Celestial (comics)

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"Celestials" redirects here. For other uses, see Celestial.
Celestials

Three Celestials: Arishem the Judge, Hargen the Measurer and Eson the Searcher. Art by Giorgio Comolo.
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Eternals #1 (July 1976)
Created by Jack Kirby
Characteristics
Place of origin Unknown
Notable members List of Celestials members
Inherent abilities Each member possesses cosmic powers on an indeterminable scale.
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The Celestials are a group of fictional comic book characters, extraterrestrial beings that appear in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-artist Jack Kirby, they first appeared in Eternals #1 (July 1976).

Contents

[edit] Fictional character biographies

The Celestials appear as completely silent, armored humanoids with an average height of 2,000 feet. As little is known regarding their appearance underneath the armor, it is possible that this may be their true form. The Eternal Ikaris believes the armor is simply a shell for beings of pure energy, so as to allow interaction with the physical world; the hero Nova has made a base at a location dubbed Knowhere that is in actuality the decapitated head of a Celestial[1][2]). The Celestials are apparently responsible for the creation of two offshoots of humanity – the Eternals and the Deviants – on Earth over a million years ago. The Celestials' experiments and genetic manipulations are also responsible for the existence of superpowers in mutants (such as the X-Men)[3] The reason for the Celestials' genetic manipulation of proto-humans is unknown, although the Celestials have conducted similar experiments on other races, such as the Skrulls.

Each race that the Celestials have experimented on is periodically assessed by Arishem the Judge, and if a race "fails" by Celestials standards, Arishem will send an execution code to Exitar the Exterminator, a 20,000 foot tall Celestial who carries out Arishem's sentence. On the first occasion that this act was witnessed, Exitar terraforms a planet into a garden paradise, with only the "evil" inhabitants being destroyed, and the survivors are given a second chance.[4] In other cases, races that fail the genetic test are destroyed with their planet.[5] The Celestials' policy of interference is the exact opposite of the Watchers' policy of observation, and the two races have been enemies for many eons.[6]

The Celestials have only appeared on Earth on a few occasions, and very few beings on Earth are aware of the Celestials' existence. The Eternals and Deviants call the Celestials "Space Gods" and know that they visit Earth in "Hosts" at thousand-year intervals to monitor humankind's progress. Resenting the presence of the Celestials, the Skyfather figures of Earth (e.g., Odin, Zeus, Vishnu) attempted to stop the Third Host, but were humbled very quickly. The Skyfathers then developed a plan to stop the Fourth Host from judging Earth again. This plan failed, but as a result of the offering of the Skymothers (e.g., Frigga, Hera) Earth is left in peace until the time of the Fifth Host.[7]

The Celestials also loaned their technology to the immortal mutant Apocalypse in return for an unknown favor.[8]

The Celestials are possessed of such power and cosmic stature that they are counted among the Cosmic Powers of the Marvel Universe even though they do not represent any (known) abstract forces as do their counterparts.

[edit] Members

The Celestial Fourth Host – (left to right) Hargen, Tefral, Nezzar, Gammenon, Arishem, Jemiah, Eson, Oneg and Ziran. Scene from Thor #300. Art by Keith Pollard.
The Celestial Fourth Host – (left to right) Hargen, Tefral, Nezzar, Gammenon, Arishem, Jemiah, Eson, Oneg and Ziran. Scene from Thor #300. Art by Keith Pollard.

Main article: List of Celestials members


There is an additional Celestial, Tiamut, usually referred to as The Dreaming Celestial, the Apostate, or the "Great Renegade." Tiamut apparently rebels against the rest of the Second Host when they are visiting Earth, and after a drawn-out battle is then imprisoned under a mountain range by the other Celestials, and condemned to sleep for eternity. In the modern age the Deviant Ghaur siphons off the Dreaming Celestial's power, but soon falls under Tiamut's control. Ghaur is defeated soon afterwards by the Eternals and Avengers.[9] Due to the machinations of the Eternal Sprite and several Deviants, Tiamut is reawakened and has adopted the role of an observer of events on Earth, resolved to pronounce his Judgment "When The Last Shadow Falls".[10]

Another Celestial who appears is Ashema the Listener, who saves the Earth created by Franklin Richards [11] and moves the planet to become a Counter-Earth in opposite orbit of the sun. There are also a number of Celestials that only appear in one story. These Celestials are: the two "brothers" Devron the Experimenter and Gamiel the Manipulator;[12] Scathan the Approver;[13] the Monolith Gatherer;[14] and the Red and Blue Celestials.[15]

[edit] Powers and abilities

The Celestials are among the most powerful physical entities in the universe. The highly evolved Cosmic Cube beings Kosmos and Kubik – beings who wield nearly incalculable energy, matter and reality manipulation powers – stated that a single Celestial possesses "power many orders of magnitude beyond our own".[16] The Celestials were capable of reducing the Asgardian construct known as the Destroyer to slag even when the Destroyer was imbued with the life force of all the Asgardian gods (with the exception of Thor);[17] move planets at will;[18] and seal off entire universes.[19]

Reed Richards theorized that the Celestials' source of power is Hyperspace itself – the source of all energy in the Marvel Universe – a suggestion seemingly confirmed by the Invisible Woman's ability to destroy Exitar's physical form with her hyperspace-sourced force fields.[6] The Celestials have only been shown to be physically damaged in a handful of instances, most notably by the Invisible Woman,[6] Thor,[20] and the Odinsword-wielding Destroyer.[17] The Celestials, however, are capable of instant regeneration.

[edit] Other versions

  • In the alternate universe of Earth X (Earth-9997), the Celestials are beings of energy encased in armor composed of vibranium, a metal with properties that prevent their dissipation. They reproduce by planting a fragment of their essence in a planet, which eventually matures into a new Celestial over the course of eons, and which in turn absorbs the planet. Galactus is an enemy of the Celestials, as he devours the planets that incubate Celestial "eggs" as a way of keeping the Celestials from overpopulating the universe.[21]
  • In an alternate universe the Celestials return to Earth in the distant future and deem mankind unfit due to the genetic tampering of the High Evolutionary.[22]

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Nova #4 (vol. 4, Sept. 2007)
  2. ^ The Eternals vol. 3, #5 (Dec. 2006)
  3. ^ The Eternals #1–12 (July 1976 – June 1977)
  4. ^ Thor #387–389 (Jan.–March 1988)
  5. ^ Quasar #24 (July 1991)
  6. ^ a b c Fantastic Four #400 (May 1995)
  7. ^ Thor Annual #7; Thor #283–300
  8. ^ X-Men vol. 2, #186
  9. ^ Eternals vol. 2, #1–12 (1985–1986)
  10. ^ Eternals vol. 3, #6 (2006)
  11. ^ Heroes Reborn: The Return #1–4 (1997)
  12. ^ Marvel Monsters: Devil Dinosaur #1 (2005)
  13. ^ Guardians of the Galaxy #48–50
  14. ^ X-51 #1–12 (1999–2000)
  15. ^ Thor #424
  16. ^ Fantastic Four Annual #23
  17. ^ a b Thor #300
  18. ^ Infinity Gauntlet #5 (1991)
  19. ^ Heroes Reborn: The Return #1–4 (1997)
  20. ^ Thor #387
  21. ^ Earth X #1–12
  22. ^ What If vol. 2, #1

[edit] External links