This brilliant Infinity Stones theory fixes the weirdest part of Eternals

There are a few cardinal rules of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. No one’s dead until you see a body, any planning scene must end with a joke, and every villain has an equal and opposite hero. In Thanos’ case, his opposing force was the entirety of the Avengers.

But then, the Celestials were introduced. As giant creatures who control the makeup of the universe, it’s hard to imagine a being that could threaten them. Even the Eternals were only able to thwart part of their plan. So, what force can conquer the Celestials? The answer may be the most famous weapon in the MCU.

According to an idea proposed by prolific MCU theorist TheMediocreCritic, the Infinity Stones were created to hold the Celestials at bay. It sounds wild at first, but upon examination of the evidence it begins to make a lot of sense. Take the first line of Eternals: “Before the six singularities and the dawn of creation came the Celestials.” Why mention the creation of the Infinity Stones before introducing characters who have nothing to do with them?

If the Infinity Stones were created to limit the Celestials’ power, it explains the weirdest part of Eternals. Why, in the millennia we see the film cover, did it take until 2024 for the Celestials to make themselves known? We know their “emergence” was delayed because of the Blip, and maybe Thanos wielding all the Infinity Stones scared Arishem off. But now that the Infinity Stones are destroyed, there’s nothing stopping the Celestials from re-inserting themselves as the controllers of the universe.

So with the Stones gone, who will rise up and stand against the Celestials? The answer is obvious: the Avengers. Each hero was influenced by the Infinity Stones in one way or another, and now the MCU world has grown to the point where many of its heroes are more powerful than the Infinity Gauntlet. If the Eternals could stop the birth of a new Celestial, maybe the Eternals and the rest of the heroes combined could face off against a grown one.

The creation of the Marvel universe (the actual one, not the cinematic one) is a shady business. The Infinity Stones were canonically created by the Cosmic Entities, but little is known about the creation of the Celestials. Maybe the Cosmic Entities created the Celestials, then created the Infinity Stones as a way for others in the universe to keep them in check.

With Phase 4 of the MCU speeding up, maybe the Celestials will emerge as the intergalactic threat that will need more cooperation than it took to defeat Thanos. Before, a bunch of Avengers faced off against an Eternal. Now it will take a number of Eternals and every superhero that can be assembled to face off against a Celestial.

Eternals is now playing in theaters.