When the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off back in 2008, none of us could have imagined that one day we’d see these massive, colorful beings that look like cosmic Power Rangers gracing our multiplex screens. But here we are, and the upcoming Marvel phases promise to dive deep into the cosmic side of the universe that we haven’t fully experienced in the cinematic universe yet.
Today, we’re talking about these universe-shaping entities – who they are, where they came from, what they want, and how they fit into the broader Marvel cosmos. Plus, I’ll break down all the important Celestials you need to know about.
The Origin Story: How the Celestials Came to Be
Before we dive into the cosmic chaos, let me warn you – this article is packed with Marvel Comics knowledge. But don’t worry, by the end of this, you’ll understand everything about these cosmic giants.
The whole story begins with something called the First Firmament. Picture this: a completely empty, lonely entity floating in nothingness. And like any lonely being, it did what anyone would do – it didn’t binge Netflix (because that didn’t exist), but instead created servants to keep it company.
The First Firmament created two types of cosmic beings. The first group was called the Aspirants, and the second group became known as the Celestials. Each group got specific responsibilities, but here’s where things got interesting.
The Aspirants were completely obedient to the First Firmament – total yes-men who followed orders without question. But the Celestials? They were a bit more free-spirited and independent-minded.
You know what happened next – the same thing that happens when two siblings fight over the last piece of chocolate. An all-out cosmic war broke out between the Aspirants and Celestials. The Celestials ended up winning this cosmic battle and completely wiped out the Aspirants.
Seeing his creation turn against each other, the First Firmament decided it was time to bail. But here’s the crazy part – when it left, its arm got left behind. This cosmic limb was so incredibly powerful that wherever pieces of it fell, they gave birth to life itself. This is how the multiverse as we know it was created.
The Four Hosts: When Celestials Visited Earth
After creating the multiverse, the Celestials figured they had nothing better to do, so they started experimenting with life across different planets. Since they were these massive, towering beings, they decided they’d be the ones to determine which civilizations would survive and which wouldn’t.
Think of the Celestials as cosmic neighborhood inspectors, but instead of checking if your lawn is mowed, they’re deciding whether your entire planet gets to continue existing.
To make this process more systematic, they created four major cosmic events called the Four Hosts. These aren’t parties – they’re massive tests that planets have to pass. If a planet passes the test, the Celestials leave it alone. But if it fails? Game over.
The First Host: Cosmic Experiments Begin
During the First Host, the Celestials would take a planet’s population and divide them into three different groups. They’d select some souls and turn them into Deviants, take others and transform them into Eternals, and leave the remaining population as regular beings with the potential for random powers to emerge over time.
The Second Host: When Earth Got Its First Cosmic Visitor
The Second Host brought a particularly important Celestial to Earth – the Progenitor. This massive being arrived around 1,000,000 BC. And yes, you heard that right – there were Avengers even back then, and they actually fought this Celestial but lost.
Here’s where it gets wild: the Progenitor was infected with something called the Horde. When this Celestial died, its essence seeped into Earth, but this essence was so powerful that even today, many of the powerful beings and mutations we see are connected to this ancient cosmic influence.
Based on how this extraction process works, the Celestials had given Earth powers through the Eternals, Deviants, and enhanced humans, and they planned to return later to see what had developed.
The Third Host: Atlantis Goes Underwater
When the Celestials returned for their Second Host visit, they discovered that the Deviants had taken over and enslaved both the Eternals and regular humans. A massive war was raging across the planet.
At this time, Atlantis was still above sea level and wasn’t yet the underwater kingdom we know. Seeing this chaos, the Celestials decided to intervene. Their intervention was so powerful that it caused Atlantis to sink beneath the ocean.
The Fourth Host: Gods vs. Celestials
For the Third Host, the Celestials returned again to check on their experiments and found that humans were worshipping various gods. They tried to interfere and stop this divine worship.
When the Fourth Host occurred, legendary figures like Odin and Vishnu teamed up to try and stop the Celestials. But the Celestials were so incredibly powerful that they defeated even these cosmic-level gods.
This is comics we’re talking about, so anything can happen. After witnessing this defeat, the gods decided they wouldn’t interfere with the Celestials’ work anymore. But the Celestials, after completing their Third Host duties, simply left – they were just observing.
After this, when the Fourth Host happened, the Celestials came for their final judgment. When this Fourth Host occurred, the Celestials visited Earth and set up shop in South America. But humans weren’t about to sit quietly. They harnessed the power of the entire world and tried to attack the Celestials.
But the Celestials were far too powerful. After dealing with this human interference, they simply left, taking some humans with them. But in exchange, they wiped these events from human memory.
Understanding the Celestials’ True Purpose
Now you might understand how the Four Hosts work, because there’s a high chance this pattern will be maintained in future Marvel projects. The Celestials have more realities to manage than there are hairs on a bald person’s head – which is to say, countless realities exist in the Marvel Universe.
In different realities, the Celestials plant their seeds on various planets. These seeds remain dormant for thousands of years, growing by absorbing that planet’s energy. After reaching maturity, they break through the planet’s core, and a new Celestial emerges. This process is called the Emergence.
Currently in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this same thing is happening to Earth. The process is being called the Emergence, and that massive figure you see falling in the Eternals movie? That’s a Celestial, and it was the Eternals’ job to protect this process.
The Most Important and Powerful Celestials
Now let’s look at who the most important and powerful Celestials actually are.
Arishem the Judge
First up is Arishem the Judge. While he might not be the absolute biggest and most powerful Celestial, his name gives away his primary function – judgment. He’s the one who handles all four Hosts and makes the decisions about which planets deserve to survive and which don’t. This judgment power makes him extremely dangerous. The red Celestial you saw in the Eternals trailer? That’s likely Arishem.
Exitar the Executioner
Next comes Exitar the Executioner. This Celestial was sent to find the Progenitor who had fallen to Earth in ancient times. You might be somewhat familiar with this guy because after learning about the Progenitor’s fate, Exitar completely lost his mind and went berserk. The ancient Avengers had to team up to defeat him, and this story connects to the comics.
You’ve already seen him in Guardians of the Galaxy, where his massive head was turned into a mining colony with a Power Stone operation that wiped out half the planet’s population. This gives you an idea of just how powerful Celestials really are.
The Searcher
The Searcher’s job isn’t to pass judgment like the others, but specifically to search for things. He has a Universal Eye on his right hand that he uses to observe anything and everything across the cosmos.
Exitar the Exterminator
Then there’s Exitar the Exterminator. His job is to search for planets, and when planets fail their tests, he’s the one who gets the order to clean house. His job is planetary cleanup.
Most Celestials are around 2,000 feet tall – which is still massive – but Exitar clocks in at 20,000 feet. But here’s something else you should know: Exitar isn’t just one being – he’s more like a cosmic role. If someone manages to defeat one Exitar, another one will simply take his place.
The Analyzer and Other Key Celestials
The Analyzer is probably one you’ve already seen in the Eternals movie. His main job is conducting experiments on different human subspecies and creating beings like Eternals, Deviants, and enhanced humans through these experiments.
There’s also Tiamut the Dreaming Celestial, who might be the most powerful of all the Celestials we’ve discussed. He’s so incredibly strong that even Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds, is afraid of him. That’s saying something when the cosmic entity known for destroying planets is scared of you.
The dangerous Celestial that appears directly in the Eternals movie could very well be Tiamut.
What This Means for the MCU’s Future
The Celestials are going to be incredibly important moving forward because they’ve been an integral part of Marvel Comics for decades. These are ancient, powerful beings that have been part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s foundation since the beginning, but we just didn’t know about them.
Their basic job is to judge life on planets and decide whether those planets deserve to continue existing. So they’re both the saviors and potential destroyers of worlds.
If you’re wondering whether different realities use different Celestials, the answer is yes – each reality has its own set of Celestials managing that specific universe. What role the Celestials will play in the MCU’s future phases remains to be seen, but one thing’s certain – they’re going to be major players in the cosmic side of Marvel’s storytelling.
