Name

Aliases

In the great void, emptiness reigns. Save for the unknowable, inexplicable life that somehow exists without homeland, without sustenance. Voicelessly uttering secrets that would destroy oursanity. TheCelestials. Created of theFirst Firmament. Witnesses to the birth ofall. They watch each civilization, from primordial to transcendent. They test. They prod. Theyobserve. And then, as voiced by the most coldly impassionate of their number,Arishem...they passjudgment.

Origin[]

First Firmament[]

In the beginning, there was only one universe, theFirst Firmament, perfect but alone. This sentient universe decided to create life: Celestial servants. Some of these servants industriously worshipped the First Firmament, seeking its approval whenever they created life on their own, which prompted the First Firmament to name them "Aspirants"; others, "multicolored rebels,"^[11] who were "as many as the stars themselves,"^[22] wanted their own creations to evolve, and wanted the universe to grow, change and die. That was seen by the First Firmament as madness and sacrilege.^[11]

Celestial War[]

War eventually broke out between the "multicolored rebels," later known as simply "Celestials," and the Aspirants for the dominion of all existence.^[11][22]

The war greatly diminished both groups. Eventually the rebellious Celestials resorted in desperation to using powerful weapons to eliminate their opponents, including the Aspirants'Godkiller Armor, which the Celestials used to win the final battle of the war.

After a decisive battle in the Celestial War, there was a lull in fighting between the two groups. During this time, the Aspirants fortified their fleets and immediately entered into aggressive squabbles among themselves, which gave the opposing Celestials time to recover and to plot ways to finish crushing their opponents.^[22]

The Celestial War ultimately ended when the rebel Celestials shattered the First Firmament into pieces. The rebellious Celestials detonated their weapons, and hundreds of new universes were split off from the First Firmament. The First Firmament fled along with the remaining Aspirants, and the new universes formed acollective entity that embodied theSecond Cosmos (which was the firstMultiverse).^[11]

Exterminators and Lost One[]

Desiring to balance creation with destruction, the Celestials gavelife to the primordial darkness, creating abominations calledExterminators. They eventually grew too powerful for the Celestials to control and turned on them. The Celestials imprisoned the Exterminators in one of the newly created universes lest they devour the newly-created Multiverse itself.^[23]

Around this time or prior, the Celestials also created the immensely powerful being namedCal-Horra, to be a servant for them.^[24]

Ancient interactions[]

Colonization of the Second Cosmos and the Beyonders[]

TheSecond Cosmos (or Second Infinity) was colonized by the rebel Celestials. There Cal-Horra created his own servitors whom the Celestials came to call "Omegas," a name given to them to signal opposition to the First Firmament, who was theAlpha (beginning).^[11] After the Second Cosmos ended and became the Third Cosmos, the Celestials moved on to the Third Cosmos. Meanwhile the Omegas stayedoutside, having stolen Cal-Horra's power for their own and erasing him from their history to make it seem the Celestials directly created them,^[25] and becoming then known as the "Beyonders" (among other names).^[12]

At some point, the Celestials started assigningKings in Black to maintain the Multiverse from the inside, while the Beyonders worked from the outside.^[26]

Creation of the Seventh Cosmos and Encountering Knull[]

Upon entering the Abyss left by the destruction of the sixth universe,^[27] they filled it with theseventh universe. They encounteredKnull, a primordial god of darkness who had ruled over that Abyss,^[27] and tried to recruit him to be their King in Black.^[26] Rejecting the work and enraged that his void was being spoiled, Knull decapitatedone of the Celestials usinga sword of living darkness and began a war against the Celestials and their creations.^[14] The body and soul of the felled Celestial were bound to Knull and trapped in theRealm Between, while the severed head was turned into the mining city and space station ofKnowhere.^[28]

Infinity Stones[]

The Celestials were responsible for sending theInfinity Stones to their respective universes.^[9]

The Watchers[]

In opposition to the Celestials' apparent agenda were theWatchers. Having sworn an oath of non-interference in species younger than themselves, the Watchers found the Celestials' genetic engineering of such species to be the antithesis of what they believed in. Thus, the Watchers and the Celestials were in a non-confrontational conflict for billions of years (as Watchers do not act).^[29]

Black Vortex[]

An object called the "Black Vortex" was created 12 billion years ago by the Celestial namedGodhead. Godhead created the Black Vortex after an individual namedGara from the alienViscardi species expressed to the cosmic being her species' desire to explore beyond their race's current potential. Gara was the first of the Viscardi to use the Black Vortex and gain enormous power. One year later, a war among the Viscardi left Gara as the sole survivor of her species.^[30]

Interest in Earth[]

The Progenitor[]

Four billion years ago, a Celestial referred to as theProgenitor crashed onto Earth after it was infected by the parasitic race known asHorde. The Progenitor died a sad, lonely death, and its body was buried within the Earth below theNorth Pole. The Celestial's diseased body fluids seeped into the Earth and percolated through the planet's primeval surface, forever altering the Earth's evolutionary trajectory. This process ultimately gave rise to the superhuman abnormalities present in many of Earth's inhabitants.^[21]

The First Host & The Fallen[]

Circa 1,000,000 BC the First Host came to the planet Earth, the CelestialGammenon the Gatherer collected a few specimens, whichZiran the Tester mutated to create one hundred grotesqueDeviants (Homo descendus).^[31] After Ziran was done with its brood,Nezarr the Calculator performed his own tests and created 100 superiorEternals (Homo immortalis). Finally,Oneg the Prober created alatent gene for the expansion of human potential.^{[15][17][32][33]}

Around this time a Celestial namedZgreb the Aspirant came to Earth in search for the Progenitor. Zgreb found the Progenitor and became infected with the Horde. However, the Horde mutated him into a rabid "Dark Celestial," the first of its kind. Zgreb went berserk and entered into conflict with theAvengers of the Stone Age. They defeated the weakened and sickly Zgreb,^[34] and buried it underground in the territory that would becomeSouth Africa in modern times.^[35] With Zgred defeat a sizeable group of The First Host came,Odin believing they had come for revenge joined the Avengers to face the Celestials.^[34] But the Avengers were soundly defeated, and instead of passing judgement on them the Celestials left all as it was.^[21]

The Monoliths[]

After the creation of these species, the Celestials created the mysterious objects known asBlack Monoliths to help record vast amounts of data over the centuries.^[36][37] Numerous humans interacted with these Black Monoliths over the centuries.^[38]

TheSecond Host and theGreat Cataclysm[]

Unlike the Eternals, the Deviants' population reached great numbers in a few millennia and took over the world, enslaving humanity. The Eternals tried to fight them, but soon they were forced to call the Celestials for help.^[39]

When theSecond Host of Celestials finally arrived on Earth, they were attacked by the Deviants, led by EmperorPhraug. Seeing a world fallen into chaos, the Celestials soon delivered their judgment and wiped out most of the Deviants.^[19][39] In the process, they caused Lemuria and Atlantis to sink all the way to the bottom of the ocean floor.^[19]

Around this time, the Celestial by the name ofArishem came into conflict with fellow CelestialTiamut, who would later become known as The Dreaming Celestial.^[40] The conflict ended with the defeat and burial of Tiamut under what would later become northernCalifornia, nearSan Francisco.^[41]

Apocalypse and Celestial Contract[]

In order for the species they had experimented upon to evolve as they wished, the Celestials would choose a representative of those species to appoint them as caretakers.^[42][43] These caretakers or overseers were tasked by the Celestials to help the species in evolving and changing for the better,^[44] On Earth, the Celestials appointed a number of individuals as caretakers, giving them the title ofApocalypse, forming along line of successors which had been granted with aDeath Seed.^[45][46]

At some point in ancient history the Celestial known asEson the Searcher usedtelepathy to communicate with theEgyptian warlord namedEn Sabah Nur. Eson struck a deal with En Sabah Nur, giving him the technology to build great, complex ships that would allow the warlord to shape the destiny of the world. Eson also gave En Sabah Nur the title of "Apocalypse" and stated that one day, maybe in centuries or millennia, the Celestials would come for payments for their gifts.^[47][48]

1st Century[]

TheCelestial Madonna an apparent female Celestial, appeared in 114 AD at the palace ofZhang Heng, a member of theBrotherhood of the Shield inLuoyang. Zhang went to her,^[49] and revealed him the existence of theCelestial Egg existing withinEarth, and revealed as well that she was carrying a child, something "new/unique/forbidden". That birth would destroy her in any case, but would need nourishment. As she was hesitating between using Earth, causing quick extinction, or theMoon, with cataclysmic consequences on Earth, Zhang Heng proposed an alternative: theSun. Bathing herself in the Earth's sun, she was destroyed while herprogeny was found byLeonardo da Vinci in 1956.^[50]

The Third Host[]

The Third Host came to Earth about 1000 years ago. Once again the Celestials moved across the globe experimenting and testing their handiwork. Wary of the intervention of these "alien gods"Odin Borson convened a gathering of all the known Sky-Gods like himself and choose three of their number to meet with the Celestials. Odin,Zeus Panhellenios, andVishnu confrontedArishem, but Arishem was unfazed by their assault. Arishem then attacked the gods' home dimensions, and proved that it alone had the power to cut off each and every pantheon from Earth. This lead to all the Skyfathers pledging to not interfere with the Celestials for 1000 years.^[20]

11th Century[]

In 1013, Apocalypse came toScandinavia to kill on the counsel ofRama-Tut who informed him of beings and ancestors of people who would cause a threat to him in the future. After defeating Thor he went toLondon and sent his fourFour Horsemen (Pestilence/Phantom Bats of the Twelve Minds,War, Native-AmericanFamine, andDeath) to killFolkbern Logan, ancestor ofWolverine, but they were all destroyed byThor. Thor faced off with En Sabah Nur. He was defeated. Seeking revenge, Thor blessedJarnbjorn with his own blood to imbue it with the power to pierce Celestial armor. Not willing to accept defeat, Apocalypse destroyed his Celestial Pyramid ship in a failed attempt to kill Thor.^[42]

The Celestial Ship & The Traveler[]

In the mid 12th century Ho-Lo Shan Mountains of NorthernMongolia, Nur heard of a ruler, a feared immortal magician, whose magics are such that legions ran in fright. In a confrontation, Nur slew all ofGarbha-Hsien's guards. Garbha-Hsien then sought to humble his fellow 'forever-walker', by revealing the secret titanicalienvessel. Having had previous experience with futuristic technology, Nur attacked Garbha-Hsien and left the other immortal for dead. Not understanding how to kill an immortal, Garbha-Hsien survived and fled. After striking down Garbha-Hsien, Nur entered the Ship and lived on it for many years, not fully understanding how to communicate with it or control it. Shortly after finding the Ship, Nur and his Riders of the Dark were constantly attacked, by a young warrior with a sword and shield calling himself theTraveler.^[51][52]

After years of sending assassins and battling the Traveler, Nur severed Traveler's left cybernetic arm and, during the confusion, the Traveler pulled a gun and shot him in the head. After reattaching his techno-organic arm, Traveler was accepted as the new leader of the Riders of the Dark, but declined. Traveler turned to Ozymandias and instructed him to remember that there will always be someone smarter and stronger around and that being fit to survive means to have the responsibility to help those who are not. Unaware to the Traveler, his techno-organic infected blood mixed with Nur's, as he wiped Nur's blood on Ozymandias. Ozymandias had Nur's dead body brought to the alien Ship, hoping that its technology could heal him, and Traveler arrived, to ambush a caravan of advanced technology. Traveler explained to Ozymandias that the Ship was actually a Celestial transport for a highly advanced alien race, a sentient exploratory device, and entered the ship. Inside, Traveler learned that his blood, mixed with theTechno-Organic Virus, and Nur's resurrected Nur and, infected with the virus, allowed Nur to understand Ship. Nur was transformed and enhanced by Celestial technology, becoming one of the most powerful beings who would ever live, now possessing the ability of total control over the molecular structure of his body. Angry at the revelation, Traveler told Nur that if he was responsible for his immortality, he would make Nur spend eternity far away from there and sent both Ship and its passenger far into space. Over the next few centuries, Ship's sentience slowly evolved and Nur noticed, but enslaved it, telling Ship that he had created it. After gaining so much power, Nur also began to take long slumbers in Ship and to refuel his powers.^[53][48]

The Fourth Host[]

In the 20th century, the Fourth Host of Celestials returned to Earth to judge the final stage in their genetic experiments. To do this, they settled on the Inca plateau in South America and collected materials and beings from across the globe. The appearance of these enigmatic giants around the world terrified the world's population and triggered the attempted intervention ofS.H.I.E.L.D.. The Celestials sealed themselves inside an impenetrable dome and began their judgement. Odin, fearful of Celestial power and angered by their interference on Earth, gathered the life force of all of Asgard to battle the Celestials for the fate of the Earth. Despite having Thor and the Eternals at his side, The Celestials defeated Odin and spared the Earth after the intervention ofGaea and the "gift" of 12 special humans selected from every pantheon. The Fourth Host then left Earth erasing the memory of their existence from the minds of humanity.^[20]

Dreaming Celestial at San Francisco[]

Early in the 21st century, after being manipulated into awakeningThe Dreaming Celestial, the Eternals learned that it was only through the efforts of the EternalMakkari that it did not "reset local space-time one billion years past" or "destroy this corner of theMilky Way Galaxy." It was angry over its imprisonment but decided instead to observe and investigate the Earth. The very presence of the Dreaming Celestial was initially considered a threat and dangerous to the very existence of humanity, and all life on Earth by theAvengers. It was only through the mental intervention of the Eternals that the 2000 foot Golden Celestial now standing inGolden Gate Park, was accepted by humanity at large.^[54]

As time passed, the Celestial's emotional and mental stability was becoming more and more erratic as it claimed to be questioning the reason for its imprisonment, its place as designated by theFulcrum and its/his plans for all of creation. The Dreaming Celestial began exhibiting more "non"-Celestial behaviors, such as admiringIron Man's guile in battle and the "un-doing" of the death of the EternalThena's human son, so much thatUatu the Watcher began to question the Celestial's mental balance.

Soon after theHigh Evolutionary andMr. Sinister tampered with the Dreaming Celestial's armor, the prime Celestial Host came to Earth, apparently finally taking an interest in its re-awakening.Cyclops'Extinction Team boldly attempted to bluff the assembled Celestials, asking them to leave; they consented, but only when the Dreaming Celestial itself, no longer infested by Mr. Sinister's machinations, told them to by pointing skyward.^[55]

By this time, the Dreaming Celestial's confusion and questioning of itself was beginning to physically affect the people it communicated with culminating in the death of Makkari, the subsequent "death" ofSersi, and "rebirth" of Makkari all due to the Eternal's relationship with the Celestial. Finally confronting its "creator," the Fulcrum/"Jack," it chose to leave this plane of existence with it/him.^[56]

X-Termination[]

Despite the Exterminators proving to be a failure, the Celestials didn't learn from their first mistake and created theDeath Seed with the same purpose, but far more manageable.^[23] The Exterminators were trapped in their prison for millennia, until the walls between realities began to weaken. Tears, cracks, and fissures grew larger and larger until the Exterminators were able to escape.^[57][13]

AOA Nightcrawler andDark Beast used theDreaming Celestial to create a portal totheir world. Unfortunately, this portal opened the rift between realities wide enough for the Exterminators to pass through toEarth-295.^[13]

When the Exterminators emerged, they were greeted by theX-Men, thetransdimensional X-Men, and theX-Terminated.^[13][58]

One of the Exterminators departed to Earth-616 where he drained the Dreaming Celestial while the other two Exterminators remained on Earth-295, one feeding off the rift and the other seeking out the power ofApocalypse in theDeath Seed.^[59]

Mutant Rapture and Judgement of Earth[]

Kang the Conqueror recoveredJarnbjorn fromBaron Mordo's tomb inBrazil.^[42]

Kang gave the axe toUriel during his training to become the newApocalypse. Uriel used the weapon to kill aCelestial Gardener outside theStarcore Station as part of theApocalypse Twins' plan to trick the Celestials into destroying Earth while they evacuated all of Earth'smutants toPlanet X.^[46]

Thor later retrieved the Jarnbjorn and used it to kill/destroy the space armor ofExitar the Executioner before it could destroy Earth. Whether this truly destroyed the Celestial, or merely shunted it back to wherever the Celestials truly live as the Invisible Woman had previously done to help end the so-called Celestial-Watcher War is unknown.^[60][29]

After Exitar's "destruction," theSentry revealed toWasp that he would take a great journey moving the Celestial body far from Earth. Before leaving, he warned her that they must prepare themselves because the Celestials' wrath would be mighty.^[61]

Time Runs Out[]

Among their many solutions to halt theIncursions, theIlluminati askedGalactus to arrange a meeting with the Celestials so the group could ask them for help. However, during the meeting, the Celestials mysteriously vanished.^[62] The explanation for this event was that the Celestials were being attacked in every universe at the same time by theBeyonders, who after a long battle managed to kill them all.^[63]

Eighth Cosmos[]

After the recreation of the universe the First Firmament sent one of hisAspirants to cause damage to Eternity.^[11] The arrival of thisCelestial Destructor was foreseen by the precognitiveInhumanUlysses Cain. The entity appeared inNew York City nearStark Tower where it was confronted by the joint forces of theAvengers,Avengers Unity Division,New Avengers,Ultimates,A-Force,X-Men,New Attilan'sInhumans, and other heroes includingDoctor Strange,Scarlet Witch,Hellstorm,Shaman,Spider-Man,War Machine,Spider-Woman,Wolverine,Hulk, andHercules. While most of the heroes were busy fighting theServitors, the magic users of the group cast a spell that returned the Celestial to its own dimension.^[64][65][66]

Eternity War[]

As it turned out, not all of the Celestials were destroyed by the Beyonders. A handful of survivors managed to escape and hide out at the furthest edges of the universe within the deep folds of space-time. Unlike the other cosmic beings, the Celestials that were destroyed were apparently not brought back to life when the Multiverse was restored. The surviving Celestials were confronted byLogos, the fusion ofLord Chaos,Master Order, and theIn-Betweener. Logos believed himself to be the new judge of worlds, something the Celestials formerly did. Logos considered the Celestials to be unwanted competition as judges of worlds and thus destroyed the surviving Celestials, though he was told that nothing truly died by theQueen of Nevers, who secretly saved the One Above All while Logos killed the other Celestials, making him the last Celestial.^[10]

It was later revealed that Logos was being manipulated by the First Firmament in a bid to return to its original position as everything that is.^[11] The Celestials were eventually returned to life as the Fifth Host by the Queen of Nevers to thwart the First Firmament's attempt to take over the Multiverse.^[67]

The Final Host[]

Zgreb was eventually awakened in modern times when a team of archaeologists uncovered the underground cavern it was sealed in. The Fallen shouted "Summon... the Final Host!" while killing the archaeologists. Later,Loki, the Asgardian God of Mischief,^[35] released the Fallen from its prison and used it to bring about the Final Host ofDark Celestials in order to wipe out Earth, arguing that the planet was ill-ridden as a result of the Progenitors' arrival and death having altered the Earth's evolutionary trajectory billions of years prior. Before arriving to Earth, the Dark Celestials used the Horde to infect and kill every Celestial in existence. Their bodies were hurled to the Earth to herald the arrival of their murderers.^[68]

During theAvengers' final stand against the Dark Celestials, the bodies of the felled Celestials were reanimated by the Horde. When the Avengers joined their energies to form a gestaltUni-Mind, they used its power to defeat the Horde, and it became dormant. The Celestials were freed from its influence, and they helped the Avengers take down the Dark Celestials.^[69]

King in Black[]

En route to Earth, Knull decided to settle his eons-old score with the Celestials and slew at least three of them, reanimating and controlling their corpses using his living abyss.^[27][70]

Judgment Day[]

Hoping to end the war between the Eternals and the Mutants,Ajak,Makkari,Mister Sinister andTony Stark revived the Progenitor and reprogrammed it in order to end the war. Although the Progenitor did that, it saw that the inhabitants of Earth had driven the planet to ruin and decided to judge if most of them were more good than evil, else it would destroy Earth.^[71]

After judging many individuals, the Progenitor ultimately deemed all of humanity unworthy and ordered the Machine that is Earth to self-destruct, but it refused and was reset byPhastos.^[72] The X-Men, Eternals and Stark infiltrated the Celestial to activate its own self-destruct, but managed to convince it that it was unworthy of judging. This caused the Progenitor to undo everything it did before reverting back to the Avengers Mountain, but not before giving its power to Ajak so she could be the god it failed to be.^[73]

"Biology"[]

Appearance[]

The Celestials appear as massive armor-clad humanoids of enormous size, with most of them standing at 2,000 ft (610 m) and some even larger (Exitar stands at over 20,000 ft high).^[74][29] Celestials can change their size, as they have been shown to be both larger than planets^[75][76] and small enough to fit in a room.^[77][78] Some scientists theorize that they exist inHyperspace and their armors are merely channels for interacting with the regular plane of reality.^[29]Ikaris asserts that Celestial armors are their "casing" which they use to interact with the physical world.^[79] Celestial armor can be taken off, as seen with theDreaming Celestial.^[56]

The Celestials do not actually have physical bodies inside the armor. The dormant but still alive Dreaming Celestial was once dismantled byMister Sinister, and besides the armor, it was completely empty.^[80] The Celestials "bleed" pure cosmic energy and radiation,^[81][82][60] and if body parts get detached, they are empty inside, consisting of only mechanical armor.^[81][83] If a Celestial dies, there is no corpse in the armor.^[84][28] WhenThor entered a living Celestial, he found himself in a strange, otherworldly place and Thor stated that the Celestial had no true corporeal form and/or its presence was so far beyond Thor's understanding that he could not perceive it.^[85] Similarly, according toDark Beast, what is seen inside a Celestial is not real and is only the mind attempting to make sense of the cosmic energies (and it differs from person to person).^[13]

Each armor varies in color and design, which is very elaborate in some individuals. Each has one head, two arms & two legs, indistinct features on their helmets sometimes exhibiting two eyes, sometimes more, sometimes none. The designs on their armor are of a practical nature and each serves a function of one kind or another, Arsheim's formula of judgement on its thumb for example. Many, but not all, also have great equipment on their backs or carry great staffs capable of breaking down and reconstructing all forms of energy & matter or lay waste of entire continents. It has been reported that the Celestials' bodies are modular, made up of thousands of varied objects and beings. It has also been reported that they may combine to create larger more powerful amalgams and can animate severed limbs and even their computer-ware is sentient.^[83][82] OnEarth-90266, it was stated that the armors worked on willpower and were controlled by thoughts.^[84]

Internal Anatomy[]

The Celestials have a variety of internal defenses, such as armored behemoths, jellyfish-like antibodies, and winged and tentacled creatures which swarm in great numbers while firing powerful blasts from their single eye.^[85] TheContinuum Cortex is made from a Celestial's "brainstem,"^[86] though Celestial "brains" are actually housing units of energy rather than biological brains.^[85][29]Avengers Mountain indicates that Celestial armor includes bodily systems, albeit mechanical.^[87][88]Nathaniel Richard's technology struggled to analyze the insides of a Celestial.^[29] It is stated that a living Celestial's true insides cannot be perceived, have no corporeal form, and are simply an interpretation of the mind.^[85][13] Celestials can contain pocket universes within themselves,^[89] even postmortem, such as the afterlife within theHeadless Celestial.^[90]

Origins and "Replication/Reproduction"[]

Celestial Eggs within planets[]

One method of Celestial preproduction is planting a Celestial Egg/Embryo at the center of planets, such asEarth; however, the Celestial being born will consume the planet after millions of years of gestation.^[50] Similar processes are seen inEarth-9997,^[91]Earth-199999,^[92] and other realities.^[93]

Gestation within Celestials[]

TheCelestial Madonna was the first pregnant Celestial, something she considered "new/unique/forbidden." The process/cycle/function of replication/reproduction required suitable nourishment, which could be found in planets or moons, resulting in their destruction, or alternatively theSun. However, the child birth would also destroy the mother. The infant Celestial, dubbed theStar Child, was noted to be a "variant Celestial."^[50]

Black Galaxy[]

For millions of years, theBlack Galaxy was a universal curiosity, an area of space composed entirely of biological matter. In recent times, it was revealed to be the birth crèche of a new Celestial. ARed Celestial oversaw the process, using armored capsules to assemble the full armor of a new Celestial. The bodies ofEric Masterson andHercules were incorporated into this mixture. Also, a sphere of pure white energy became the center point for the Celestial's creation. When the alleged Celestial-slayer calledStellaris made a kamikaze run on the white sphere, her megaton impact triggered the final birthing process. The white sphere expanded to encompass the entire Black Galaxy, then contracted back to its original size, pulling the bio-matter of the entire Galaxy back into that point, leaving behind light years of completely empty space. The compressed bio-verse of the sphere and the assembled Celestial armor combined to produce a new and unnamedBlue Celestial.

The Rigellian Analyzer proffered that the Celestials may have created the Black Galaxy or merely commandeered it, and that the supposedly antagonistic Stellaris was both a necessary part of the birth process and encased in living armor identical to the Celestials'.^[94]

Through a similar process, in the far futureKhonshu was able to become a Celestial by sacrificing the entire Earth and all of the inhabitants in it.^[95]

Planetary Uni-Minds[]

According toVarua's insight, theCelestials are Uni-Minds of entire planets clad in armors. That theory led her to create thePanhuman Uni-Mind, for it to be put by theYoung Gods into an armor as the Celestial Terran. It is unknown if that is true, thoughMakkari expressed doubt andLegba hinted it wasn't true.^[96]

Mutant M'Kraan evolved beyond[]

OnEarth-15730, the race now known as the M'Kraan developed individuals who could be referred as mutants. That species of cosmic mutants then evolved a step beyond mutants, becoming theCelestials.^[97]

One of those,Xodus the Harvester, thought that mutants from other worlds would eventually rise to replace his kind.^[97]

Creation Constellation[]

A mysterious device known as theCreation Constellation, was discovered by two human scientist which turned them, includingOutlaw andDomino into Celestials.^[98]

Celestial Pathology[]

All Celestials are linked to one another by quantum telepathy, meaning no matter where or when they are they are in communion with each other.^[99]

Alternate Reality Versions[]

The Celestials exist across theMultiverse simultaneously. A Celestial'salternate reality selves are actually aspects of the same being.^[13] Despite this, their alternate aspects may have very different histories from the ones in the mainstreamMarvel Universe.

Mutant X (Earth-1298)[]

The Celestials were the only beings who were able to contain theGoblin Force (but were not able to kill it) prior to the birth ofScotty Summers.^[100]

UltimateCelestials (Celestial City) (Earth-1610)[]

Main article:Celestials (Earth-1610)

Although true Celestials have not been shown in the Ultimate Universe, a group of metahumans from theSouth East Asian Republic called thePeople had split themselves into two groups: theCelestials and theEternals. They were led byXorn andZorn, respectively.^[101]

Earth-1938[]

The Celestials were responsible for the creation ofHyperion.^[102]

Earth-4162[]

The Celestials had been experimenting for eons on theTrinarians, untilEgo the Living Planet killed the entire race by throwing their homeworld into a black hole. This angered the Celestials as their hard work had gone to waste, and attempted to kill Ego for retribution. Ego escaped and grantedEarth sentience to gain an ally in his battle against the Celestials. TheFantastic Four and theExiles worked together to convince Earth to not side with Ego, and instead they aided the Celestials in destroying him.^[103]

Mad Celestials (Earth-4280)[]

The "Mad Celestials" of this world attempted to conquer the Multiverse by use of theBridge.^[83] They destroyed theInterdimensional Council of Reeds.^[104]

ThoughReed-616 thought the risk of them invading to be "Medium,"^[105] it eventually happened. To fight them,Galactus consumed four worlds to power himself up. He killed one of the four invaders but was overwhelmed when the rest merged into one. After theSol's Anvil had split them apart, afuture adult Franklin Richards arrived to battle the remaining Mad Celestials but was also struggling. With energy from hisyounger self, Franklin restored Galactus as his herald and they combined their power to triumph over the Mad Celestials.^[106]

Earth-8208[]

The Celestials approved theChosen Ones who represented humanity's greatest arts. They took the chosen to their ship in order to tutor them in the secrets of the cosmos. Following their departure, theProphet began spreading the word of the Celestials' salvation which would start with humanity being granted various superpowers. Eventually, the Chosen returned to Earth to share their knowledge with the humans and guide them through the universe.^[107]

Earth X (Earth-9997)[]

According to the visions ofKyle Richmond and the Watcher's equipment, the Celestials came from the same universe as theElders of the Universe. These beings would advance their natural evolution to such a state in which they would begin to lose all definition. In an attempt to maintain what little identity they had left, the Celestials would create giant suits of armor out ofVibranium to inhabit. The Celestials also lost the means to reproduce, and would soon find a very devastating way around this: by "impregnating" a planet with a portion of their essence, it would become an "embryo" that would gestate and grow into a new member of their race. The planet in question would also be "injected" with Vibranium to form into a new shell for the newly born Celestial. As a form of protection of that growing Celestial, its "parents" would manipulate the DNA of a planet's dominant life-form to gain super-abilities and unknowingly act as antibodies, protecting the planet until the Celestial is born.^{[citation needed]}

Each race they manipulated would have three tiers of mutation, the first would be for each individual to manifest their own powers. These powers usually would manifest when triggered by a catalyst (radiation for example), and the powers would vary depending on a number of factors, usually a combination of the outside catalyst and the subjects subconscious image of themselves. The second tier would be to have every member of their race exhibit the same ability, and the third would be a total loss of identity, those at this stage would be defined by what others around them believed them to be. This was installed as a fail-safe, should the Celestials ever have to quell a rebellion, it would be a matter of willing their wayward anti-bodes dead.^{[citation needed]}

The Celestials would soon overpopulate their home universe, causing its collapse and the event that would lead to its own creation. This event would lead to the birth ofGalactus, who unknown to most but the most cosmically aware was actually an equalizer to insure that the Celestials would never overpopulate the universe again by feeding on some of the planets they impregnate.^{[citation needed]}

In the early days of the new universe, theWatchers would be forced to maintain their pact of non-involvement by the Celestials after not acting to prevent the birth of Galactus, and then later interfering with an alien race which would then create atomic weapons that would destroy their world. The Celestials would then place a Watcher on a moon of each world they impregnated. Forced to watch these worlds, the Watchers eventually would work to maintain the Celestials' propagation roles, and at least in the case ofUatu, Earth's Watcher, interfere with events on the planet when they threatened the Celestials' plans.^{[citation needed]}

Over the centuries, the Celestials would be responsible for manipulating theKree, theSkrulls, theAsgardians and many more. The Earth became subject to one of the Celestial's propagations during the time of the dinosaurs. Removing a portion of the Earth to create theMoon, the Celestials were responsible for the dinosaurs' extinction. They would place Uatu on Earth's moon.^{[citation needed]}

Next, the Celestials would manipulate the DNA of mankind, however some tribes of humans would escape the Celestials' manipulations, such as theMoon Tribe. The Celestials would create theDeviants and theEternals to keep the human race in check until they themselves would begin mutating with special powers due to their own natural evolution.^{[citation needed]}

In recent times,Reed Richards had succeeded in converting Galactus into a star, thus throwing off the universal balance, and being forced to work with theHigh Evolutionary and theSilver Surfer to advance his sonFranklin's mutation to the third tier and convince him that he is Galactus in order to restore that balance.^{[citation needed]}

When the entire human race was mutated by the release of theTerrigen Mist in Earth's atmosphere, it sped up the natural process of the planet's evolution. The Celestials would come to Earth in order to terminate the project, however they would get opposition by the new Galactus, who would fight them off until they retreated. Galactus would then kill the Celestial growing in Earth's core, but sparing the planet. It would cause the mass of the planet to change and throw its axis off, but this too in time would be corrected.^{[citation needed]}

Since then, the Celestials have had no contact with Earth, nor are their current activities known, howeverX-51 had gathered a group ofHeralds from other realities for the purpose of informing the Earths of each reality of the potential danger of the Celestials.^{[citation needed]}

The Celestials' physical forms are almost completely lacking in definition, and are probably an energy base of some kind. In order to maintain individuality, they have constructed giant suits of armor to inhabit. These suits of armor are constructed out of Vibranium.^{[citation needed]}

They are an alien race that advanced its natural evolution to a point in which their species almost lost all sense of identity. In order to maintain individuality, they would construct suits of armor to live in. Impregnating planets with their essence, they would reproduce. This brought upon the end of the previous universe. The Celestials survived the death of the old universe and have started their procreation anew.^[108]

The Watchers were revealed to have been enslaved by the Celestials as guardians of unborn Celestials which existed in certain planets such as Earth.

Earth-10711[]

The Celestials had experimented on the early humans, resulting in the creation of the mutants'X-Gene.Galacta sought to create a infinite planetary food source for her, combining Wolverine and Ego the Living Planet's genetic materials, but this would result in cosmic troubles for not only the Celestials but for the universe.^[109]

Planet X (Earth-13133)[]

Exitar came to Earth to pass judgement on the humans due to the death of a Celestial, whileThor andEimin battled each other outside Earth's orbit. Thor believed that he could persuadeExitar to spare the planet since it was the doing of theApocalypse Twins that led to aCelestial Gardener's death.^[76]

The heroes of Earth planned on attacking Exitar if Thor's idea didn't work, withIron Man andDoctor Doom using a force field that would engulf the entire planet to protect them from Exitar's attacks whileHyperion led a group of heroes to confront Exitar head on.^[110] The force field generator suffered a fracture and exploded under Exitar's massive size, and in one fell swoop Exitar destroyed Earth.^[111]

Earth-17628[]

Near the beginning of the universe, most of the Celestials were defeated byKnull wielding four of his symbiotes--All-Black,Scream,Scorn, andMania.^[112]

Earth-20051[]

The Celestials visited Earth in the distant past, judging its primitive inhabitants. Their judgment is not known but one of the Celestials remained on Earth buried under a mountain.

Earth-20208[]

WhenEarth-20208 was pruned from the timestream byImmortus and the reality was dying from entropy,Reed Richards killed the Celestials, and drank their blood so he could use their power to save the timeline.^[113]

Earth-30826[]

The Celestials attacked the alien race known as theEternals killing half of their population including all the females. The surviving male Eternals were then empowered by the Celestials, becoming their servants. For thousands of years, the Eternals would visit planets to turn their dominant fauna intoDeviants or, in case of failure, replacing it by Deviants from another world.^[114]

Earth-42743[]

Two years into his rampage,Galactus attacked a group of Celestials in order to steal theirmachine. Supercharged with the power of hundreds of planets, he slaughtered them and planned to use their device, which was like a bigger version of theUltimate Nullifier, to reset the universe. The battle was witnessed byValeria Richards, who found and restoredDoctor Doom two days later by infusing him with Celestial blood.^[115]

Marvel Future Fight(Earth-51156)[]

Ascosmic beings, the Celestials are those with the powerful ability to create and destroy planets and races. They arrived onEarth a million years ago and created theHumans,Deviants, andEternals as part of their quest for universal knowledge.^[116]

Earth-64926[]

In preparation for hisinvasion of Earth,Knull took possession of several Celestials. As Knull attacked Earth with hissymbiote army, he was attacked by theCarnage symbiote ofEarth-616 to kill him so it could take his position as aKing in Black. Carnage was eventually successful in killing Knull. What became of the Celestials afterward is unrevealed.^[117]

What If? Secret Wars (Earth-90251)[]

Celestials of Earth-90251 were defeated byDoctor Doom.^[118]

Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-199999)[]

The Celestials existed before the Big Bang and before thesix singularities.Arishem and the other Celestials created the universe as well as the building blocks of life. According to Arishem, the Celestials are the driving force of creation in the universe. Without them, the universe would fall into darkness and all life would die.^[92]

In order to create new Celestials, Arishem plants Celestial seeds into planets. These unborn Celestials grow using the energies from intelligent lifeforms. Once enough energy has been gathered, the Celestial burst out of the planet in an event called the "Emergence." To encourage the development of intelligent life in these planets, Arishem created theDeviants to wipe out the apex predators. However, the Deviants eventually evolved to become apex predators themselves, resulting in Arishem creating theEternals to wipe out the Deviants.^[92]

When theGuardians of the Galaxy delivered theOrb of Morag toTaneleer Tivan, the eccentric Collector showed them a recording on the history of the Infinity Stones, which depicted the Celestials as the Stones' original owners. The video also showed the CelestialEson the Searcher using the Infinity Stone inside the Orb to wipe out an alien race. Furthermore, Tivan had made his home out of a dismembered head of a Celestial known asKnowhere. His company, theTivan Group, maintained a mining operation in Knowhere to extract valuable materials within the Celestial's remains.^[119]

Ego claimed to be a Celestial on a later occasion when he was enlightening his sonPeter about his heritage. Ego displayed the ability to manipulate vast amounts of energy and matter, abilities that had taken him centuries to master. He used said abilities to form a planet around himself and create a human body to act as an avatar with which to roam the galaxy. Ego also claimed to be immortal, but just as long as his brain, located at the core of his planet form, remained intact. His son, Star-Lord, being a Celestial-human hybrid, could therefore access the same power while he was in contact with Ego's planetary form.^[120]

Earth was one of the planets that had a Celestial,Tiamut, growing inside it. However, when it came time for the Emergence, the Eternals decided to save the planet. They formed aUni-Mind andSersi turned Tiamut to stone before he could fully emerge; the Eternals note that Tiamut himself joined the Uni-Mind. Interested in knowing why the Eternals would do this, Arishem personally came to Earth and abducted the remaining Eternals on the planet. He declared that he will spare the planet for now but he will return for judgment.^[92]

Earth-669116[]

When most of the universe was destroyed by theFault, theBadoon enslaved the Celestials inside the Celestials Cage around theStar to create theCelestial Engine which served to power what little was left of the universe. The time-displacedGuardians of the Galaxy and the 31st centuryGuardians of the Galaxy worked together to take the Engine down, resulting in the Celestials falling into the Sun and ending this future timeline.^[99]

Earth-TRN666[]

The Celestials were some of the many victims ofThanos in his eternal quest to pleaseDeath. They wete obliterated by Thanos when he stabbedBlack Bolt to death in order to use his destructive voice as weapon. The bones of the Celestials were later used by Thanos to build a temple to live the rest of his infinite life.^[121]

Earth-TRN909[]

AfterAnnihilus claimed a newsource of energy fromNew Kral, the Celestials were wiped out alongside other beings by theAnnihilation Wave.^[122]

Earth-TRN974[]

The Celestials arrived and experimented on theDinosaurs, creating beings likeFin Fang Foom and experimented on early humans, creating theDeviants andEternals.^[123]

Earth-TRN1072[]

After the future ofEarth-6160 was rewritten as a result of theMaker conquering Earth through the use of theImmortus Engine, the Celestials, albeit somewhat affected by the Maker's influence, maintained their activity in this new iteration of the 61st century.^[124]

Earth-TRN1510[]

In this previous iteration of Earth-6160's61st century, the 24th Celestial Host deemed the entirety of the Milky Way a failure and planned to destroy it. Thankfully, theGuardians of the Galaxy developed a new form of super-diplomacy to convince the Celestials to spare the galaxy.^[124]

Earth-TRN1577[]

The Celestials had tasked the dark godKnull with preserving the universe by bestowing him the title of King in Black, but he rejected this task and opted to instead watch the universe rot.^[125]

Unknown Reality[]

Nigh Omnipotence: The Celestials have immeasurable cosmic and supernatural powers with seemingly no limits.^[127]Kang the Conqueror considers them to be the most powerful energy source in existence.^[60] They are considered to beomnipotent entities^[128] and are described as infinite.^[129][130] The Celestials collectively shaped the cosmos in order to create life throughout the universe^[23] and were responsible for the emergence of the Multiverse itself.^[11] OneCelestial was even able to warp reality on a pocket-dimensional scale, threatening to alter the entire universe.^[131] The Celestials are also often placed alongside othercosmic entities in status and raw power.^{[132][133][134][135]} In effect, a singleCelestial is the embodiment of energies comparable to theBig Bang itself and powerful enough to reverberate through the entireuniverse.^[136] In addition,Galactus considered theMad Celestials to be such a threat that he had to preemptively devour four planets just to prepare for them,^[137] and while he did manage to kill one, a combination of three others completely overpowered him.^[82]Arishem alone is more powerful thanOdin,Zeus, andVishnu combined, with his energy being described as "immeasurably more potent" than theirs.^[20] Knowing that the gods cannot face the Celestials, Odin created theDestroyer armor and asked his fellowSky-Lords to infuse it with some of their power, making it virtually all-powerful. Odin absorbed the lifeforce of almost everyAsgardian (exceptThor), entered the Destroyer, and brandished theOdinsword, but even all this is not enough to challenge the Celestials. An energy blast from the Destroyer with the power of Asgard was "passively deflected by a casually upraised Celestial hand," indicating the difference in power.^[20] There are also higher level Celestials who are far stronger than the Fourth Host.^[138]

Transcending Space and Time: Celestials transcend space and time.^[127] Celestials can bend space and time to their whims,^[139][140] create black holes,^[139][141] and are capable of existing in multiple locations simultaneously.^[85] Described as metaphysical,^[62] Celestials do battle in countless planes at once, beyond just the physical one.^[142] They can "effortlessly" leap across space and time,^[46] and evenchild Celestials can instinctively time travel.^[143] Linked across time, Celestials can send messages to the past, future, and other timelines.^[144] Celestial energy has been used to travel through space, time, dimensions, and even other realities.^{[13][86][145][146][147]}

• Unlike most entities, Celestials do not have separate multiversalcounterparts. Each Celestial exists across the Multiverse simultaneously as a single being split among interconnected aspects.^[13]

Immortality: Celestials cannot die of old age and some of them have existed since the time of theFirst Cosmos, meaning that they have outlived the universeseveral times over.^[11][12] Additionally,Agamotto was unsure if Celestials could ever truly die, even if they are slain.^[148] AfterExitar's supposed death, theInvisible Woman wondered if it was actually killed or if it had just been disconnected from the dimension.^[29] TheProgenitor was apparently "conscious" before its own birth and remained "conscious" after its demise.^[149][73]

Resurrection: Celestials can bring the dead back to life.^{[150][151][152]} Celestials can manipulate souls.^[153] Celestials themselves can be revived by their brethren,^[29] and a single Celestial can be used as a seed to revive the entire race.^[67] However, if a Celestial has been dead for too long (e.g. 4 billion years for theProgenitor), it cannot be revived by other Celestials.^[87]

Creation: Said to be the "architects of all creation,"^[13] Celestials have shaped creation before theMultiverse even existed.^[23][11] They create planets and stars out of nothing.^[14][41] It is rumoured that Celestials dream of entire universes when they sleep. This was somewhat supported whenAshema containedFranklin Richards'pocket universe within herself while unconscious.^[89]

• Celestials are also known forcreating life, such asExterminators andBeyonders.^[23][11][12] On top of that, they can createReplicoids—genetic duplicates—of other lifeforms such asThor.^[74]

Cosmic Awareness: TheDreaming Celestial quickly acquired knowledge of the lives and experiences of all lifeforms on Earth,^[154] and also absorbed everything on the Internet.^[41] The Progenitor did the same thing and was described as "omnipresent."^[151] The Dreaming Celestial could observe the planet in the same manner as theWatcher.^[56] Like othercosmic entities, they can sense when the universe is disrupted.^[155]

Telepathy and Telekinesis: Celestials use "quantum telepathy" and are linked to each other across space and time. They can talk to each other from anywhere, from the past, the future, and other timelines.^[144] As seen with the Progenitor, Celestials can communicate with everybody on a planet at once,^[71] as well as other planets and dimensions.^[156][157]Jean Grey stated that the Progenitor's psychic presence was so massive that it could crush people alive,^[158] that the Celestial "thinks like nothing else," and that the weight of its consciousness warped everything like a black hole.^[152] Celestials can telekinetically move dozens of planets with ease.^[159]

• Celestials can selectively erase memories.^[89]
• Celesitals can create illusions, visions, and projections of the past, present, and future.^{[139][72][160]}

Immense Durability: The Celestials are immortal beings that are very difficult to kill or harm.Arishem withstood attacks from three Skyfathers at the same time completely unfazed.^[20] A Mad Celestial even survived theUltimate Nullifier,^[83] though it is possible that the wielder's mind was not powerful enough. Celestials can instantly regenerate lost limbs.^[20]

Body Manipulation: It is possible for Celestials to warp their bodies^[158][152] (their "casing" that they use to interact with the physical plane^[79]). While they are generally 2,000 ft tall, they have been shown to appear much smaller,^[77][56] or even bigger than planets.^[75][161] They can also disguise themselves as other lifeforms, as seen withAshema,^[162] or the Progenitor.^[163]

• Like any high-levelcosmic entity, Celestials can deployM-Bodies.^[164]

Highly advanced; almost unparalleled.^[167] Notable pieces of technology:

• Black Vortex^[30]
• Celestial Extermination Drones^[168]
• Creation Constellation^[169]
• Death Seeds andLife Seeds^[170][171]
• Gatherers^[172]
• Mandalay Gem^[173]
• Monoliths^[37]
• Nameless universe killer/creator^[115]
• Norn Stones^[174]
• Time machines (Celestials can time travel by themselves and do not need technology for it,^[143][167] but other organisms have used Celestial technology to time travel^[88])
• Replicoids^[74]
• Various AI
  • "Ship"/"Professor"/Prosh - an AI for a spaceship^[51]
  • Machine that is Earth - an AI given to an entire planet (this case,Earth)^[8]

Agenda[]

The Celestials' agenda is ultimately unknown, as is the exact purpose of the Celestials' genetic manipulation and "responsibilities". Repeatedly returning to each world, the races in question are evaluated over a 50 Earth-year period and should a test-subject race "fail" by the Celestials' standards,Arishem the Judge's judgement calls the coming ofExitar the Exterminator to the target world. Exitar, a Celestial ten times Arishem's own height, "purifies" the offending world of the race (or races) by destroying those non-life-affirming elements.Thor was on the planetPangoria when this happened, and was told the issues at stake were "too great for even an immortal to grasp".^[74]

According to the Dreaming Celestial, the Celestial race are the instruments of the teeming of life in their respective universes under the will of an entity known asThe Fulcrum that serves as the mastering force behind the equilibrium of all creation. Planets populated by a viable base species possessing the requisite neurological potential are chosen for cultivation. One hundred specimens are evolved intoEternals, another hundred, intoDeviants, with the former being created to be more powerful while the latter being created to breed more efficiently and prodigiously. The Celestials then leave their specimens to their own devices and after nineteen cosmic cycles the tested planets are chosen for destruction. The aggregate energy from the base species is harvested and channeled to the Fulcrum. If the planet's aggregate energy signature is consistent with the Eternals, then the life force will be transferred to the Celestials before being sent to the Fulcrum. However, if the aggregate energy signature is consistent with the Deviants, then the life force will be transferred to the Horde, a malicious counterpart to the Celestials and the instrument of reaping on chosen planets under the order of the Fulcrum.^[175]

Due to their imposing presence, all-concealing armor, and seeming indifference/omnipotence to those whom they judge, the Celestials have acquired the sobriquet of "Space Gods" used by many star-faring races. On their last evaluatory visit toEarth-616 in the Fourth Host, the Celestials wiped all memory of their existence from most of humanity. The only entities remaining aware of the Celestials' existence were theAsgardians, who actively opposed the Celestials' unrevealed motives; the other pantheons; and Earth's Eternals and Deviants. In modern times, however, with the rise of superhumans, many superheroes rediscovered the existence of the Celestials.

Language[]

According toTiamut the Dreaming Celestial, the Celestial language consists of over twelve million lexically distinct pitch-accents and to speak it would drive individuals under aclass three sentience into a state of chronic insanity or catatonia.^[176]

TheStar Child's language was arithmetica.^[78]

• Before theFirst Firmament's account of the Celestials' origin fromUltimates 2 (Vol. 2) #6, many theories were presented surrounding the origin of these enigmatic "Space Gods":
  • TheCognitorum of Velsarius Six theorized that Celestials come fromoutside theMultiverse entirely.Kubik added it might even be therealm of theBeyonders.^[129]
  • ThePhilosophix Ultimus of the Xch'tul Hegemony theorized that Celestials are star beings born from black holes, which are their cocoons.^[129]
  • TheOverscholars of the Winding Mist theorized that Celestials are survivors ofprevious incarnations of the universe, similar toGalactus, and Galactus would become a Celestial in the next universe when he finished being theDevourer of Worlds.^[129]
  • A long-dead race fromGalaxy M31 theorized that Celestials are embodiments of the evolutionary process and are illusions with no intrinsic reality of their own.^[129]
  • Nathaniel Richards once speculated that they may have come from hyperspace and that the Celestials' armor are channels in which they could exist in this reality.^[29]
  • Dr. Doom, theThing, theHuman Torch andSharon Ventura briefly entered a universe overrun by Celestials, possibly where they originated from.^[177]Loki also found a universe full of Celestials when he breached the bottom of theQuarry of Creation,^[178][179] and that was actually a remnant of theFirst Firmament.^{[180][181][182]}
  • The obliviousBeyonder thought that the Celestials' headquarters was the "World Complex Headquarters," a string of planets connected by Celestial technology.^[142] However, this turned out to be an illusion created by the Celestials themselves.^[129]
  • There is some evidence that the Celestials are connected toEternity.^[183][89]
  • An artifact called theCreation Constellation can turn people into miniature Celestials. Anyone who touches an "infected" person also starts to become a mini Celestial.Gaurie Marazov andDoctor Geun went mad and began to call themselves "Marazov the Penitent" and "Geun the Executioner."^[184]

• The legendaryBlack Monolith fromArthur C. Clarke's2001: A Space Odyssey entered Marvel Continuity long ago (mostly because of nostalgia, since Machine Man's first appearance was in the2001, A Space Odyssey (Vol. 2)). In the final issue ofMachine Man, it was revealed that the creators of the monolith were the Celestials, who had sent it to help record vast amounts of data over the centuries.
  • X-51 #12 (titled "Space Odyssey") featuresAaron Stack entering a monolith like David Bowman in2001: A Space Odyssey. The monolith is described as a "path to the stars" and it sent Aaron to its creators, the Celestials.^[37]
  • A Celestial origin to Earth's othermysterious black monoliths has not been revealed.
• There are two conflicting stories on how the Celestials created theMultiverse. The latest one is featuredin the article. The original story was the following:
  • The Celestials were there at the birth of the universe and shaped creation. Arrogant and lonely, they created life, but the Celestials thought that there must also be death and so they created theExterminators to be that death. However, the Exterminators turned on the Celestials. Unable to destroy them, the Celestials instead split the Universe into the Multiverse with nothing but their will, and sealed the Exterminators into one of the new universes.^[23]
• The concept of the Celestials and their involvement in human history may have been inspired by the controversial theories ofErich von Däniken, which were first explored in the 1968 bookChariots of the Gods?^[185][186]

• It was speculated byReptyl that the Celestials may be the cause of the widespread evolution of mammalian life in many quadrants of the cosmos.^[187]
• According toDormammu, the Celestials are the Lords of Order onEarth'splane.^[188]
• According to theDreaming Celestial, Celestials are not supposed to show emotion, and if they do, they are supposed to shut themselves down and compress their mass into a black hole.^[141] Celestials can choose to ignore this, however.
• According to theFulcrum, Celestials can evolve into beings of even greater power.^[56]

• The Celestials often send representatives for their race during cosmic gatherings.
  • When thecosmic beings banded to confront theBeyonder, the Celestials were represented by theOne Above All.^[77]
  • WhenEternity and many cosmic beings banded to opposeThanos with theInfinity Gauntlet, the Celestials were represented by the One Above All andZiran the Tester.^[189]
  • In a trial forAdam Warlock, the Celestials were represented by Ziran the Tester.^[133]
  • In a trial forProtege and theBeyonder, the Celestials were represented byScathan the Approver.^[190]
  • When confronting anotherAdam Warlock, the Celestials were represented byEson the Searcher.^[191]
  • In visions or illustrations of the cosmic entities of the universe, the Celestials are typically represented by the One Above All^{[77][134][122][192]} orArishem the Judge.^[193]

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