The Celestials are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Depicted as cosmic beings, they debuted in the Bronze Age of Comic Books and have reappeared on numerous occasions.
They also appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe live-action films Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Eternals (2021), and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). In addition, the MCU changed the origin of Ego the Living Planet into a Celestial in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017).
Publication history The Celestials debuted in The Eternals #1 (July 1976) and were created by writer and artist Jack Kirby. They reappeared as regular guest stars in three subsequent limited series sequels: The Eternals vol. 2 #1–12 (Oct. 1985Sept. 1986), Eternals vol. 3 #1–7 (Aug. 2006Feb. 2007), and Eternals vol. 4 #1–9 (Aug. 2008May 2009).
The characters have also been featured in other titles, including the "Celestial Saga" storyline in Thor Annual #7 (1978), Thor #283–300 (May 1979Oct. 1980), Thor #387–389 (Jan.March 1988), Quasar #24 (July 1991), Fantastic Four #400 (May 1995), X-Factor #43–46 (Aug.Nov. 1989) and #48–50 (Dec. 1989Jan. 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 was long unknown, with many species across the mainstream Marvel Universe having only unconfirmed legends about their beginnings—until the "Eternity War" storyline, when major revelations about the Celestials were revealed by the Queen of Nevers.
Billions of years ago, before the current Cosmic Order, creation was composed of a single and sentient universe, 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 to give it companions as well as servants—an act that it would come to regret. These servants, cosmic beings of a lesser order of power, 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. The First Firmament named these loyal beings Aspirants and was pleased by their goals and desire to maintain the status quo. 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 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 tall humanoid robot that dwarfed even the Celestials themselves. It was powered by a cosmic artifact later called the Heart of the Voldi and operated by genetically engineered pilots.Iron Man (vol. 4) #11 - #18 (August 2013 - January 2014) During the war, the Godkiller killed billions of Celestials and brought them to the brink of extinction. At this point, 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 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.Ultimates (vol. 2) #6 (June 2016)
This First Host of Celestials is made 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. During the First Host on Earth, the Celestials begin genetic experimentation to determine the future development of humans. They created three subspecies: Eternals, Deviants, and mutants.Eternals #1 (July 1976)Marvel Fact Files #8 (May 2013)
The Fulcrum The Celestials' actions conflict with the policy of "non-interference" practiced by fellow cosmic entities the Watchers, with the two races becoming enemies.Fantastic Four #400 (May 1995) 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, their purpose to be "instruments of the planting/creation/teeming of the universe".Eternals (vol. 4) #2 (September 2008)
The End of the Seventh Multiverse During the "Time Runs Out" storyline, the Beyonders are revealed to have killed all the Celestials to perform an experiment by destroying the seventh multiverse.New Avengers (vol. 3) #30 (April 2015) A number of Celestials survive the Beyonders' attack, having taken shelter within the folds of space-time. They were planning to reenter the multiverse after it was reborn after the "Secret Wars" event. This rebirth provided an opening for the embittered First Firmament, who had been patiently waiting to attack the newly reborn and 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 destroy the Living Tribunal, then merge into a singular entity called Logos, who intends to replace the Tribunal. Logos locates the surviving Celestials and destroys all of them except for the One Above All, who is rescued by the Queen of Nevers.The Ultimates 2 (vol. 2) #4–6 (April - June 2017)
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.The Avengers (vol. 8) #1 (July 2018) Soon afterwards it appeared that these Dark Celestials are in league with the Horde of bugs pouring out of Earth. In an attempt to learn more about the Celestials, Iron Man and Doctor Strange visit the Eternals, only to find them all dead or dying from self-inflicted wounds. Ikaris is found barely alive and reveals to Iron Man that the Uni-Mind is 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 Avengers (vol. 8) #4 (September 2018) The Progenitor was the first Celestial to arrive on Earth; he died shortly after arrival, with the materials from his body influencing the evolution of life on Earth.The Avengers (vol. 8) #5 (September 2018)
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. Odin and his Prehistoric Avengers took on this Celestial, leaving it for dead deep in the Earth. Eventually, the disappearance of two Celestials brought the First Host to Earth. They made quick work of the Prehistoric Avengers, but left Zgreb buried to keep the Horde infection contained.
Dark Celestials When Loki revives Zgreb, he discovered that the Horde did not kill Zgreb. Instead, they transformed him into a new type of Celestial known as Dark Celestial. Together with the rest of his kind, collectively known as the Final Host, they have killed or infected every other Celestial, the dead bodies of whom now litter Earth, feeding the Horde.
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. The Avengers, combining their powers through the Uni-Mind, purge the Earth of the Horde, curing the infected Celestials. The newly revived Celestials defeat the Dark Celestials.The Avengers (vol. 8) #6 (October 2018)
Infinity Wars In the 2018 Infinity Wars 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 to dive deep into the Quarry of the Gods at the end of time, believing unlimited power awaits him there. As he enters, he discovers the Stones hold no power in the bottom of the quarry, becoming ordinary rocks. Loki sees that the area littered with thousands of Stones, confirming that this quarry is where these powerful artifacts originated and are actively mined by the Celestials.
A.X.E.: Judgment Day During the "A.X.E.: Judgment Day" storyline, the Avengers and the Eternals who did not side with Druig work to revive the Progenitor (which became Avengers Mountain) when Druig awakens the Hex to attack Krakoa.A.X.E.: Judgment Day #1 (September 2022)
The Eternals, X-Men, Mister Sinister, and Iron Man infiltrate the Celestial to activate its own self-destruct while continuing to be judged by the Progenitor. Upon reaching the core, they convince the Progenitor that it itself is not worthy, which resulted in it undoing every death it caused and reverting to Avengers Mountain. However, an aspect of the Progenitor's consciousness survives and continues to observe Earth.A.X.E.: Judgment Day #4–6 (November - December 2022)
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 as possible. He was confronted by the Avengers, X-Men, Ultimates and other countless heroes and was banished by the magic users with the use of a spell from the Book of the Vishanti.Civil War II #1 (August 2016) The Celestial Gardener: A Celestial tasked with the maintenance of the Apocalypse entity on Earth.Uncanny Avengers #7 (2013)