Warning: Spoilers for Eternals #9 ahead!
The Eternals‘ new mission has them fighting against their prime directive, and it could make them into the heroes they’ve always had the potential to be. In their current incarnation, the Eternals, god-like beings tasked with protecting Earth from Deviants, have learned what they truly are: machines. With new knowledge comes new questions about destiny, purpose, and motive — especially the motives of their creators, the all-powerful Celestials. As they sort this out, some Eternals, including Thena, are looking for a more permanent way to protect Earth: By healing Deviants.
In Eternals #9, by Keiron Gillen, Esad Ribić, and Guiu Vilanova, Thena is forced to confront the consequences of unwaveringly following the directive given to them by the Celestials: to destroy any excess deviation that threatens humanity. This meant killing a Deviant, Tolau, who Thena had fallen in love with. She attempted to fight it, but as his form suddenly changed and he lost control, so did she. Thena’s directive kicked in, and she ended Tolau’s life with a sword through the chest. This left her distraught, in need of a new solution, which bred a new thought: If the prime directive is to “prevent excess deviation,” then finding a way to stop excess deviation could stop the endless war between Eternals and Deviants.
Following this path could finally allow the Eternals to grow beyond machines who incidentally commit heroic acts into true heroes. The impact of Tolau’s death seems to have resonated beyond Thena and to her fellow Eternals, including Sersi and Ajak, as well as the leader of the Deviants and Thena’s old flame, Kro. Tired of the endless war and back-and-forth death and destruction, leaders on both sides seem to be working toward a long-term, life-saving solution. And that is infinitely more heroic than the Eternals have been thus far.
What makes this a truly heroic act on behalf of the Eternals is the sacrifice it may involve. The Eternals were dispatched as unchanging machines with a single goal: Correct Excess Deviation. Thus far, that has simply meant destroying Deviants who threaten humanity. Exploring a cure for deviation would require an override of their directive, by working with Deviants instead of destroying them. Furthermore, eliminating deviation for good would make the Eternals obsolete, and could mean their own demise. Ajak even acknowledges this, saying “For an Eternal to beget an Eternal, they would require to not be an Eternal. A change. Deviancy…Of course, that would be heresy.” Despite this bleak observation, Ajak is on board, part of the team looking for Celestial knowledge that could end sudden, excess deviation.
Curing excess deviation in the Deviants is a lofty goal, complicated not only by their ongoing war with the Mad Titan Thanos, but their need for Celestial knowledge to come up with a cure. Nonetheless, Thena is up for the task, even if it would take the time of many Deviant lifetimes — as she said, that’s only a “brief span” for Eternals. And if this team of Eternals can find a cure, it could finally give them the opportunity to be among Earth’s greatest heroes.
