Misplaced Pages

Celestial (comics): Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 08:11, 11 January 2007 editAsgardian (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users11,108 editsNo edit summary← Previous edit Revision as of 15:30, 11 January 2007 edit undoDCincarnate (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users8,754 editsNo edit summaryNext edit →
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Superherobox| <!--Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Comics--> {{Superherobox| <!--Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Comics-->
image=] image=]
|caption=Three of the Celestials - Arishem the Judge, Hargen the Measurer and Eson the Searcher. Art by Giorgio Comolo.
|character_name= The Celestials |character_name= The Celestials
|alter_ego=
|real_name= Name designated according to function
|publisher=] |publisher=]
|debut='']'' vol. 1, #1 (1976) |debut='']'' vol. 1, #1 (1976)
|creators= ] |creators= ]
|alliances= |alliances=
|aliases= |aliases=
|supports=
|powers= Apparently unlimited cosmic power and more powerful than any force on Earth
|powers= Advanced technology enabling interstellar travel and manipulation of nearly unlimited cosmic energies.
|}} |}}


The '''Celestials''' are a group of ] and ] beings that appear in the ]. The Celestials were created by ] and first appeared in '']'' vol. 1, #1 (July 1976). The '''Celestials''' are a ] group of ] beings in the {{Marvel Universe}}. Created by ], the Celestials first appeared in '']'' vol. 1, #1 (July 1976).


==Fictional character biography== ==Fictional character biography==


The Celestials are a total enigma, and appear as completely silent, armoured humanoids with an average height of 2,000 feet. Nothing is known regarding their true appearance, although it is possible that they may ''be'' their armour. <ref>''The Eternals'' vol. 3, #5 (2006) </ref> The Celestials are an enigma. Appearing as a group of massive armoured humanoids with an average height of 2,000 feet, these normally silent beings have only appeared on Earth on a few occasions. It is unknown what they look like under their armour. It is equally possible that they may not have physical forms as such and may, in fact, ''be'' their armour.<ref>''The Eternals'' (2006) #5</ref> What is known is that the Celestials are apparently responsible for the
⚫ creation of two offshoots of humanity — the ] and the ] — on Earth over a million years ago. <ref>''The Eternals'' vol. 1, #1 - 12 (1976 - 1977)</ref> The exact reason for the Celestials' genetic manipulation of proto-humans is unknown, although it is known that the Celestials conducted similar experiments on other races, such as the ]s. Each race that the Celestials has experimented on is periodically assessed by Arishem the Judge, and if a race "fails" by Celestials standards, Arishem will send an execution code to Exitar the Exterminator, a 20,000 foot tall Celestial who carries out Arishem's sentence. On the first occasion that this act was witnessed, Exitar terraformed a planet into a garden paradise, with only the "evil" inhabitants being destroyed, and the survivors being given a second chance. <ref>''Thor'' vol. 1, #387 - 389</ref> More recent depictions, however, show races that fail the genetic test are destroyed with their planet. <ref>''Quasar'' #24</ref>
⚫ Very few beings on Earth are even aware of the Celestials' existence. The Eternals and Deviants refer to the Celestials as "Space Gods" and know that they visit Earth in "Hosts" on 1,000 year intervals to monitor mankind's progress. It was revealed that ] and the other Skyfather figures of Earth's pantheons (eg. Zeus, Vishnu) had been humbled by the Celestial Third Host, and developed a plan to stop the Fourth Host from judging Earth again. Unfortunately this plan failed, but as a result of the offering of the Skymothers (eg. Frigga, Hera) Earth was left in peace until the time of the Fifth Host. <ref>''Thor'' Annual #7 and ''Thor'' vol. 1, #283 - 300</ref>


⚫ ==Members==
⚫ The Celestials have only appeared on Earth on a few occasions. What is known is that the Celestials are apparently responsible for the creation of two offshoots of humanity — the ] and the ] — on Earth over a million years ago. <ref>''The Eternals'' vol. 1, #1 - 12 (1976 - 1977)</ref> The exact reason for the Celestials' genetic manipulation of proto-humans is unknown, although it is known that the Celestials conduct similar experiments on other races (such as the ] ). Each race that the Celestials has experimented on is periodically assessed by Arishem the Judge, and if a race "fails" by Celestials standards, Arishem will send an execution code to Exitar the Exterminator, a 20,000 foot tall Celestial who carries out Arishem's sentence. On the first occasion that this act was witnessed, Exitar terraformed a planet into a garden paradise, with only the "evil" inhabitants being destroyed, and the survivors being given a second chance. <ref>''Thor'' vol. 1, #387 - 389</ref> More recent depictions, however, show races that fail the genetic test are destroyed with their planet. <ref>''Quasar'' #24</ref>
⚫ ].]]


⚫ Very few beings on Earth are even aware of the Celestials' existance. The Eternals and Deviants call the Celestials "Space Gods" and know that they visit Earth in "Hosts" on 1,000 year intervals to monitor mankind's progress. It was revealed that ] and the other Skyfather figures of Earth's pantheons (eg. Zeus, Vishnu) had been humbled by the Celestial Third Host, and developed a plan to stop the Fourth Host from judging Earth again. Unfortunately this plan failed, but as a result of the offering of the Skymothers (eg. Frigga, Hera) Earth was left in peace until the time of the Fifth Host. <ref>''Thor'' Annual #7 + ''Thor'' vol. 1, #283 - 300</ref>

⚫ ==Members==
''Main article: ]'' ''Main article: ]''


* '''Arishem the Judge''' - field leader for ground teams. * '''Arishem the Judge''' - field leader for ground teams.

* '''Tefral the Surveyor''' * '''Tefral the Surveyor'''

* '''Eson the Searcher''' * '''Eson the Searcher'''

* '''Jemiah the Analyzer''' * '''Jemiah the Analyzer'''

* '''Gammenon the Gatherer''' * '''Gammenon the Gatherer'''

* '''Hargen the Measurer''' * '''Hargen the Measurer'''

* '''Oneg the Prober''' * '''Oneg the Prober'''

* '''Nezarr the Calculator''' * '''Nezarr the Calculator'''

* '''Ziran the Tester''' * '''Ziran the Tester'''

* '''Exitar the Exterminator''' - * '''Exitar the Exterminator''' -

* '''The One Above All''' - leader of the Celestials. * '''The One Above All''' - leader of the Celestials.


<br />
⚫ There is an additional Celestial referred to as '''Tiamut, The Dreaming Celestial.''' This being is referred to as the Great Renegade, as Tiamut apparently rebelled against the rest of the Second Host when they were visiting Earth. Tiamut was then imprisioned under a mountain range by the other Celestials, and condenmed to sleep for eternity. In the modern age the Deviant ] siphoned off the Dreaming Celestial's power, but soon fell under Tiamut's control. Ghaur is then defeated by the combined Eternals and ]. <ref>''Eternals'' vol. 2, #1 - 12 (1985 - 1986)</ref>

].]]


⚫ There is an additional Celestial named '''Tiamut''' usually referred to as '''The Dreaming Celestial''' or the "Great Renegade." Tiamut apparently rebelled against the rest of the Second Host when they were visiting Earth. Tiamut was then imprisioned under a mountain range by the other Celestials, and condenmed to sleep for eternity. In the modern age the Deviant ] siphoned off the Dreaming Celestial's power, but soon fell under Tiamut's control. Ghaur was defeated soon afterwards by the Eternals and ]. <ref>''Eternals'' vol. 2, #1 - 12 (1985 - 1986)</ref>

⚫ There are also a number of Celestials that have only appeared in one story. These Celestials were Ashema the Listener; <ref>''Heroes Reborn: The Return'' #1 - 4 (1997)</ref> Devron the Experimenter and Gamiel the Manipulator; <ref>''Marvel Monsters: Devil Dinosaur'' #1 (2005)</ref> Scathan the Approver; <ref>''Guardians of the Galaxy'' #48 - 50</ref> the Monolith Gatherer <ref>''X-51'' #1 - 12 (1999 - 2000)</ref> and the Red and Blue Celestials. <ref>''Thor'' vol. 1, #424</ref>







⚫ There are also a number of Celestials that have only appeared in one story, and as such it is doubftul as to whether these appearances are regarded as canon. These Celestials were Ashema the Listener; <ref>''Heroes Reborn: The Return'' #1 - 4 (1997)</ref> Devron the Experimenter and Gamiel the Manipulator; <ref>''Marvel Monsters: Devil Dinosaur'' #1 (2005)</ref> Scathan the Approver; <ref>''Guardians of the Galaxy'' #48 - 50</ref> the Monolith Gatherer <ref>''X-51'' #1 - 12 (1999 - 2000)</ref> and the Red and Blue Celestials. <ref>''Thor'' vol. 1, #424</ref>
⚫ [[Image:FourthHost.jpg|right|thumb|'''The Celestial Fourth Host''' - (left to right) Hargen, Tefral, Nezzar, Gammenon, Arishem, Jemiah, Eson, Oneg and Ziran.
Art by ]]].


==Powers and abilities== ==Powers and abilities==
Based on all encounters to date, the Celestials appear to be omnipotent. The ] beings ] and ], who possess unlimited energy, matter and reality manipulation powers, stated that a single Celestial has "power many orders of magnitude beyond our own." <ref>''Fantastic Four'' vol. 1, Annual #23</ref> This was demonstrated when the Celestials defeated a 2,000 foot tall ] with ease - despite the fact that it was controlled by Odin and imbued with the life force of every god in Asgard (with the exception of ]) and wielding the Odin Sword. <ref>''Thor'' vol. 1, #300</ref>


The Celestials are among the most powerful physical entities in the ]. They have shown the ability to permanently seal off entire dimensions, create super-powered beings such as the Godstalkers, reduce the Asgardian construct known as the ] to slag even while it was imbued with the life force of all the gods of Asgard (with the exception of Thor), and move multiple planets across galactic distances at will. The highly evolved ] beings ] and ] &mdash; beings who wield nearly incalculable energy, matter and reality manipulation powers &mdash; stated that a single Celestial possesses "power many orders of magnitude beyond our own." <ref> ''Fantastic Four'' Annual #23 </ref>
The Celestials do not appear to be totally invulnerable, as the ], ] and the ] have managed to damage their armour. <ref>''Thor'' vol. 1, #300 + ''Fantastic Four'' vol. 1, #400</ref> The damage, however, is repaired almost immediately and it is possible the Celestials have allowed this in order to further their learning about Earth's metahumans.

The Celestial's armor can withstand planet-pulverizing forces and, in most instances, even when they have been injured they can repair the damage in seconds. The Celestial armor has been damaged with varying degrees of success by the ], <ref> ''Fantastic Four'' vol. 1 #400</ref> ], <ref> ''Thor'' vol. 1 #387</ref> and the Odinsword-wielding Destroyer construct. <ref> ''Thor'' vol. 1 #300 </ref>.

It has been suggested by Reed Richards that the Celestial's source of power is Hyperspace itself &mdash; the source of energy in the Marvel Universe &mdash; a suggestion confirmed by the Invisible Woman's ability to completely disrupt Exitar's physical form with her hyperspace-derived force fields. <ref> ''Fantastic Four'' vol. 1 #400 </ref>


== Alternate versions == == Alternate versions ==


In the series '']'' the Celestials are beings of energy encased in life-preserving vibranium (it prevents their total dissipation). They reproduce by planting a fragment of their essence in a planet, which eventually matures into a new Celestial, who in turn absorbs the planet. This brings the Celestials into conflict with ]. <ref>''Earth X'' vol. 1, #1 - 12</ref> * In the series '']'' the Celestials are beings of energy encased in life-preserving vibranium (it prevents their total dissipation). They reproduce by planting a fragment of their essence in a planet, which eventually matures into a new Celestial, who in turn absorbs the planet. This brings the Celestials into conflict with ]. <ref>''Earth X'' #1 - 12</ref>


* In Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonnen's comedy series ], it is revealed that the Celestials, after taking ] into their presence, threw him back to Earth for being a "total ****." The exact explative used has not been revealed. The canonicity of this cameo appearance is uncertain.


==References== ==References==
Line 66: Line 71:


==External links== ==External links==
* *


* *


* *


] ]

Revision as of 15:30, 11 January 2007

Comics character
The Celestials
Three of the Celestials - Arishem the Judge, Hargen the Measurer and Eson the Searcher. Art by Giorgio Comolo.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceEternals vol. 1, #1 (1976)
Created byJack Kirby
In-story information
AbilitiesAdvanced technology enabling interstellar travel and manipulation of nearly unlimited cosmic energies.

The Celestials are a fictional group of extra-terrestrial beings in the

Marvel Comics characters
Heroes
Villains
Supporting
Locations
Objects
Related

. Created by Jack Kirby, the Celestials first appeared in The Eternals vol. 1, #1 (July 1976).

Fictional character biography

The Celestials are an enigma. Appearing as a group of massive armoured humanoids with an average height of 2,000 feet, these normally silent beings have only appeared on Earth on a few occasions. It is unknown what they look like under their armour. It is equally possible that they may not have physical forms as such and may, in fact, be their armour. What is known is that the Celestials are apparently responsible for the creation of two offshoots of humanity — the Eternals and the Deviants — on Earth over a million years ago. The exact reason for the Celestials' genetic manipulation of proto-humans is unknown, although it is known that the Celestials conducted similar experiments on other races, such as the Skrulls. Each race that the Celestials has experimented on is periodically assessed by Arishem the Judge, and if a race "fails" by Celestials standards, Arishem will send an execution code to Exitar the Exterminator, a 20,000 foot tall Celestial who carries out Arishem's sentence. On the first occasion that this act was witnessed, Exitar terraformed a planet into a garden paradise, with only the "evil" inhabitants being destroyed, and the survivors being given a second chance. More recent depictions, however, show races that fail the genetic test are destroyed with their planet. Very few beings on Earth are even aware of the Celestials' existence. The Eternals and Deviants refer to the Celestials as "Space Gods" and know that they visit Earth in "Hosts" on 1,000 year intervals to monitor mankind's progress. It was revealed that Odin and the other Skyfather figures of Earth's pantheons (eg. Zeus, Vishnu) had been humbled by the Celestial Third Host, and developed a plan to stop the Fourth Host from judging Earth again. Unfortunately this plan failed, but as a result of the offering of the Skymothers (eg. Frigga, Hera) Earth was left in peace until the time of the Fifth Host.

Members

File:FourthHost.jpg
The Celestial Fourth Host - (left to right) Hargen, Tefral, Nezzar, Gammenon, Arishem, Jemiah, Eson, Oneg and Ziran. Art by Keith Pollard.

Main article: List of Celestials members

  • Arishem the Judge - field leader for ground teams.
  • Tefral the Surveyor
  • Eson the Searcher
  • Jemiah the Analyzer
  • Gammenon the Gatherer
  • Hargen the Measurer
  • Oneg the Prober
  • Nezarr the Calculator
  • Ziran the Tester
  • Exitar the Exterminator -
  • The One Above All - leader of the Celestials.


File:ETRNLS004cov.jpg
Tiamut as drawn by Rick Berry.


There is an additional Celestial named Tiamut usually referred to as The Dreaming Celestial or the "Great Renegade." Tiamut apparently rebelled against the rest of the Second Host when they were visiting Earth. Tiamut was then imprisioned under a mountain range by the other Celestials, and condenmed to sleep for eternity. In the modern age the Deviant Ghaur siphoned off the Dreaming Celestial's power, but soon fell under Tiamut's control. Ghaur was defeated soon afterwards by the Eternals and Avengers.

There are also a number of Celestials that have only appeared in one story. These Celestials were Ashema the Listener; Devron the Experimenter and Gamiel the Manipulator; Scathan the Approver; the Monolith Gatherer and the Red and Blue Celestials.




Powers and abilities

The Celestials are among the most powerful physical entities in the Marvel Universe. They have shown the ability to permanently seal off entire dimensions, create super-powered beings such as the Godstalkers, reduce the Asgardian construct known as the Destroyer to slag even while it was imbued with the life force of all the gods of Asgard (with the exception of Thor), and move multiple planets across galactic distances at will. The highly evolved cosmic cube beings Kosmos and Kubik — beings who wield nearly incalculable energy, matter and reality manipulation powers — stated that a single Celestial possesses "power many orders of magnitude beyond our own."

The Celestial's armor can withstand planet-pulverizing forces and, in most instances, even when they have been injured they can repair the damage in seconds. The Celestial armor has been damaged with varying degrees of success by the Invisible Woman, Thor, and the Odinsword-wielding Destroyer construct. .

It has been suggested by Reed Richards that the Celestial's source of power is Hyperspace itself — the source of energy in the Marvel Universe — a suggestion confirmed by the Invisible Woman's ability to completely disrupt Exitar's physical form with her hyperspace-derived force fields.

Alternate versions

  • In the series Earth X the Celestials are beings of energy encased in life-preserving vibranium (it prevents their total dissipation). They reproduce by planting a fragment of their essence in a planet, which eventually matures into a new Celestial, who in turn absorbs the planet. This brings the Celestials into conflict with Galactus.
  • In Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonnen's comedy series Nextwave, it is revealed that the Celestials, after taking Machine Man into their presence, threw him back to Earth for being a "total ****." The exact explative used has not been revealed. The canonicity of this cameo appearance is uncertain.

References

  1. The Eternals (2006) #5
  2. The Eternals vol. 1, #1 - 12 (1976 - 1977)
  3. Thor vol. 1, #387 - 389
  4. Quasar #24
  5. Thor Annual #7 and Thor vol. 1, #283 - 300
  6. Eternals vol. 2, #1 - 12 (1985 - 1986)
  7. Heroes Reborn: The Return #1 - 4 (1997)
  8. Marvel Monsters: Devil Dinosaur #1 (2005)
  9. Guardians of the Galaxy #48 - 50
  10. X-51 #1 - 12 (1999 - 2000)
  11. Thor vol. 1, #424
  12. Fantastic Four Annual #23
  13. Fantastic Four vol. 1 #400
  14. Thor vol. 1 #387
  15. Thor vol. 1 #300
  16. Fantastic Four vol. 1 #400
  17. Earth X #1 - 12

External links

Categories: