Although the MCU has yet to pay off Eternals' cliffhanger, Phase 2 Avengers: Age of Ultron revealed what this could mean for humanity a decade ago. The MCU's Earth has been threatened multiple times over the years, from Loki's failed invasion of Earth to Thanos' successful plan to destroy half of all life in the universe. The Multiverse Saga continues to raise the stakes, with projects like Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessand Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania putting the entire Earth-616 at risk without human society even noticing.
Long before the age of heroes began in the 2010s, the Eternals had used their superpowers to help humanity evolve. The Eternals were present at events such as the creation of Babylon and the fall of Tenochtitlan, and saved Earth from the Emergency in the present day - all without being spotted by humans or superhumans. However, the Eternals are powerless against their creators, the Celestials.
Eternals ended with an irresistible cliffhanger that Marvel ignored
The fate of Earth is in Arishem's hands after the end of the Eternals
In Phase 4 Eternalsthe titular heroes defeated the Deviants, defended Earth from Ikaris, and stopped Tiamut from destroying Earth during her birth. However, Arishem briefly visited Earth in Eternals' final scene to kidnap Sersi, Kingo, and Phastos to read their memories and decide whether Earth should be spared or destroyed. Arishem is clearly impressed by the Eternals' genuine care for Earth, to the point of postponing judgment on Earth. despite Tiamut's untimely death. Still, if Arisem considers Earth unworthy of his mercy, it seems no MCU hero could prevent the planet's destruction.
One blink and you miss it She-Hulk: Lawyer Despite the easter egg, the MCU ignored Tiamut's death and Arishem's impending trial for years. Captain America: Brave New World is finally addressing Tiamut's presence on Earth, but Arishem's brief visit likely won't play a major role in any MCU projects for a long time. Since Marvel Studios is unlikely to move forward with Eternals 2, the most likely MCU projects to tackle Arishem are Avengers: Judgment Day and Avengers: Secret Warsas its multiversal storyline could bring timeless Celestials into the mix.
Marvel Phase 2 has already judged humanity and we failed
Ultron may have predicted Arishem's trial in Phase 2
In Avengers: Age of Ultronthe titular villain began his crusade against humanity as soon as he learned Earth's history and current affairs. As the perfect AI, Ultron judged Earth and decided the best course of action was to exterminate humanity. As Ultron tells the Avengers, "I know you are good people. I know you have good intentions. But you just haven't thought it through. There is only one path to peace... your extinction." From Ultron's perspective, there is no way for humans to peacefully coexist without harming each other or destroying the planet. To save Earth, Ultron concluded that robots must replace humans.
When Wanda and Pietro Maximoff realized that Ultron's goals went beyond killing the Avengers, Wanda read Ultron's consciousness and saw a vision of Earth's destruction. In fact, Ultron planned to cause a mass extinction event by turning Sokovia into a deadly meteor, which could have wiped out most living things, similar to the meteor that killed the dinosaurs. Given that Ultron was an AI designed with only one motivation, it was impossible for the Avengers to dissuade him, and they had to get rid of all of Ultron's Sentinels to stop him.
Phase 5 is not presenting a better case for humanity
Humanity may be doomed if Arishem returns to judge Earth
Sersi, Kingo and Phastos' fond memories of Earth and humanity throughout the Eternals' millennial lifespan may convince Arishem to spare Earth. However, Arishem may decide to destroy Earth anyway if he sees how bad things have gotten since his last visit. Not only was society threatened by a wide variety of new villains, but previous conflicts also emerged. For example, Wilson Fisk has his eye on political power in New York, rogue Skrulls have turned the US government against extraterrestrial life, a scientist is wreaking havoc across the world, and the US President has become a Gamma mutant.
Most importantly, Earth's Mightiest Heroes were unable to contain multiversal threats like Scarlet Witch and Spider-Man's villains in time. In fact, the Avengers might be making things worse. Peter Parker and Doctor Strange almost caused an incursion due to a failed spell, and Wanda Maximoff massacred the Illuminati of Earth-838 just because she wanted to reunite with her children. If Eternals' Arishem realized that Avengers: Judgment Day and Avengers: Secret Wars'Multiversal conflict is inevitable, it would likely destroy humanity before the Avengers have a chance to react.
-
- Release date
-
February 14, 2025
-
- Release date
-
July 25, 2025
-
- Release date
-
July 24, 2026