The fans have ridiculed the Eternals for showing up too late. The cosmic immortals have finally landed on Earth and they intend to protect it. When Thanos knocked at the blue planet’s doors, the did not bat an eye. Like Captain Marvel, they were nowhere to be found. Captain Marvel managed to escape criticism by saying there were other worlds for her to protect. What should be the Eternals’ excuse?
The first trailer of Eternals hit the internet a while ago. And the reason Ajak, leader of the group gives is that they have a police of non-interference. They do not meddle in worlds they have no business with. They let history take its natural course rather than change it on their own. The question still remains.
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Why Now?
For more than 7000 years, the Eternals have been living amongst mankind. They watch and spectate from a distance. Powerful warriors like Thena and Ikaris were reduced to mere observers. When Loki invaded New York and when Ultron destroyed an entire nation, they remained silent. But when Thanos came to Earth, that should have been their wake up call. One of their own just decimated half the universe on a twisted quest for peace. And yet, the Eternals remained silent.
The trailer does reveal some vital pieces of information. The Eternals came in their weird quadrilateral shaped ship to Earth when Man had not even invented the wheel. They taught humans agriculture, the basics of medicine and society. Ajak and her motley crew of outer space immigrants “watched and guided” humanity. For centuries, that had been their status quo.
Ajak also claims in the trailer “We have never interfered….until now.” This sentence carries weight unlike any other. The Eternals believed humanity should be allowed to grow on its own. That they had no right in interfering with evolution of an entire civilization. This should explain why a group of Godlike cosmic beings would even allow events like the World wars and the Cuban missile Crisis to happen. The humans needed to learn on their own. So when Dormammu, the Red Skull, and Malekith threatened the planet, they stayed silent.
And they were right. Humans and their allies managed to fend off all threats on their own.
The Comic Books Reveal The Secret
The Eternals were not an accident. They were intentional. A group of pre-historic humans were kidnapped by the Celestials and experimented upon. The Celestials wanted to explore the immense potential they had discovered in the human genome. The result were the Eternals. After their creation, the Celestials had actually forbidden the cosmic humanoids to interfere in the affairs of their home planet. They were not allowed to be an active participant in Earth’s history or face retribution.
So when Thanos snapped his fingers and killed half of all life in the universe, they were forced to just watch helplessly. Had they helped, a threat far more dangerous than Thanos awaited the planet. The Celestials are the judge, jury, and executioners of creation. They have the power to end entire civilizations if they deem them unworthy. For all their power, the Eternals are still weaklings against the Celestials.
Ajak’s “until now” statement does reveal some clues. The Thanos Snap was definitely a trigger in the Eternals deciding to end their policy of non-interference. But there could be a larger threat on the horizon. The reason the Eternals have decided to interfere is probably because something’s coming. And that something poses a threat far greater than the consequences of breaking the non-interference rule imposed on them by the Celestials.
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Who Is This New Cosmic Threat?
There are quite a few names that do pop up when we say cosmic villains of Marvel Comics. The first name that comes to mind is Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds. Thanos’ regular incursions into Earth might have put a bullseye on the planet. Galactus might be coming to engulf the blue planet and devour it. He seems to be the perfect choice for a cosmic villain strong enough to fight the Eternals. The MCU Phase 4 and beyond indeed takes it up a notch, with a psuh towards space – the final frontier. Galactus could be a real possibility.
There are indeed other villains that fit the bill. We have already seen the Nova Corps in action. In the comic books, one of the greatest foes of the Nova Corps is Annihilus. The ruthless ruler of the Negative Zone leads the greatest alien horde the universe has ever seen – the Annihilation Wave. Could he be the new threat the Eternals could be fighting because they now know they could no longer sit in the sidelines.
And if we take the wildest of guesses, we could also say the Celestials might be involved in the ruckus somehow. The Eternals were strictly forbidden from interfering by their Celestial masters. What if the Celestials themselves decided to judge Earth and have now deemed it unworthy of the universe? That means the Eternals have to act because their pact with the Celestials was based on the fact that the Celestials stay away from earth. Maybe the Deviants are just conspiring to bring the wrath of the Celestials to Earth, ending humanity and the Eternals so that they could rule the planet as they saw fit.
The possibilities are endless. But the Eternals coming now does pose a question this theory gives a solid answer to.
