The Celestials Created The MCU’s Infinity Stones – Theory Explained

There are still many mysteries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that will hopefully be solved soon, such as who created the Infinity Stones, and after Eternals expanded a bit more on the Celestials, it’s possible that these beings are the ones who created the powerful Infinity Stones. Although the Infinity Saga is now over, the MCU isn’t done yet, and it continues to expand with its highly-anticipated Phase 4, which covers both TV shows and movies. On the movie side, the MCU has now introduced a new team of superheroes in Eternals, and with that came a bit more information on the Celestials.

Directed by Chloé Zhao, Eternals introduced the title team, who are an alien race created by the Celestial Arishem. The Eternals were sent to Earth centuries ago to protect it from the Deviants, their evil counterparts also created by the Celestials, and the Eternals stayed on Earth waiting for a sign to go back home. During that time, the Eternals helped humanity progress but they never interfered in any of their conflicts, not even when Thanos wiped out half of life in the universe, and this created friction among them. The Eternals parted ways after this and reunited years later after the death of their leader, Ajak (Salma Hayek), and Sersi (Gemma Chan) was appointed the new leader. Sersi later learned the truth about their origin and purpose: they were sent to Earth to make sure humanity met the prerequisites needed for the birth of the Celestial Tiamut, whose seed was planted on Earth, and his “emergence” meant the destruction of Earth.

Given the Eternals’ link to the Celestials, especially Arishem, Eternals took viewers closer to these beings and allowed them to learn more about them, but most of their story is still a mystery. Now, the Celestials are also linked to the Infinity Stones, and it could be possible that the Celestials are actually the ones who created the Infinity Stones.

The Celestials Existed Before The Infinity Stones

The Celestials are entities with vast matter and energy manipulation abilities, and they are also the oldest race in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They have been described as the first form of existence in the universe, and as such, they already existed before the Big Bang and the six singularities, which made way for the Infinity Stones. Led by Arishem, and through their infinite cosmic power, the Celestials created planets, stars, and lifeforms, and as seen in Eternals, they didn’t even hesitate in destroying lifeforms to create more Celestials, as seen when they planted the seed of Tiamut on Earth and his birth meant the destruction of Earth. The Celestials also pushed the boundaries of life in the universe by creating more of them, which in turn also meant the creation of lifeforms, but everything came with a price.

Eternals wasn’t the debut of the Celestials in the MCU, as they had already appeared in both Guardians of the Galaxy movies but in different ways – in the first movie, Taneleer Tivan a.k.a. The Collector (Benicio del Toro) told the story of the Infinity Stones to the Guardians of the Galaxy and it included the Celestials, and the mining planet Knowhere (where The Collector operated) was also introduced, which is the head of a deceased Celestial, while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 had Ego (Kurt Russell) as the main antagonist. However, the events in Eternals are the closest the audience has been to the Celestials, making way for a lot of doubts and fan theories about how involved they have been with the events of the Infinity Saga and beyond.

The Celestials Are Linked To The Infinity Stones

The Celestials have an actual link to the Infinity Stones as some of them used them for their own not-so-honest purposes. The Collector explained to the Guardians that the Infinity Stones are so powerful that they can’t be handled by everyone, and only beings of extraordinary strength can use them without serious physical consequences – and the Celestials being as powerful as they are, some of them ended up using some of the stones to set their plans into motion. The Celestial Eson the Searcher used the Power Stone to destroy an entire planet, and it’s unknown if other Celestials also used the Stones at some point, especially Knowhere, as everything about him and his death is a mystery.

Theory: The Celestials Created The MCU’s Infinity Stones

With the Celestials existing way before the Infinity Stones were created, and given their immense power, it’s possible that they are the ones responsible for the creation of the Infinity Stones. According to The Collector’s story, before the Big Bang, there were six singularities, and the big explosion concentrated six crystals out of them and sent them through the universe. Each Stone represented a different aspect of the universe – space, mind, reality, power, time, and soul – and when used together, they channeled immense power. This story is still not enough to explain the origins of the Infinity Stones, so there’s a possibility that a powerful entity was behind their creation, and those could be the Celestials.

In the comics, there’s a storyline where the Infinity Stones were, in fact, created by the Celestials. The 2018 event Infinity Wars saw Loki acquiring the recreated Infinity Stones and taking them to the Quarry of the Gods, where he learned they were created by the Celestials, who were also spreading the stones across the universe. In the Symbiote Spider-Man: Crossroads storyline, the Celestials created their own version of the Infinity Stones, called the Norn Stones, and used them to traverse across dimensions to check in on the existence of other beings. With all this in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising if the MCU borrowed the idea of the Celestials creating the Infinity Stones, further establishing them as the MCU’s most powerful villains (more so after the Emergence and the abduction of Sersi, Phastos, and Kingo at the end of Eternals). The Celestials have the power and knowledge necessary to create six gems like the Infinity Stones, and given that they create and destroy lifeforms as they please and they constantly push the boundaries of life, it would be fitting for these entities to be the ones behind the Infinity Stones.

Of course, the reason why they created the Stones is unknown, but it’s most likely rooted in power and control of the universe, but even the Celestials can be corrupted by power, leading to entities like Eson misusing the Power Stone and even the death of Knowhere. The Celestials being the creators of the Infinity Stones would also mean that they can create more, especially after seeing how Thanos and the Avengers used them, bringing more chaos to the MCU in the near future. The Infinity Saga might be over, but the MCU still has a lot of explaining to do about the Infinity Stones.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
(3273 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.

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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