Infinity War is looming, and the film promises to change the current Marvel Cinematic Universe landscape.
Marvel has commented that the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy movie lineups will change after Infinity War, and they’ve been teasing that there will be at least one significant death in the film. That leaves us to wonder what direction the MCU will be taking once Thanos has his reckoning and Phase Four begins.
At this point, besides sequels galore, we know that Marvel is moving forward with the cosmic realm of the MCU with Captain Marvel currently filming. Let’s forget about the theorized deal between Disney and Fox (which is still not finalized and may not happen after all) that would usher the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer into the franchise, and take a look at the latest rumor that should pique the interest of collectors: The Eternals.
While there’s nothing official whatsoever on the matter, there have been whispers that Jack Kirby’s bronze-age creation will be included in Phase Four, which would fit nicely into the cosmic side of things. You see, the Eternals are directly related to the Celestials, as the aforementioned group was created by the Celestials to defend Earth.
Considering we’ve been hearing about the Celestials since GOTG during the Collector’s flashback when he was explaining the infinity stones, and we met Ego in GOTG Vol. 2, it would make sense to see the MCU continue establishing them as the preeminent mysterious, all-powerful beings in the universe. Bringing in their first superpowered creation would make sense.
Whether or not we see an Eternals standalone film is up in the air at this point, but we are all but guaranteed to see and hear more about them going forward. From an investment standpoint, now would be an opportune moment to pick up a few keys related to the Eternals.
Your primary key for the Eternals is their debut issue in 1976. Written and drawn by the legendary Jack Kirby, there are obvious similarities between the Eternals and Kirby’s DC work on the New Gods prior to this.
In Eternals #1, Kirby gives readers the origin of the Eternals and the first mention of the Celestials, crediting them with sparking what would give rise to superpowered humans.
Never the most popular comic, Eternals #1 (volume 1) isn’t hard to find for a reasonable price, but that could soon be changing if a movie is announced. At the moment, you can get a near-mint copy for around $100. You can go all the way to a CGC 9.8 and still get away with paying less than $400; the last recorded sale was for $311 this month. Keep in mind this comic has been gradually heating up. That 9.8 I mentioned? It averaged $291 last year, but the 90-day average has soared to $363. With the rumors now swirling, you can expect that average to continue climbing.
Although they were part of the origin story of the Eternals in the previous issue, Eternals #2 is considered the true first appearance of the Celestials. As mentioned prior, the Celestials have already been introduced into the MCU, which means this is an issue already being sought out by collectors. A CGC 9.8 would have cost you an average of $178 two years ago, but the price jumped to an average of $209 last year. The current 90-day average stands at $269 and rising.
Marvel has always enjoyed sending Thor into the cosmos, and in 1980, he ran into the Eternals and the Celestials. Two years prior, the original run of the Eternals had come to an end, so Marvel used Thor to help tie up all the loose ends. In the annals of Marvel comics, Odin the All Father has clashed with the Celestials numerous times, so it was fitting to wrap up their storyline in the pages of Thor.
In the MCU, Thor has famously traveled the universe and encountered many alien races, so it would be reasonable to assume that Marvel will write this into the films. If they do so, they’ll likely draw inspiration from this particular story. Looking for a copy of Thor #301? Fear not. A CGC 9.8 sold for the low price of $40 last December.
