Every Eternal And Their Mythological Counterpart Explained

Every member of the Eternals team is based on or inspired by a mythological figure, and here’s who every one of them represents. Although the Infinity Saga is now over, the Marvel Cinematic Universe keeps expanding with its highly-anticipated Phase 4, which is covering both TV shows and movies and continuing the stories of already established characters as well as introducing new ones. On the movie side of the MCU, the newest team to arrive are the Eternals, who changed the history of the MCU and have a unique backstory.

Directed by Chloé Zhao, Eternals introduced the title team, who are an alien race created by the Celestial Arishem and who were sent to Earth to protect it from their evil counterparts, the Deviants. The Eternals stayed on Earth awaiting a sign from Arishem to return home, and they helped humanity progress, but they weren’t allowed to interfere in their conflicts. With time, the Eternals parted ways and lived separate lives for many, many years, and were forced to reunite when the Deviants returned and an event called “The Emergence” fast approached.

As the Eternals lived on Earth for centuries, they made way for different legends, such as Thena (Angelina Jolie) being the source for the figure of Athena, but outside the Marvel Universe, each of the Eternals is inspired by a mythological figure – and here’s which one each team member represents.

Sersi – Circe

Sersi (Gemma Chan) is the most empathetic member of the Eternals and thus the protagonist of the movie, as her close bond to humanity made her the one with the biggest drive to keep them safe. Sersi’s powers in the MCU – aside from those of every Eternal, which are superhuman strength, durability, speed, agility, stamina, reflexes, and regenerative healing factor – are all about matter transmutation, meaning she can change the material of anything non-sentient she touches. Sersi’s mythological counterpart is Circe, an enchantress and Greek goddess, and she’s the daughter of either the god Helios and the Oceanid nymph Perse, or the goddess Hecate and King Aeetes. Circe was known for her vast knowledge of potions and herbs and for using these and a magic wand (or staff) to transform her enemies into animals. At some point in Sersi’s comic book history, Marvel retconned her story so that she was the base for Circe in Homer’s Odyssey.

Ikaris – Icarus

The MCU’s version of Ikaris (Richard Madden) had the ability to fly and could also project powerful cosmic energy beams from his eyes, and even though he started as one of the most respectable members of the Eternals, he ended up being a traitor. Ikaris’ mythological counterpart is Icarus, who in Greek mythology, was the son of Daedalus, creator of the Labyrinth. Both tried to escape from Crete with wings that Daedalus made from feathers and wax, and instructed Icarus to fly not too low but not too high either, as the sea could clog his wings or the sun could melt them. Icarus didn’t listen and flew too close to the sun, melting his wings and causing him to fall into the sea, where he drowned. Eternals has a reference to this myth, with tales of Ikaris flying to the sun, which he ended up doing at the end of the movie.

Sprite – The Spriggans

Sprite (Lia McHugh) is the only member of the Eternals who looks like a 12-year-old child, which has caused her a lot of frustration for years. Sprite’s MCU powers are illusion manipulation, duplication concealment, and shapeshifting through illusions, all of these coming in handy at different points throughout Eternals. Sprite’s mythological counterpart would be the Spriggans, legendary creatures from Cornish faery lore. Spriggans were said to be found at old ruins, cairns, and barrows guarding a buried treasure, and were depicted as grotesque, wizened old men with large child-like heads. Spriggans were considered to be the ghosts of giants, and as such, they had gigantic strength, and when it comes to personality, they were all about mischief, especially against those who offended them.

Kingo – Kingu

Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) is the one member of the Eternals who found his place in the entertainment business, becoming a popular Bollywood star for decades. Kingo’s power is cosmic energy projection, meaning that he can eject cosmic energy from his hands and fingertips, and can manipulate the size of his energy projections. Kingo’s mythological counterpart would be the Babylonian god Kingu (or Qingu), son of the gods Abzu and Tiamat. Kingu was appointed as head of a mighty army by Tiamat as she wanted to destroy other gods, but both were eventually killed by the god Marduk, who then mixed Kingu’s blood with earth and clay to mold the first human beings.

Makkari – Mercury

Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) is the first deaf superhero in the MCU, and even though she didn’t get much screen time, it was enough to win over the hearts of fans. Makkari’s power is super speed, which in turn allows her to generate extreme force through the momentum created by her speed and generate shockwaves. Makkari’s mythological counterpart is Mercury, the Roman god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication, travelers, trickery, and thieves, and he’s also the guide of souls to the underworld.

Druig – The Druids

Druig (Barry Keoghan) is the member of the Eternals with the ability to control minds, and he also has the power of telepathy, as he was able to read Ikaris’ mind. Druig’s mythological counterpart would be the druids, religious leaders and legal authorities, adjudicators, medical professionals, and political advisors in ancient Celtic cultures. In Irish folklore, the druids served lords and kings as high-ranking priest-counselors with the gift of prophecy and other mystical abilities.

Phastos – Hephaestus

Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) is the MCU’s first gay superhero, and he’s a key member of the Eternals. Phastos’ power is technopathy, and he’s able to create any object or weapon with cosmic energy and raw materials, and was the one who came up with the plan and devices to prevent Tiamut’s birth. Phastos’ mythological counterpart is Hephaestus, the Greek god of blacksmiths, metalworking, carpenters, craftsmen, artisans, and more. Hephaestus was either the son of Zeus and Hera or Hera’s parthenogenous child, and he was cast off Mount Olympus by Hera due to his limp, though other stories say it was by Zeus for protecting Hera from his advances. Hephaestus made the weapons for the rest of the gods in Olympus, very much like Phastos did for the Eternals.

Thena – Athena

Thena has the power of weapon manifestation, meaning that she can use cosmic energy to manifest any weapon she can imagine, and she can change its form as she pleases and needs during battle. Thena’s mythological counterpart is the Greek goddess Athena, who is associated with wisdom, handicraft, and warfare. Athena was also regarded as the patron and protectress of various Greek cities, particularly Athens. As mentioned above, at some point in the MCU’s version of human history, legends were created about Thena as a Goddess of War named Athena.

Gilgamesh – Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh (Don Lee) is the strongest member of the Eternals, and his power was cosmic exoskeleton manifestation, as he was capable of projecting cosmic energy-enhanced exoskeleton shields over his arms and fists, which in turn enhanced his strength and durability. Gilgamesh’s mythological counterpart is also named Gilgamesh, and he’s a hero in ancient Mesopotamian mythology. In one of many stories and myths about Gilgamesh, he’s a demigod of superhuman strength who along with the wild man Enkidu embarks on many journeys.

Ajak – Ajax

Ajak (Salma Hayek) was the leader of the Eternals and her power was cosmic healing, and she could use it on humans and Eternals. Ajak’s mythological counterpart would be Ajax the Great, a Greek hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea. According to Homer’s Iliad, Ajax was trained by the centaur Chiron at the same time as Achilles, and he was a fearless, strong, and powerful warrior, with a high level of combat intelligence. There’s another Ajax in Greek mythology, referred to as “Ajax the Lesser”, and he was the son of Olieus, king of Locris, and he’s also mentioned in the Iliad.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
(3270 Articles Published)

Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

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When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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