Along the chronological spine
Where the guide talks about them (7)
To ensure planets reach that population threshold, the Celestial Arishem manufactures synthetic beings called Eternals and dispatches them to protect emerging civilisations from predators called Deviants. The Eternals believe they're protecting people. They're farming them.
The Eternals learn the truth about Arishem's design and split: some accept it, some refuse. Ajak, their leader and Arishem's direct link, decides — after watching humanity survive the Blip and then reverse it — that Earth deserves to live and the Emergence should be stopped.
Why does Ikaris kill her? Because he sides with Arishem. He has known the truth for centuries and believes the Celestials' design is above question: billions of lives across the cosmos depend on new Celestials being born, and one planet is an acceptable price. He kills Ajak for treason by feeding her to Deviants, and Gilgamesh dies in a Deviant fight partly through his interference.
Why does Arishem take some of them for judgment? Because they disobeyed — a Celestial that would have been born was destroyed. He takes Sersi, Kingo, and Phastos to examine their memories and decide whether humanity is worth preserving, promising to return with a verdict.
| Character | Premiered | Appeared in | Status now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thanos | Avengers (2012, post-credits) | Guardians, Ultron, Infinity War, Endgame | Erased from existence by Stark. Both versions |
| He Who Remains / Kang | Loki S1 (2021) | Loki S1–2, Quantumania | Dead, and the character is retired — Jonathan Majors was fired and not recast |
| Ultron | Age of Ultron (2015) | Age of Ultron | Destroyed — and returning in VisionQuest |
| The Collector | Dark World (2013, post-credits) | Dark World, Guardians, Infinity War | Dead, killed by Thanos offscreen |
| The Grandmaster | Ragnarok (2017) | Ragnarok | Alive, deposed, not seen since |
| Arishem | Eternals (2021) | Eternals | Alive — took three Eternals for judgment and never came back |
| Mephisto | Ironheart (2025) | Ironheart | Alive, now loose in the MCU |
| Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel | Captain Marvel (2019) | Captain Marvel, Endgame, Shang-Chi, The Marvels | Alive, mostly in deep space |
| Monica Rambeau | Captain Marvel (2019, as a child) | Captain Marvel, WandaVision, The Marvels | Stranded in another universe — the one with Beast and Charles Xavier |
| Shang-Chi | Shang-Chi (2021) | Shang-Chi | Alive, holding the ten rings. D |
| Xialing | Shang-Chi (2021) | Shang-Chi | Alive, running the Ten Rings organisation |
| Thaddeus Ross | The Incredible Hulk (2008) | Incredible Hulk, Civil War, Infinity War, Endgame, Black Widow, Brave New World | Alive, imprisoned at the Raft by his own choice |
| Samuel Sterns / the Leader | The Incredible Hulk (2008) | Incredible Hulk, Brave New World | Alive, imprisoned |