Originally titled 'The Celestials', Marvel changed the title to 'Return of the Gods', whose comic book cover bore stylistics similarities to Erich von Daniken's book Chariots of the Gods?. Upon his return to Marvel, Kirby continued exploring his interest in high-concept science fiction through The Eternals. Though he had planned for a definitive ending, the series was abruptly cancelled. In 1970, Jack Kirby left Marvel Comics to work at DC Comics, where he began the saga of the New Gods, an epic story involving mythological and science fiction concepts. They made their debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with their own feature film Eternals, directed by Chloé Zhao, which was released November 5, 2021.

Since their appearance, the Eternals have had several of their own series, in addition to crossing into other titles, such as Thor and X-Men.

Due to their virtual immortality, Eternals have largely secluded themselves from humans, with their god-like status forming the basis of various mythological figures around the world. Their primary adversaries are the Deviants, who share a similar origin and pose a regular threat to humanity.

In the Marvel Universe, the Eternals are an offshoot of humanity known as Homo immortalis which were created one million years ago by the enigmatic alien Celestials to defend Earth with their superhuman powers and abilities. They were created by Jack Kirby, making their first appearance in The Eternals #1 (July 1976). The Eternals are a fictional race of humanoids appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Eternals, Vol. 1 by Kieron Gillen