Celestials (Marvel Comics)

==Summary==
The Celestials are a mysterious race of Space Gods that have observed and tampered with the universe since the beginning of time. Their thoughts and nature inscrutable and unknowable to lesser species, they have meddled with the evolution of countless species and civilizations across the universe, evolving, judging, destroying and experimenting on whole worlds as they see fit, all for the sake of perpetuating the evolution of all life in the greater cosmos. The influence of the Celestials is, itself, the very reason for why the Earth is a fertile ground for superhumans: Aeons ago, a wounded Celestial known as the Progenitor descended upon the planet, and, spilling the primordial earth with its innards, infused it with its own energies.
The origins of the Celestials are nebulous, and, much like all else in the Marvel Universe, subject to changes and alterations as the interplay between the intellect and the unknowable shapes reality. However, the most prominent narrative is that the Celestials are, in fact, the earliest creations of The First Firmament–the first iteration of the omniverse, who in its loneliness crested lesser entities to act as its toys and servants. Arising as "multicolored rebels" that desired to break the stagnancy of the cosmos, the Celestials started a war with their brethren, who desired to remain forever in the nothingness of the First Firmament. The war was so violent that its aftermath shattered the cosmos into pieces, thus creating the Second Cosmos, to which the Celestials migrated in order to start their aeons-long journey for the evolution of creation.
==Powers and Stats==
Tier: At least for normal Celestials, higher for the stronger ones | | , higher with Preparation
Key: Universal Celestials (In the Universe) | Universal Celestials (In the Abstract Realm) | Multiversal Celestials
Name: Celestials
Origin: Marvel Comics
Gender: Inapplicable.
Age: Immeasurable. Originate from The First Firmament, the earliest iteration of the cosmos, predating several instances of the time-before-time.
Classification: Space Gods, Architects of all Creation, Creators of Life and Death
Powers and Abilities:
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|-|In the Universe=
Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Immortality (Type 1; Type 9 – The true form of a Celestial exists in the higher dimensions of Hyperspace, with the armored forms employed by them being channelsFantastic Four Vol. 1 #400 or "casings"Eternals Vol. 3 #5 which they utilize to interact with other planes of existence), Beyond-Dimensional Existence (Type 1) & Acausality (Types 1 & 4. The Celestials existed before even the current Marvel Multiverse due to being created by the First Firmament, and existed in a time before time and a space before space), Avatar Creation and Illusion Creation (Created illusory replicas of themselves in order to test the Beyonder,Fantastic Four Annual #26 so perfect that they were able to fool his cosmic awareness and fully interact with the existent world, fighting him in countless levels of existence besides the physicalSecret Wars II #5), Space-Time Manipulation (Celestials can freely bend and fold space-time to their whims.Thor Vol. 1 #288Fantastic Four Vol. 6 #47 Threatened to destroy the dimensional bridges connecting the Earth Dimension and the god-realms, cutting of the Skyfathers' access to the Earth entirely.Thor Vol. 1 #300 Tony Stark claims that the Celestials can rewind timeA.X.E: X-Men), Cosmic Awareness, Higher-Dimensional Existence (Stated to operate on a higher plane of existence than the Watchers.Quasar #25 Kang grew far beyond the physical realm by drinking from the energies of a Celestial,Uncanny Avengers #22 and the Progenitor was described as being "too heavy for reality"A.X.E: Avengers), Black Hole Creation, Incorporeality (The armors of the Celestials are made of nothing, or more precisely of everything,X-Termination #1 with their form inside being likewise pure cosmic energy and not truly physicalThor Vol. 1 #388), Basic Magic (All of the Abstracts utilize magic in its purest, most fundamental form), Energy Manipulation, Biological Manipulation (Created the Bio-verse, a whole universe made of living organic matter, as an incubation chamber for an unborn Celestial.Thor Vol. 1 #424 Frequently meddle with the evolutionary processes of whole races, having created the Eternals out of experiments with the early humans), Matter Manipulation, Teleportation and BFR (Ashema teleported herself and Loki beyond the edges of Subspace and into a plane at the very cusp of EternityHeroes Reborn: The Return #2), Shapeshifting and Size Manipulation, Existence Erasure (Through the formula of destruction, Arishem and Exitar are capable of reducing things past primal particles and into "absolute nothingness"), Flight, Perception Manipulation, Transmutation (Ashema could turn Thor into a frog with a snap of fingersHeroes Reborn: The Return #4), Resurrection, Soul Manipulation (Can devour souls and return them to bodiesHeroes Reborn: The Return #3), Multilocation (Due to existing beyond conventional understanding of space and time,A to Z Handbook of the Marvel Universe #2 Celestials are able to manifest in multiple locations simultaneouslyThor Vol. 1 #387), Telekinesis, Reality Warping (Kang states that, with the soul of a Celestial, reality itself would be simply a puzzle for him to unlockUncanny Avengers Vol. 1 #21), Fusionism (The Mad Celestials merged into one to deal with Galactus), Dimensional Travel, Time Travel. Resistance to Telepathy (Jean Grey was unable to read a Celestial's mind, stating that the weight of its consciousness warped everything and likening it to a black hole. The symbolic processes of a Celestial are so alien that even those who succeed in establishing a telepathic link may still fail to decipher even the most rudimentary of its thoughts,What If? Vol. 1 #32 with Kubik stating that the concepts that the Celestials ponder may be difficult to comprehend even for beings such as himself), Existence Erasure (A Mad Celestial endured a blast from The Ultimate Nullifier,FF #14 though it had been weakened by the user's lack of focus), Basic Magic, Soul Manipulation and Mind Manipulation (Cosmic Entities of the Celestials' level have spirits which Adam Warlock describes as beyond the power of the Soul StoneThanos Vol. 1 #2)
|-|In the Abstract Realm=
All previous powers and abilities to far greater degrees, as well as Beyond-Dimensional Existence (Type 2)
|-|Multiversal Celestials=
All previous powers and abilities to unfathomably greater extents, as well as Abstract Existence (Type 1. The multiversal incarnations of the Celestials are living concepts, existing as raw information in the Superflow,Ultimates² #9 and with their brethren, the Aspirants, being stated to exist as platonic idealsNew Avengers Vol. 4 #12 in their true states and "entropy-given-form"Defenders Vol. 4 #11 while in the lower realities), vastly improved Creation and Conceptual Manipulation (Type 1)
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Attack Potency: At least High Hyperverse level for normal Celestials (Kubik stated that his and Kosmos' powers were as nothing compared to that of a single Celestial, who was also described as several orders of magnitude above them both and capable of easily destroying them if it saw fit, and an alternate version of the Beyonder held the power of the race in deep respect.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 #46 Arishem is described as immeasurably more powerful than the combined power of Skyfathers such as Odin, Zeus and Vishnu, and the Fourth Host later easily demolished the Destroyer Armor, who was empowered by the combined lifeforce of Odin and every Asgardian. A Celestial was shown being formed from the compression of an explosion that was described as rivaling the Big Bang), higher for the stronger ones (Exitar is so powerful that the size and power of the Fourth Host is nothing to him,Thor Annual #14 and The One Above All is more powerful still, being the commander of the Fourth Host and the entire race) | Low Outerverse level (Can manifest on the same level of existence as Abstracts such as Eternity if need be, attending meetings of the cosmic council as required. Scathan the Approver was able to easily subdueGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 #50 the Protege after the latter had copied a manifestation body of The Living Tribunal and surpassed the likes of Eternity and the Hawk God,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 #49 although he had not reached the Tribunal's own level yet) | High Outerverse level (Celestials do not have alternate universe counterparts as lesser beings do, with their appearances in single realities being interlinked aspects of a single entity. Comparable to other Multiversal Abstracts, and are capable of doing battle with the Aspirants, who can threaten Lifebringer Galactus), higher with Preparation (The detonation of their "unimaginable weapons" during the Celestial War shattered The First Firmament into pieces, reducing him to a small fragment of his former self and creating the Second Cosmos in the process.Ultimates² #6 Initiated the Big Bang that birthed the Seventh Cosmos,Venom Vol. 4 #4 with Logos stating that the Celestials "created the multiverse itself, in fire and conflagration at the dawn of all things."Ultimates² #4 Created the BeyondersDefenders: Beyond #2 and the Kings in Black, the Beyonders' dark oppositesVenom Vol. 5 #18)
Speed: Infinite (Vastly superior to a Cosmic Cube such as the Beyonder, to whom time and distance are stated to mean nothingSecret Wars II #1) | Immeasurable (Manifested on the same level of existence as the Abstracts) | Immeasurable
Lifting Strength: Immeasurable
Striking Strength: At least High Hyperverse level for regular Celestials, higher for the stronger ones | Low Outerverse level | High Outerverse level
Durability: At least High Hyperverse level for regular Celestials (, and Arishem stood completely unmoved by the combined power of Odin, Zeus and Vishnu. Arishem was completely unfazed after being pierced by the Odinsword, only allowing it to enter his armor to better analyze its properties), higher for the stronger ones | Low Outerverse level | High Outerverse level
Stamina: Infinite.
Range: Low Outerversal | Same as before | High Outerversal
Standard Equipment: Individual Celestials may carry a variety of equipment on their person, such as staffs that channel energy, but the race at large has no uniform equipment.
Intelligence: Nigh-Omniscient
Weaknesses: None Notable.
Notable Individuals:
*Arishem the Judge
*Ashema the Listener
*Devron the Experimenter
*Eson the Searcher
*Exitar the Executioner
*Gamiel the Manipulator
*Gammenon the Gatherer
*Hargen the Measurer
*Jemiah the Analyzer
*Nezarr the Calculator
*The One Above All
*Oneg the Prober
*Scathan the Approver
*Tefral the Surveyor
*Tiamut the Dreaming Celestial
*Ziran the Tester
*The Black Celestial
==Gallery==
FourthCelestialHost.png|The Fourth Host
Exitar.png|Exitar the Exterminator
OneAboveAll.png|The One Above All
==Notable Matchups==
Victories:
Losses:
Inconclusive:
==References==
Category:Marvel Comics
Category:Gods
Category:Cosmic Entities
Category:Science Fantasy Characters
Category:Immortals
Category:Beyond-Dimensional Beings
Category:Comic Book Characters