location in the Marvel Comics Universe The Eternals helped rescue many humans. An Eternal named Valkin was entrusted by the Celestials with an artifact of great power for safekeeping.
At some point during the early centuries, Ikaris and the Eternals came into conflict with the immortal mutant, Apocalypse. Ikaris is a Fictional character, a member of an alien race known as the Eternals in the Marvel Comics universe. This conflict ended when Ikaris and the Eternals defeated him. Ikaris believed Apocalypse was dead.
1000 years ago, the Asgardian god Thor encountered some Eternals, but the encounter was erased from his mind, to prevent him from learning about the Celestials, who were about to return to Earth. Thor is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. 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. Ajak is a Fictional character, a member of the Eternals, a race in the Marvel Comics universe.
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 become Marvel Boy. Marvel Boy is the name of several a Fictional characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Uranians were eventually killed by Deathurge. Deathurge is a Fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. 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. The Damocles Foundation is a fictional organization in the Marvel Comics universe Some Eternals, such as Makkari, were also active as superheroes, or living amongst humans, keeping their true nature hidden. Makkari, formerly known as Hurricane and Mercury, is a member of the Eternals, a fictional race of Superhumans in the Marvel 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. Thanos is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics.
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. Odin is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Eventually, the Eternals decided to help the gods and formed a Uni-Mind to assist the Destroyer's assault on the Celestials. The Destroyer is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics.
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 in Neil Gaiman's new take on the immortal beings. Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and Most seem to have no memory of their own history and abilities, except Ikaris, and no records of their previous appearances remain. Apparently the Eternal known as Sprite, angered at having to remain an eleven year old and unable to grow any further, managed to induce collective amnesia on the Eternals as well as distort their perceptions of history. Sprite is a Fictional character appearing in the Comic books published by Marvel Comics. This can possibly be seen as Gaiman's attempt to retcon the characters; early stories as well as officially published statistics portrayed most of the current generation of Eternals -- such as Ikaris and Thena -- as being "only" several tens of thousands of years old but Gaiman's run describes them as being closer to a million years old. Retroactive continuity is the deliberate changing of previously established facts in a work of serial fiction The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the Fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications
A group of deviants manage to kidnap Makkari, using him to awaken the Dreaming Celestial. In the Marvel Comics ' universe, the Dreaming Celestial is a renegade member of the race of god-like Celestials. Upon awakening, he decides to judge humanity. The Eternals, realizing that they cannot stop him, leave him be. The Eternals then embark on a quest to go and recruit the other members who have similarly forgotten their true selves due to Sprite's trickery.
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. They live for millennia, do not fatigue from physical exertion, are immune to disease and poison, and are unaffected by environmental extremes of cold and heat. A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions and can be deadly In the context of Biology, poisons are substances that can cause damage, Illness, or Death to Organisms usually by Most cannot be injured by conventional weaponry, and even if they are, an Eternal can rapidly regenerate any damage as long as they are able to retain their mental hold over their bodies; this mental bond can be broken however. A healing factor is a term used to describe the ability of some characters in Fiction to recover from bodily injuries or disease at a superhuman rate In the 2006 series it was also stated that Eternals are able to absorb oxygen directly from water, and therefore cannot drown. In the same series, Ikaris was plunged into molten metal and experienced great pain, but no physical injury, which the Deviants attributed to a forcefield which protects Ikaris even when unconscious. It is unclear if all Eternals share this degree of protection.
At one time, the official limit to the Eternals' durability was such that they could be permanently destroyed by dispersing their bodies' molecules over a wide area[1]. However, this degree of extreme durability was recently ret-conned and increased to a much greater degree; as demonstrated in the 2006 Eternals limited series[2], it is shown that even total molecular dispersal is insufficient to destroy an Eternal. Retroactive continuity is the deliberate changing of previously established facts in a work of serial fiction As long as "The Machine" -a restoration device of Celestial origin -keeps running, any destroyed Eternal will eventually return, as was the case with Ikaris after he was completely vaporized by a particle accelerator as part of a series of "experiments" performed upon him by the Deviants.
This same cosmic energy can be channeled for a number of superhuman abilities. In generalDO NOT ADD INFORMATION THAT DOES NOT CONCERN COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS All Eternals are capable of:
- Superhuman strength. The limits of their strength can be increased as a result of years of focusing some of their energy towards that purpose.
- Projecting concussive blasts and/or blinding flashes of energy from their eyes and hands.
- Flying (and levitate others. Flight is the process by which an object achieves sustained movement either through the Air (or movement beyond Earth's atmosphere, in the case of )
- Reading minds.
- Generating illusions.
- Teleporting vast distances, though doing so leaves most Eternals momentarily fatigued or dazed. Teleportation is the movement of objects from one place to another more or less instantaneously either by Paranormal means or through technological artifice
- Transmuting objects, altering both their shape and composition. This ability is very taxing to most Eternals.
- In addition, groups of Eternals, as few as 7 at a time, can initiate a transformation into a gestalt being called the Uni-Mind, a vastly powerful psionic entity that contains the totality of the powers and abilities of all the beings that comprise it. The Uni-Mind is a fictional composite being in the Marvel Universe.
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. Sersi is a Fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine created by Jack Kirby. 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. Ikaris is a Fictional character, a member of an alien race known as the Eternals in the Marvel Comics universe. The Interloper is a Fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. Makkari, formerly known as Hurricane and Mercury, is a member of the Eternals, a fictional race of Superhumans in the Marvel
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 1968 non-fiction best-seller, postulated that ancient aliens gave knowledge to early humans, and were worshipped as gods. Erich Anton Paul von Däniken (b Zofingen, Aargau, Switzerland, April 14 1935 is a controversial Swiss author best known for his books which present Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past is a book written in 1968 by Erich von Däniken. A debunker is an individual who discredits and exposes claims as being false exaggerated unscientific or pretentious
- The Hurricane and Mercury, two characters of Timely Comics, the 1940s predecessor of Marvel, were retconned as being guises of the Eternal Makkari. Timely Comics is the 1940s Comic book Publishing company that would evolve into first Atlas Comics, and then Marvel Comics Retroactive continuity is the deliberate changing of previously established facts in a work of serial fiction
- Thematically, the Eternals were similar to another Kirby creation, the New Gods - another group of ancient godlike beings in epic struggle with their opposites, with humanity caught in between. The New Gods are a Fictional race published by DC Comics, as well as the title for four series of comics about those characters
Continuity
- As seen in Eternals by Jack Kirby, the Eternals were, at first, not intended to be part of the normal Marvel canon. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc In issue #15, when the Eternals must fight a robot 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. The Hulk Robot is the name of a Marvel Comics robot that is modeled after the Hulk. Dr Doom redirects here For other uses see Dr Doom (disambiguation. Thor is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics
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. A penciller (or penciler) is one of a number of types of Artists working within the Comic book industry Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg, August 28, 1917 &ndash February 6, 1994) was an American Comic book Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg, August 28, 1917 &ndash February 6, 1994) was an American Comic book A limited series is a term originated by Marvel Comics referring to a Comic book series with a set number of issues 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 #1-7 (limited series; Jun. 2006 - Feb. 2007) — Written by Neil Gaiman
- Eternals (vol 2) #1 - (June 2008 - Present)
Collected editions
A number of trade paperbacks have been released collecting parts of the Eternals comic outtings:
- The Eternals (collects Jack Kirby's Eternals #1-19 and Eternals Annual #1, 1976-1978, 392pp, hardback, ISBN 0-7851-2205-2)
- Eternals (collects Neil Gaiman's Eternals #1-7, 2006, paperback, 276pp, March 2007, ISBN 1-905239-57-2, hardcover, 256pp, April 2007, UK: ISBN 0-7851-2176-5, US: ISBN 0-7851-2541-8)
See also
References
- Newsrama's reproduction (with permission) of the Eternals entry from the new Marvel Universe A-Z
- Encyclopaedia Olympianna
External links
- Best Shots Extra: The Eternals #1, Newsarama, June 9, 2008
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic