The MCU's Secret History Revealed in New Eternals Webtoon
Marvel Comics and Webtoon are partnering on a new webcomic that will explore the history of the MCU - through the eyes of the Eternals!
Marvel Comics has partnered with Webtoon to reveal the secret history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a brand-new Eternals webcomic. Chloe Zhao's Eternals was one of the MCU's most ambitious films to date, introducing an entire team of ancient superheroes - defenders of humanity who were the basis for so many myths and legends of gods and monsters. These ancient aliens have lived among human beings for around 5,000 years, protecting human beings from the monstrous threat of the Deviants.
Eternals only hinted at the grand history of its heroes, with a number of flashbacks - including their arrival in ancient Mesopotamia and their time at the city of Babylon. The latter is particularly important, because it positions the Eternals as the founders of human civilization, guardians of the first great city. According to deleted scenes accompanying the home release, Babylon was the last place the Eternals considered home - the last place where they lived together as a family.
Now, Marvel Comics and Webtoon have partnered together to create a seven-issue webcomic telling the history of the Eternals - set in the MCU's continuity. Each issue features a different creative team, and all seven issues are available on Webtoon and Marvel Unlimited. Eternals: The 500 Year War is set in ancient Babylon, with Sprite retelling the history of the Eternals' conflict with the Deviants. "Bringing Eternals: The 500 Year War to Marvel Unlimited will open up doors for our international creative teams to tell much more personal stories by setting them in their homelands," said Marvel's Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski. "These stories also break down borders and provide excitement beyond anything fans can imagine with these diverse, multi-cultural characters."
This is the first original comic book set in MCU continuity since the buildup to Avengers: Infinity War in 2019, with most tie-in comics simply serving to retell the film narratives in a different medium. What's more, this time the webcomic features some of Marvel's top talent - with the creative team including writers Dan Abnett, Aki Yanagi, Jongmin Shin, Ju-Yeon Park, David Macho, Rafael Scavone, and Yifan Jiang, alongside artists Geoffo, Rickie Yagawa, Do Gyun Kim, Magda Price, Marcio Fiorito; and Gunji. While there's no official statement on whether the webcomic should be considered canon, it's important to note that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is also Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment, meaning he'd have sign-off on this.
Hopefully this is only the beginning of the partnership between Marvel Comics and Webtoon, and future comics are set in the MCU as well. The MCU has evolved into a transmedia multiverse, and there's no reason comics can't be one of the media that are part of the franchise - especially given Kevin Feige's position in Marvel's organizational structure. For now, though, this is simply an opportunity for everyone who enjoyed Eternals on the big screen to celebrate its Disney+ release with a tie-in.