Eternals Theory: MCU Secretly Introduced The Deviants In Captain Marvel

Marvel’s Eternals movie is expected to introduce the Deviants, but the studio may have already brought them into the MCU in Captain Marvel. Based on details established in the comics, it’s possible that the MCU’s Skrulls are actually Deviants, and their origin could be explored in the upcoming Phase 4 movie.

In Marvel Comics, the Skrulls are a green-skinned race from a distant planet who possess the ability to change their appearance. These shapeshifting aliens have a nefarious reputation for using their powers to infiltrate different civilizations as spies. They’re known for their tendency to engage in conflicts with other races, like the humans of Earth and the Kree. In the Silver Age, the Skrulls were primarily utilized as villains of the Fantastic Four, but they’ve also been involved in battles with the Avengers, Captain Mar-Vell, the X-Men, and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

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For a while, it was believed that, because of long-standing association with Marvel’s First Family, they wouldn’t be able to appear in the MCU. However, it was later revealed Marvel and Fox co-owned the rights to the Skrulls, allowing them to make their live-action debut in Captain Marvel. They were initially thought to be the villains in the movie, but a twist made it clear they were in fact the victims in the Kree-Skrull War. At the end of Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) flew off to help the Skrulls. In Spider-Man: Far From Home, it was confirmed that at least some of the Skrulls have maintained a presence on Earth. The Skrulls, who may be important to Marvel’s future, could share a secret connection to one of the two races debuting in Eternals.

Skrulls & Deviants Origin In Marvel Comics Explained

In the original Eternals series from the 1970s, legendary comic book writer Jack Kirby created a detailed backstory for three new Marvel Comics races: the Celestials, Eternals, and Deviants. It was explained in the first issue that god-like beings known as the Celestials traveled to Earth several millennia ago and experimented with human DNA to create two genetic offshoots, the Eternals and the Deviants. The Eternals were seemingly perfect, superpowered immortals who looked just like humans, while the Deviants were a colossal failure. Due to their structurally unstable genetic code, the Deviants constantly mutate, causing these grotesque, monstrous creatures to vary in terms of their physical appearance.

Later comics connected the Deviants with the Skrulls, who first appeared in the 1960s. Apparently, the Celestials had taken their experiments to numerous planets over the years. In the past, they created Eternals and Deviants from the DNA of lifeforms found on other planets, one of which being the original homeworld of the Skrulls. At the time, the planet was occupied by a reptilian species. After experimenting with their DNA in the same way that they did with humanity, the Celestials created two new types of Eternals and Deviants, with the latter being capable of shape-shifting. This was a power that the Earthborn Deviants never had.

Years later, they banded together and wiped out both the Eternals and their parent race. With their ancestors and the Eternals gone forever, all that was left were the Deviants, who became the only form of intelligent life on their planet – later being known as “Skrulls”, and from there, their empire grew.

Related: Marvel’s 4 Eternals Teams Explained (& Which Ones The Movie Will Have)

How The Skrulls Could Be Deviants In The MCU

The origin of the Skrulls could carry over to the MCU in Marvel’s Eternals movie. At some point in the film, Marvel will, of course, go over who the Celestials really are, why they created the Eternals, and where the Deviants came from. It hasn’t been confirmed yet that the MCU’s Deviants are creations of the Celestials, but this important part of their backstory is likely to be kept for the movie. When explaining the Celestials’ experiments on humans, it could be mentioned that Celestials genetically engineered lifeforms on other planets. This makes sense, given that the Celestials are powerful cosmic beings who have traveled all over the universe. Plus, movies like Captain Marvel and Guardians of the Galaxy have made it abundantly clear that there is no shortage of planets in the MCU capable of hosting intelligent life.

With this in mind, there’s no reason why Celestials would only create life on just one planet. They could have created Eternals and Deviants all over the cosmos. A history lesson in Eternals could reveal that the Skrulls were a product of their experiments, and that they’re actually a version of the Deviants. Marvel could end up doing something similar with Thanos, since he’s an Eternal in the comics. Considering that the Eternals are a lesser-known property comprised of heroes that most audiences won’t be familiar with, connecting them with major Marvel characters as well as the larger MCU feels like it would be a smart move for the film.

Skrulls & Deviants May Be Important To Marvel’s Future

Linking the Skrulls to the Celestials, Deviants, and Eternals could be good for the MCU’s future, since they could be key to Phase 5. Spider-Man: Far From Home proved that Marvel is building to something with the Skrulls, which could play out either in Captain Marvel 2 or a live-action adaptation of the Marvel Comics crossover, “Secret Invasion”, which saw the Skrulls attempt to take over the Earth. It’s been rumored that Marvel is developing a Secret Invasion TV show for Disney+. If Eternals fully integrates the Deviants into the MCU in Eternals instead of just using them one as one-and-done villains, the shared origin story between the Earthborn Deviants and the Skrulls could be acknowledged by one of the characters. That could work if Eternals makes Deviants like Warlord Kro, Karkas, and Ransak the Reject important MCU characters going forward.

Perhaps most importantly, establishing that there are Eternals and Deviants elsewhere in the galaxy could amount to a game-changing reveal. This would provide an opportunity for Eternals 2, Thor: Love and Thunder, Captain Marvel 2, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to introduce various offshoots of both the Eternals and the Celestials. At any point, Marvel would be able to explain the inclusion of a superpowered alien simply by connecting them to the Celestials and their experiments on other planets in the MCU. This could be a method that Marvel can use to introduce all sorts of exciting new characters, such as Thanos’ brother, Starfox. The Skrulls could just be the beginning of how Marvel will expand these concepts beyond Earth.

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