Marvel's 'Eternals' vs 'Deviants': History and Connection to mythology explained

Marvel has unveiled the final trailer for the Eternals and it appears that we're about to take a deep dive into Marvel mythology. At one point Gemma Chan's Sersi says, "We were instructed not to interfere with any human conflict unless Deviants were involved," thereby explaining the absence of these god-like creatures in Avengers: Endgame. Thanks to Salma Hayek aka Ajak, we also know that reversing 'The Snap' caused something called 'The Emergence." Eternals is slated to release on November 5, 2021.

Marvel Mythology behind the Eternals 

The Eternals are a powerful race of cosmic beings and have been living in or near our world for millions of years. They were, as they say, built to last and who built them, you ask? They were created by powerful "space gods" called Celestials, but more about that later. Eternals look like human beings on the outside, however, their biology defers from humans. 

They have incredible strength, very long lives and powers and abilities that would put most of our favourite Avengers to shame. It all began several thousand years ago when the all-powerful gods known as Celestials began experimenting with the earliest life forms on Earth. As a result of these experiments, the Eternals came into being. They were advanced humanoids tasked with protecting the planet using their wide array of superpowers. 

Marvel Mythology behind The Deviants

While the Celestials made these great beings, their experiments weren't all successful. They also ended up mutating another batch of humans, who had their DNA destabilized. Due to this, a monstrous race of beings who wanted to destroy their more "angelic" counterparts were born. They were called The Deviants. 

The war between the Eternals and the Deviants is so ancient that some have simply become a part of mythology, history, and legends. One conflict from the comics traces back to the destruction of an entire continent, Lemuria with their capital city Atlantis, sinking to the bottom. In the comics, there is still a Deviant city buried under the Pacific Ocean where Kro still claims leadership. 

The two factions have been at war for many centuries. Humanity has often mistaken the Eternals for gods and the Deviants for folklore creatures like ogres and trolls. This is presumably where we meet them in Chloe Zhao's film. In fact, in the comics, Kro spent hundreds of years constantly changing his identity, and at one point, humanity mistook him for the literal devil. 

What did the MCU change about the Deviants? 

The recent trailer and some leaked Eternals merchandise has given viewers a first glimpse at the MCU's Kro. In the comics, Kro has pink skin however, the film gives him a darker complexion. The warlord Deviant's facial features have also significantly changed from the comics.

However, comic fans don't have to be sad. Because if you think these changes were bad, there are some other fantastic changes as well. For example, seeing the trailer, it looks like Kro's shapeshifting powers have been given an upgrade since his skin can now apparently even form tendrils that he could be seen using to restrain Thena (Angelina Jolie) in one shot of the trailer. 

Other than this, the leaked merch also reveals that Kro's hands can now morph into weapons, making the character even more OP than it already was. To keep the mythology in the picture, Kro's feet also appear to have changed. The warlord Deviant now seems to have a new design showing him as the half-man/half-goat god. This design finds basis in several depictions of the Devil in Christain mythology. 

IMAGE - THE ETERNALS TWITTER