Violence: We’re told early on that Eternals are indestructible, but that doesn’t mean people don’t try to harm them. The pair crafted a story that bumps against then-current Marvel history while also diving into the same philosophical meanderings both Kirby’s series and Zhao’s film tried answering.Ī female warrior, a guy who can fly and shoot lasers, a speedster…are we sure this isn’t the Justice League? Content Guide Gillis.įantasy author Neil Gaiman was responsible for ushering the team into the 21st Century, joined by John Romita Jr. Despite never gaining the popularity of several of their contemporaries, the Eternals have been a consistent part of Marvel’s lore, courtesy of writers such as Roy Thomas, Mark Gruenwald, and Peter B. Over the decades, they were seamlessly drafted into a burgeoning Marvel Universe. Originally, the Eternals were meant to appear in our world, not the mainstream Earth-616. With this foundation in place, Kirby crafted a saga where superpowered, god-like beings mingled with humanity and fought their monstrous counterparts, the Deviants. Inspired by the book Chariots of the Gods?, which posited that aliens jump-started human development and civilization, Kirby constructed his Eternals series to answer the questions of where we came from and how we got to where we are.

Jack Kirby, co-creator of characters such as Captain America, Black Panther, the Fantastic Four, and DC’s New Gods, invented the Eternals in 1976, trying to solve the same riddles posed by the film.

The movie compiles thousands of years of human history as it tries finding the Eternals’ place in the universe… as well as humanity’s.

Chloé Zhao’s The Eternals, 2021’s third Marvel Cinematic Universe entry, bears the distinction of being the lowest scoring film in the franchise’s history, currently sporting a 48% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Eternals by gaiman & romita jr