Did Thor: Love & Thunder Retcon Eternals’ Celestials?

WARNING: Spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder ahead.

In Thor: Love and Thunder, the eponymous God of Thunder travels to Omnipotence City where Celestials can be seen, calling into question what Eternals previously established about these beings. In the new Thor installment, Thor and his friends learn that Gorr the God Butcher is killing gods around the galaxy. With the help of Valkyrie, Korg, and Dr. Jane Foster, Thor must stop Gorr before he destroys the Asgardians.

Outside of their introduction in Eternals, the Celestials are mostly a mystery in most corners of the MCU. According to Eternals, the Celestials are ancient cosmic entities that hide inside the core of a planet until their eventual birth, which destroys their host planet in the process. The Eternals themselves are creations of the Celestial Arishem, who insists that Celestials are the driving force of the universe. The Celestials’ role in intelligent life could be enough to grant them admittance into the Omnipotence City. However, Thor: Love and Thunder doesn’t offer clear criteria for those who vacation in the realm of the gods.

Eternals never explicitly states that the Celestials are gods, but they certainly exhibit godlike power. According to the Jack Kirby comics, Celestials are immortal and omnipotent. In addition, their supernatural powers seem to have no limits. The Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits scene shows a still-alive Zeus, which serves as a reminder of how indestructible gods are. According to the Thor comics, the Celestial Arishem the Judge is more powerful than Zeus, Odin, and Vishnu combined. The Celestials’ power could give them admittance to the Omnipotence City, but it’s not clear that’s the same thing as them being gods.

Are Celestials Supposed To Be Gods In The MCU? 

The MCU’s definition of god is never explicitly explained. In a multiverse with superheroes and various cosmic beings, it can be difficult to pinpoint what makes a god. Gods are utilized in stories to explain the creation of the universe. In Norse and Greek mythology, the people worship gods and recognize them as their creators. The gods’ role in intelligent life makes them worthy of worship. Similarly, the Celestials play a crucial part in maintaining life in the universe. Therefore, somewhere in MCU, there could exist a group of beings who worship the Celestials as gods. In Thor: Love and Thunder, Omnipotence City is home to gods of all cultures. Perhaps admittance to Omnipotence City is merely dependent on worship by lesser beings.

Thor: Love and Thunder’s post-credits scene teases a final entry in the Ragnarok trilogy. In Thor 5, Thor could return to Omnipotence City to face Zeus’s son, Hercules. Whether the Celestials will return remains to be seen, but their brief appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder hints that the Eternals‘ Celestials are not forgotten.

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