When Kirby returned to Marvel in 1976, he brought back with him all the preoccupations that had defined his Fourth World books. These stories introduced characters like Darkseid, Mister Miracle and Justice League villain Steppenwolf to the DC universe. Across four series and one graphic novel, Kirby wove his own science-fiction mythology centered on the New Gods, two warring pantheons. His opening salvo there, beginning in 1970, was the “Fourth World” saga. However, Kirby didn’t feel he was being adequately credited for these contributions, one of the reasons he jumped ship to rival publisher DC Comics. To call Kirby a legendary creator would be severely understating it: In his time at Marvel, and its precursor Timely Comics, he was responsible for co-creating Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Black Panther and helping to lay the foundations of the entire Marvel Universe. In order to answer that question, we have to go back to 1970, the year Jack Kirby parted ways with Marvel Comics. The second is that, even for long-time comics fans, the Eternals are the kind of characters that prompt the question: Who are they, again? The answers are, as you may expect from the trailers for the movie version, strange.

The first is that these characters are built around a concept which could rewrite everything we know about the MCU. It’s a bold move - even for a studio that has previously taken risks on properties like the Guardians of the Galaxy - for two reasons. Alongside the more earthbound Shang-Chi and the time-loopy Loki, November’s Eternals helps the mega-franchise take a major jump toward the cosmic.

In 2019, Spider-Man: Far From Home brought the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 3 to a close, and the fog lifted on what Marvel planned to do next.

Eternals by gaiman & romita jr