Why IKARIS was Right in the ETERNALS | Marvel Cosmic Universe EXPLAINED

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The Eternals placed gave the newest heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe an interesting ethical question: is it better to kill 6 billion people, to save trillions? While the Avengers faced a similar dilemma in their battle against Thanos, they largely ignored it. But the Eternals faced this question head on. Ikaris stands by the celestial plan, while Sersei rebels against the gods to save humanity. In this video, we weight each side, and let you decide.
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Written and Edited by Pavel Terehovsky (pavel8866.wixsite.com/pavelt) [e-mail]
Hosted by Ryan Arey ( / ryanarey )
0:00 Why Ikaris Was Right
2:45 Utilitarianism VS Morality (Iron Man VS Captain America)
4:40 MCU Phase 5 Theme - Freedom VS Predeterminism
7:56 Humanity's True Cosmic Purpose
10:32 How The Eternals Doomed the Universe
13:55 Ikaris's Blind Faith is Dangerous
Come on, ever since the Eternals came out, you knew that this video was on its way. So, let’s do this! Ikaris was right.
Eternals raised some fascinating questions about humanity’s role in the universe and the meaning of life. The most interesting character in the movie is Ikaris. Whether you see him as the villain, anti-villain, or even an anti-hero, Ikaris is one of the most captivating characters we have ever seen in the MCU.
Ikaris is devoted to Arishem’s grand design, believing that Earth must be sacrificed to give birth to Tiamut. It’s not about what’s ethical or fair, it’s about preserving the cosmic harmony of the universe. Serving a cause greater than any life.
The Celestials are the source of existence, they create suns, which then give life to whole galaxies. Without them, all things die.
With that in mind, is it really so insurmountable to say that Ikaris was right? Well, maybe… maybe not. This is what this video is all about.
Let’s begin by going over what actually motivates Ikaris’ decisions.
For seven thousand years the Eternals served a purpose on Earth, protecting humanity from the Deviants. However, their true purpose was to eliminate the Deviants from Earth, so the world's population will thrive. Then our brain energy would feed Tiamut, the celestial growing in Earth’s core. All of this leads to the Emergence, the event where Tiamut was meant to be born, destroying Earth in the process.
Tiamut’s birth means the end of all life on our planet, but it’s also the beginning of countless new lives all around the universe. Tiamut would go on to create stars that will allow life to flourish in new galaxies. This is the cold yet necessary circle of life in the universe.
In the grand scale of the cosmos, what is the value of one planet compared to an entire galaxy-where the number of stars far exceeds every human on Earth.
Ikaris believes that no life in the universe is as valuable as the celestials, because they are the ones who cultivate all life in the universe. Sacrificing a celestial puts that cosmic harmony in jeopardy.
This is why Ikaris goes against the other Eternals when they decide to prevent Tiamut’s birth.
Sprite and Kingo were the only Eternals who agreed with Ikaris. But for all his talk, Kingo wasn’t willing to go all the way and fight for what he believed in.
Sprite stood by Ikaris, though it's unclear if she did that because she truly believed in the celestials' grand plan, or because she was his Tinkerbell.
Ikaris could be described as a utilitarian. And with the utilitarian views comes the trolley problem. Philippa Foot proposed a thought experiment about an ethical dilemma-nicknamed the trolley problem. Imagine this scenario: a runaway trolley is barreling down the tracks toward five people. You can save them by pulling a lever that will divert the trolley to a different track. But there is a catch, that track has a person on it. Meaning that you must choose: save the five people and sacrifice the one or do nothing, don’t kill the one, and let the five die.
Many studies showed that most people will choose to pull the lever, which is the utilitarian approach. The logical decision that says that five lives outweigh the one.
However, the trolley problem becomes far more complicated. Further testing shows that if you’re more directly involved with the sacrifice of one life, then it becomes harder to make the utilitarian choice. For example, most people will refuse to push someone on the tracks, even if it means the sacrifice will save other lives.
This video was sponsored by Bokksu.
#IkarusWasRight #Marvel #VillainsThatWereRight

[@ScreenCrush]

Use my code SCREENCRUSH10 and link: bit.ly/screencrushBKFeb22 to get 10% off (save up to $47!) your own authentic Japanese subscription from Bokksu! Don't miss out on this amazing snack-journey through Japan!

[@AhmadAneeq]

hey Ryan! Just wanted to say Love Ur CONTENT!!!!

[@mysticalmayhem8546]

if celestial ms are supposed to be born then why is Galactus a thing. plus they’d most likely use Galactus as a main villain in Eternals 2

[@Dominucastro47]

4:20 utilitarianism is a part of the study of ethics and morals in your statement you made them diametrically opposed like it was the moral thing to do. who dictates morals? 🎩🕊️🙏🏿

[@Zoom751]

I absolutely love these videos, you give so much meaning to some movies people will just pass by as solely entertainment

[@romeogaxiola7447]

Does "Kang" know about the presence of Celestials? If so why does he say about the all knowing. Or do the Celestials know about "Kang"?

[@FalconFXICCY]

Eternals was a movie that was ahead of its time, even for Marvel and the MCU. The ethical questions it asks will play better once more of the cosmic side of the MCU gets fleshed out in the next 2 phases.

[@Zinklo]

best take on eternals i’ve seen

[@chadcognac5626]

EXACTLY! I’ve also been saying, time will treat this movie well.

[@longlostlord]

lets hope so

[@Wooshey_Wooj]

Agree on certain levels. But IMO. Nah, not ahead of its time. Just bad. However, there’s something there. Have it be a Disney+ show. That would’ve been perfect. Especially for the story trying to be told. You don’t drag people out to the theaters for something like this. During this time. This isn’t an ensemble anybody wanted. Give Eternals a show then have people excited for a movie for unfamiliar characters.

[@shanepleasants6280]

It sucks it will just make more sense but it still sucks

[@Titch-de2re]

I never understood why this film was not well received. I throughly enjoyed watching it and thought there were fantastic deeper points behind the plot of the film. Everyone performed their characters very well, particularly ikarus and druig (who was my favourite character). It also set a nice bar for what will likely come to follow in the MCU as I believe the main continuity will become more and more cosmic in nature as we start learning about things like Eternity and the Living Tribunal. Overall I thought it carried with it the MCU feel of well placed comedy and great casting but also served as a self reflective experience that made us question morality and the greater good. Was it a perfect film? Not by any means. But it was a very enjoyable watch and one I'd recommend had most the people I know watched it not been dissatisfied with it.

[@soniandukwe8981]

Because it was a freaking BORE. I fell asleep three times watching it.

[@Titch-de2re]

@@soniandukwe8981 because it actually had some impactful dialogue rather than just a fight scene every 10 minutes?

[@CamoKKing]

@@Titch-de2re silly argument. A film can be boring and still have countless fight scenes. Rom coms have no need for fight scenes but can still be a BORE. This film was boring because it was dragged out too much and had so much empty substance. And please “impactful dialogue” a third of it couldve been cut and the film wouldve been better for it

[@Titch-de2re]

@@CamoKKing my statement isn't contrary to what to you said. I am quite aware that regular fight scenes do not guarantee a quality film. I was suggesting that this film is a bit more of a thinker than most of the marvel films and doesn't get by on action which I thought would've been obvious from context. At the end of the day my original opinion was subjective and I at no point found myself disinterested in this film while watching. Clearly some people felt different which is fine. I'm sure there are several other films in the marvel series you like that I am not so much a fan of that's just how it works.

[@gus4u2c]

With the mixed reviews and being disappointed with the Shang-Chi and Black Widow films, I thought I was going to hate this movie, but I actually enjoyed it. It’s not your typical Marvel Superhero movie, felt like a big budget Art-House flick too me. As a 50 year old man I think this movie shows how generations are different. This movie had the pace of a Stanley Kubrick film. Let’s put it this way. If 2001: Space Odyssey came out now it would probably bomb at the movie theater, because people now expect movies to move in a faster pace. Besides being influenced by 2001, I see other influences in this movie. Such as A.I.(room full of lifeless replicants), Blade Runner, Highlander( opening scroll)Terminator 2( Ikaris having a tough time grasping human emotions), China Girl video by David Bowie(Ikaris and Sersi making love).

[@JorVor13]

In the comics, the celestials would create too much if left unchecked. The stars and planets they birth would eventually add up to have enough gravity to cause the universe to collapse in on itself. Uatu explains as much to the Silver Surfer when he had the opportunity to kill Galan before Galactus was fully formed. Uatu tells the Surfer that the universe won't last long without Galactus to prune planets.

[@alphadestroyer3028]

Isn't that only in the Earth X universe?

[@JorVor13]

@Alpha destroyer No, it was 616. It's in Silver Surfer Black, the beginning of the King in Black event.

[@alphadestroyer3028]

@@JorVor13 Thanks for the reference.

[@JusticeNDOU]

thats not true, if a new star and planets are created they do not add extra gravitational forces to the universe as a whole. you need to understand that in order to get mass energy is used , and for energy mass is used, concetrated energy has the same effect mass has on the universe so that when converting between mass and energy it does not change the overall gravitational balance of the universe, it will keep expaning, just like as more and more humans are born, the mass of the planet does not increase. it stays the same.

[@JusticeNDOU]

the same can be said of this planet when human population, animal population and plant life keeps increasing , the mass of the planet stays constant.

[@swordandmug]

This argument is dependent upon the assumption the Celestials were telling the truth about their role in cosmic development; however, the Celestials have lied to the Eternals about their origin and the origin of the Deviants. What is one more cosmic lie to ensure the continuation of the power structure the Celestials have instituted?

[@andrewshandle]

If Arisham could just show up, snap his fingers and pull all the Celestials who were still on Earth off the planet with no effort...why not just do that with the Deviants? Problem solved. I am hoping in some future movie that we find out there's more to their plans and they are just lying about everything, otherwise they're just incredibly stupid which makes for boring characters.

[@yoboyrob201]

@@andrewshandle fucking thank you. His power seems to have few limitations. Except for the fact he keeps creating subordinate races that eventually don’t want to follow his design. Also, I would assume that a task that would take away from his time creating stars. But I’m sure he could easily creat some automated process to do the same thing. This not allowing his creations to then turn against him.

[@EyeOnlyHaveEyes42]

@@yoboyrob201 sounds familiar 🤔 hmm...lol

[@SettaXY]

If you go by the comic book they are creating universe and life

[@SettaXY]

@@andrewshandle they don't interfere. They do the cosmic shit then let the kil shit do what it does naturally. Only when the kik shit is cancerous to the cosmic shit do they step in and do shit but at same time still try not to stick there finger in the fishtank killing all the fish. Especially when it's undecided if the lik shit is worthy of allowing cosmic shit to get messed up etc it's complex. Like god being god but trying to not set things in place that mes up the natural order.

[@Realms3113]

I really enjoy this movie. The more I rewatch it the more I appreciate it. One of the few movies where the protagonist doesn’t just end up fighting an antagonist with the same powers. This movie actually had a story.

[@abr4xas]

i still think they overstuffed this movie a lot. but i do see why they made it a movie instead of a disney+ show. the contents of the eternals is gonna be really important eventually. though this movie wasn't fantastic i still enjoyed it. it was good and fun.

[@fawkerzzz]

Yes I love this movie, only thing I disliked is how they handle the deviant at the end.

[@sadrequiem]

I think Icarus's logic was flawed. Basically, you value life so you put the for life as more important to life itself?, then what are you working for?. The endless probabilities of what's possible by the Celestials will always be bigger than what they have already created, so at what point do you stop?. I know there's stuff about the Deviants and their role in the universe that was not mentioned in the movie, so based only in the information provided in the film, I believe Icarus is wrong and also the film did a poor job at presenting the arguments for both sides. If they had dedicated more time to how the Eternals spent their thousands of years on earth (those smalls flashbacks just didn't work), maybe the idea that they'd go against their gods would be more understandable at the end of the film. They tell you they care about humans and earth but as a viewer, I don't feel it as authentic. It felt like a DC movie in that respect.

[@gvsd3]

Ah, agree

[@nasis18]

This is a good point. Overall, I think it was a good film. The biggest draw back is time.. They had to fit so much in 2+ hours. Where as the Avengers had multiple movies to set up the characters, and their stories.

[@BoxCatKeys]

Agree, a deep connection with the characters and their past would’ve been of benefit. Did it really need a longer runtime though?? Or more-so, prequels to build up to this movie?

[@mokeish]

Celestials>Earth

[@timvibes]

Icarus served his master no matter what. That's really all it was.

[@mnichols1979]

I really liked the Eternals. I'm excited to see where they go in the next one

[@mikedroz2301]

"I said we will cut off your JOHNSON!" Love that part.

[@callmestorm23]

Eternals is such an underrated movie. Eternals is definitely in my top 10 favorite marvel films.

[@Pallialbertti]

Agree

[@reedime5396]

Eternals is in my top 27 MCU movies of all time.

[@jeffreymiller2882]

I agree

[@MrRichieRides]

Agreed!!!! The fight scene between Ikaris and the rest is one of the best in the MCU!! And Makari’s speed against Ikaris’ strength is just oh man it’s beautiful!! And Richard Madden killed his role!!! You. An tell how much he loves sersi Gemma Chan did a good enough job but Richard Madden freakin killed it!!!!!!! 🥺😭😭😭

[@jordiruiz3793]

Meh

[@a5193]

I’ve always believed Ikaris was right, but Ryan today you really gave me something to think about. That there’s so much more to this story than what meets the eye. Eternals is such an incredible film.

[@rorycalhoun5431]

"Icarus" is the character from Greek mythology. "Ikaris" is the Eternal.

[@cary4603]

I loved Ikarus’ character. He stuck to what he believed giving the other a chance to stand on the grounds of what they believed. Not every Eternal had the fortitude to stand, but without Ikarus making a stand himself, the others may not have built the personal resolve to be prepared for what comes next. It’s not about merely believing in what you believe, but making a stand to defend what you believe. Ikarus did not hate humanity. He was obedient to a plan and system that was older than humanity. If you doubt the system that created what you are and everything around you, then what do you become. One could argue that Ikarus’real dilemma as a utilitarian was that he was beyond humanity and he saw how they used what they had to destructive ends. He was a cosmic piece among mortals and to disregard heaven left that cosmic instrument in the hands of mortal men. What could he truly serve with all of his power that could make up for abandoning his cosmic mission? The last thing he could do was serve the one he loved one last time, which he did. Great video

[@joewyatt2269]

I disagree. It assumes some grand design and omniscience on the part of the Celestials. But we know they are fallible because of the Deviants. Their original plans failed requiring the implementation of the Eternals. Which has now failed. Perhaps those failures are what lead to what is next and should happen. As Vision put it, "there is grace in their failings".

[@ahabwolf7580]

Well said. It's also kind of weird how they absorb energy from humans... like how does that work exactly? Doesn't make a lot of sense. If energy can just be absorbed like that, why not build a dyson sphere around the planet and use the collected energy to create a new sun. Then you can wait a few million more years for the population to consume all the resources and die out and send galactus in for a snack.

[@aidankeefe1793]

Perfectly worded.

[@mibuen3352]

@@ahabwolf7580 maybe thats what prevented mutants to existing, some cosmic human energy

[@bern9642]

Your comment is full of assumptions as well. SMH

[@rosemary702001]

@@bern9642 explain what you mean.

[@jasongallagher5464]

It’s like Cap always said, “we don’t trade lives.”

[@mpjstuff]

Sprite being turned into a real person didn't take as much Unimind energy as transplanting Tiamat and reviving him would have. It wasn't an either/or situation.

[@cmcmahon66]

Wow! I was underwhelmed and left kind of cold by The Eternals but I appreciated the characters, the aesthetics and the ambition. Now you’ve made me want to rewatch and think about all of these issues you raised. You could build an entire semester long philosophy course around this film!

[@BoxCatKeys]

All topics and questions I hope they address in the sequel! Fantastic deep dive into what I believe to be an under appreciated and “before its time” movie!

[@JonDayne]

En este caso creo que los Celestiales mienten, debe haber algo detrás de ello. También se habló de "depredadores" entonces Galactus debe ser su depredador y devora los mundos que tienen a celestiales. Creo que hay algo ocultó con ellos y Eros sabe la verdad.

[@prremix86]

I have to say Screencrush, you have a talented way of presenting large, complex ideas and weaving them into an analysis of cinema - and you do it with academic precision; very well-rounded arguments, as well.

[@firesparks8]

always love these philosophical meanderings... I do wonder if Ego's plan was a big F you to his Celestial siblings... And that maybe Ego was the spirit that remained after Null killed the celestial that was Knowhere? the energy from that Celestial death slowly overtime sucked in enough energy to make it's own egg/planet to generate a new self? With as much mass as the original form (but in planet form instead of Celestial form) in which case, what if that happens with the spirit of Tiamut? 🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@nickpapadopoulos6973]

Thank you Ryan for proving that eternals is a great film with deep meanings.

[@ScreenCrush]

What other villains were right?

[@jaegeru3535]

Killmonger lol

[@jaegeru3535]

Apocalypse from a biblical standpoint

[@likithakambidi1752]

Thanos was right

[@tobiaslawrence8928]

Apocalypse from xmen comics

[@Lord-Emperor-Vader]

Plankton (Mr. Krabs is the real monster).

[@JohnFoley1701]

Dude, i think you thought about it a lot more than marvel did. I love the idea of celestials fighting against entropy though, it downgrades them from simple creator gods to beings who are just as afraid of death as the rest of us.

[@donnieshaw5677]

Lmao!!!

[@neutron8346]

Yea i feel the exact same, he definitely thought way too hard about this shit

[@charlesthompson5645]

@@neutron8346 nah it’s shown in the collectors room it shows the cycles of life taken straight out of Aztec religion

[@thesparks00]

We didn't need this much exposition in the movie smh. Chloé loves exploring morality in her movies, so she definitely thought about this and the narrative in the movie was antagonizing this line of thought.

[@emilyk5168]

I wonder if Arishem lied about the purpose of the Eternals because there have been missions that went wrong before. We know there wasn't an Emergence on Titan, for example, even though Eros was sent there. The planet was ruined, but it wasn't cracked like an egg. The Eternals also aren't allowed to keep their own memories, which is odd. You'd think experience would be good, so they wouldn't be confused when the Emergence happens. But Thena's memories of her previous planet seem to be negative as well. Perhaps there is something to what Gilgamesh says about it being "natural" to protect things. Even if the Eternals were created and not born, there may be something in their design that continues to protect the world they are on even when the threat is no longer the Deviants, but the Celestial itself. Ultimately this means Arishem screwed up when he made the Eternals to protect sentient life from the Deviants, which then calls his entire system into question. He was wrong to create the Deviants and embedded this flaw in the Eternals, what else is he wrong about?

[@turnerjazz7872]

This. The movie establishes that the celestials are unreliable narrators. I think Ryan missed that.

[@dirtyschoolclothes7260]

They lied in the comics so this could very well be the case

[@dzd2371]

@@turnerjazz7872 I don't think he missed it, but he had to ignore it so he could make this video 🤣

[@xMckingwill]

Both sides are just as bad. Ikaris: Death of billions of humans for the lives of trillions of human like intellegent beings. Other Eternals: Death of a Celestial ( equivalent of trillions of lives) for 8 Billion humans. Both believe in killing for sake of saving another the difference is the scale.

[@DD-po2hh]

So kingo did the only right choice

[@Dehneh1863]

by killing earth, many billions more humans wont be born. the earth itself gives rise to trillions of organisms just by existing. The life of one god parasite does not justify the destruction of a world. ikarus was a tool and deserved to die. All that time on earth and he didn't care about anyone living on it. Nothing right about that.

[@xMckingwill]

@@Dehneh1863 that one "god" would have went on and create MILLIONS of earth like plantes each being able to produce trillions of lives. Killing the celestial means more lives then earth could produce wont be created or born. in addition humanity has no moral high ground to judge the celestial right to exist how many lives of other animals do humans kill for our own survival look at all the chickens and cows and fish we kill to eat? humans to celestials are no different then chickens to humans. my only point it ikaris or the other eternals are both equally bad because they are willing to stop the birth of trillions of lives.

[@robertban871]

@@xMckingwill there are other powers that can create life among the stars, and even stars themselves. what if humans spread out into the stars someday, they would eventually be able to do what the celestials are doing, but without needing to destroy so much life in the process. the celestials are lying for their own self interest. i agree about humans having no right to judge the celestials because we routinely kill so much life ourselves, its like a genocide of animal life happening every hour on this planet and all for profit

[@YourMajesty143]

No. Death of a celestial is just the killing 1, not trillions. You can't place "potential" life as equal to existing life. That'd be like killing a living human just to preserve a test tube of sperm. We can't even call it scale, bc one is the killing of billions of humans whereas the other is not "killing" or "death" or whatever you want to call it. You can't kill what doesn't yet exist, nothing dies which has not yet been born. At best, what they did was prevention/abstinence of life. If that's immoral, then condoms and birth control would be considered equivalent to murder. And we both know how absolutely ridiculous that sounds. "Both sides are just as bad"? Wow dude, your priorities are screwed up.

[@TheMostDanceable]

Here’s the thing though: humans saved the universe. The saving of the universe makes us more important than the celestrials. That’s how Ajax viewed it, and she was right.

[@jules73737]

half of the universe

[@boat7193]

@@jules73737 still a pretty huge amount

[@jules73737]

@@boat7193 i didnt say otherwise but the universere was still existing though half of it was snaped

[@jsworpin]

@@jules73737 no the whole universe. You need to rewatch Endgame.

[@boat7193]

@@jules73737 fair enough, you got a point there

[@sohamrana2421]

Hey Ryan, I have been following this series of MCU villains were right of yours for a long time. You are really good at what you do and I am always in awe of your videos. Your videos are really a hope of joy. Thank you🙏

[@evemaina1366]

Its very impressive how you put a title to every movie reference in your videos.Nice work

[@jonq.public5892]

When you put together that humanity is worth saving because they are one of the most important beings in all of reality due to saving it multiple times and the cost of Arasham's Design is not worth it, "This time" is the key phrase. The problem comes when Arasham's Design is not flexible/fluid. It should come to a point when he has to sacrifice the birth of a celestial when a planet/beings are worth saving.

[@brianmayabella5992]

What about other MCU race? Are they not worth saving? Humans, deviants, Gamorra race and many other race we are only here for experience for the grand design of a creator. We owe it to the one creator - God, Jesus, Allah, Buddha and many other gods youve known. We people cant even create a rock yet you question your creator? When your very existence is like a dust that could be blew out of existence. The eternals develop attachment after a MILLION ofyears thats what Thena sickness all about. Thats why their is a memory reset.

[@jonq.public5892]

@@brianmayabella5992 Whaaa?! you're all over the place. I spoke of MCU and Sci-fi specifically. I won't speak on real world religion and gods. That's not what my comment was about. My specific point was the Earth/Humanity is worth saving from the birth of a celestial and that Arasham's design shouldn't be so inflexible even when it comes to other beings/planets in general. I spoke of Humanity/Earth as that was the topic of the specific birth of the newest celestial. Also, the fact that Arasham has lied over and over again should be proof that he is not as benevolent as you would like to believe.

[@brianmayabella5992]

@@jonq.public5892 the same analogy man. Celestial are of godlike being,correct? The same way the ant sees us. We can squeeze this ant at the pinch of our hand. If we view Earth as far as the Voyager satellite goes, we are just a miniscule of a great cosmos. Im saying this to you, that how insignificant we are our race, wealth, status and many more of one birth's compared to a life of an ant, a bird and many animals. MCU teach us this specifically the Eternals. The humans are no different to Ants compare to Celestials. A speck of dust

[@jonq.public5892]

@@brianmayabella5992 They're not as insignificant as you make it, since they are needed to help birth celestials and cannot seemed to be done without them.

[@therockingvolbeat3630]

@@brianmayabella5992 bold of you to assume ants see us as gods

[@junedfitcoach]

Big fan from INDIA 😍🥰

[@tusharjairang5494]

One of the best video essays for sure. Great work man!

[@idefyseven]

For one every time you do something on the eternals you make me like that movie more and more, and finally this was easily one of the best that villain was right videos

[@SGTOutstandingInField]

I loved this. Made me think deeply each character, who was right and what does “right” even mean. You’re right… The question is, why did Erasham lie? Hope we find out soon.

[@paulcooper9675]

Arishem lied because he couldn't explain that they are not the creators they purport to be. They are the parasites. Galactus is the vaccine keeping them at bay as he destroys planets implanted with the cosmic seeds. And he couldn't explain that they are even less significant as Eternity is the host they all inhabit, or that forces like the Living Tribunal could eradicate them if they exceed balance. They are cogs themselves, but Arishem's hubris won't admit that to Sersi.

[@brianmayabella5992]

Maybe the right answer. You shouldnt question your creator. When you kill or step an Ant, did the ant question you - why? Are the ants not worth saving bcoz you killed them? We are not even creator of Ants. Then the answer is SILENCE. Celestials are far beyond a being than an Ant to you. The movie eternals is great bcoz this movie, WE are the Ants

[@w1ntersoldier669]

its the classic philosophical dilema. if theres an old lady on train tracks, would you derail the train and kill dozens on the train or will you run over the old lady?

[@andrewshandle]

That doesn't really apply here, the people on the train are real, living people so you are literally exchanging one set of lives for another. If the dilemma was "save the lady now, and in 4 billion years a bunch of people many never be born...but they might, because we don't even know what Tiamut's job would have been" you'd be closer.

[@druunderwood5602]

Train wont derail you run poor old lady over and what the hell she doing there?

[@DDuffy143]

Great job on this one. Probably my favorite Eternals speculation I've ever seen.

[@klaidu_]

Nice bro! Just blown my mind, great video!!

[@KirbyHenry10]

Selma Hayek’s turning point was when humanity reversed the Thanos snap and she realized what was on Earth had way more value to the universe as a whole than the celestials realized. Ikaris was wrong

[@Tipzpapa]

He mentioned this. Did you watch the whole thing?

[@KirbyHenry10]

@@Tipzpapa yeah I’m agreeing. But disagreeing with title

[@Tipzpapa]

@@KirbyHenry10 the title was just click bait. You can tell it's not exactly what he thinks.

[@hridhaannagi7053]

Sirsi: Ikaras and the celestial are wrong Ryan: every good Screencrush video you've watched you can thank millions of deaths of dinosaurs for it Me: he's out of line... but he's right ✅

[@blainemacinnis]

Thank you for including that clip from the galaxy song 👍

[@sadib100]

"But, what is morality?" Ryan is about to become a villain.

[@gendissaray]

Here's my curiosity, it doesn't seem like Celestials "consume" the life on the planet when born, just destroy the planet. So couldn't the population of the planet be evacuated before the birth?

[@dickmarx1298]

No. You see the entirety of existence is a balance of energy and matter. While the two can exist in the same three-dimensional space they cannot exist simultaneously. Ergo, something is either matter or energy on a subatomic level. This being the case, a supermassive balance of matter and energy, If something as supermassive as an eternal comes into existence that is a lot of matter that requires a lot of energy to sustain itself. Thereby for that matter to exist without throwing off the cosmic balance it must supplant the matter that is the planet within which it was incubated.

[@Nakorli]

@@dickmarx1298 Long story short: If everybody left earth, the emergenz would've stopped because there wouldn't be enough brain energy for the Celestial

[@JoeIPA]

You would think that the first act of a newly formed god would be to save the people that brought them life… What I’ve been thinking is the more species that know about the celestials birthing method the less safe their they did destroy their homeworld. Some species might hold a grudge and try to go after them. Easier to kill the ants then move them to a new place. That’s what I’m thinking but who knows maybe the celestials get off on killing worlds haha.

[@timvibes]

Consumes then destroy

[@SettaXY]

Hell no. That would be unbalanced. Everything is finite. Only appears infinite cause your so small. This is why the cosmic beings are more about balance cause if that cycle stops the exchange of energy stop so does life. There only the same amount. Its just portioned out in balance and recycled.

[@abraham2172]

If the Celestials really do what the movie told us they do at the beginning, the Eternals' decision to kill (newborn, innocent little baby) Arishem in exchange for humanity was incredible shortsighted and reckless, with catastrophic consequences. 1st Humanity is not as awesome as the Eternals seem to think they are, 2nd even if so, they might have prevented billions of equally good or even better life forms from being created by Arishem.

[@BOABModels]

Love the ''Galaxy song' being included.

[@vamsikrishnamaddala6525]

That's the best explanation about this movie ever!!! Screencrush is the best

[@quintessences]

I really wish Chloe Zhao was given the chance to really go deep into philosophical question of humanity’s role in the universe. The film definitely tried to go there but fell short. It would’ve made for a really different marvel Film

[@thesparks00]

I wish she gets another shot for the sequel! This was a whole origin story, the next one could be a different narrative of will and finding humanity as opposed to Arishem's judgement.

[@jonnyquezt1651]

Can’t lie, I didn’t see the heel turn coming. I thought it would be Druig, not Ikaris

[@thevoid6989]

Same I love ikaris so much but I thought it was thena cuz what happened whith her

[@EckoRome]

Thanks for getting The Circle of Life song stuck in my head

[@benevolentconcepts]

Gosh, this is, like, my 5th or 6th of your videos today. Guess I’ll subscribe! So much fun, and very well done. Thank you.

[@danpham5603]

I have a question : If the Eternals mission is to protect human from extinction , then where are they in the Ultimate Ultron timeline ( from What If ) ? Aren't they suppose to stop Ultron from wiping out human ?

[@dotdashYTP]

What if is non canonical

[@danpham5603]

@@dotdashYTP Marvel corfirmed that the multiveres is cannon

[@thesparks00]

Maybe that earth didn't have a Celestial seed, or maybe at that point in time, they just weren't assembled. Or maybe they're fighting Ultron bots in their respective areas and we just haven't seen it because it wasn't required in the narrative. At this point I'm sure there'll be a What If...? Eternals interfered episode.

[@johnnytee911]

I'd assume ultron took them out. If somebody can kill Knowhere and Ultron can kill ego he can probably kill the celestials too... I assume

[@aaronstansberry6221]

Didn't they say that Eternals can only get involved in Earth problems if Deviants are causing problems?

[@jpwoelfling]

As Ryan stated there are an infinite number of stars already. Plus the existing Celestials are still able to create new Suns (Stars?). Arishem never indicated how long a Celestial can live. I know that they die, as evidenced by the severed head of "Nowhere" in GOTG1. So is it really necessary to keep birthing new Celestials? How many seeds has Arishem and other Celestials planted? How many Celestials are their currently.

[@SettaXY]

Don't forget about the god killer and the dark celestials and knull who is order than celestial that are trying to kill celestial and can kill them. They aren't unlimited. They are the first beings in existence tasked with birthing more life. The others are traitors and the knull is the darkness. Before light it was just darkness. That's knul. Manifestation in to body he is knull the god of black. Etc. Names. That's why there's a celestial head floating in space now because of knull. So celestial are dying off. The lost the fight with aspirants. The dark celestials. That consume life. And give no fucks. Again you got god killer , and knull on the hunt for them as well..so there's not even a billion. Its a race for survival against knull

[@SettaXY]

The entire darkness of space is knull domain. Not measure that to the light that only comes from light beings and stars. More darkness than light. There isn't an infinite number of stars. It looks like that to the Lil life like humans scrulls etc

[@SettaXY]

The universe is finite. Only infinite through the cycle of energy exchange. Stop that cycle then you got the last star ever made and it's decline from there.

[@duaneboland2806]

You're such a good writer!!! 👏🏾👏🏾🥳🙌🏾🙌🏾 Great episode!

[@avrilhand2071]

Another great video Ryan! Definitely my favourite channel for all things Marvel and Star Wars :)

[@joetipton253]

I'm not sure if this was addressed yet but how do the celestials exist in the multiverse? Are there variant celestials for every version of the multiverse or is there one group of celestials that are able to oversee every possible variant timeline at once? Could the destruction of a planet during an emergence create new life and planets in a single universe or could the emergence actually create a variant universe. Does that make sense or am I overthinking? I love the channel by the way I always enjoy your content.

[@IngVivas]

To answer your question: yes there are variants of celestials in the marvel multiverse. In fact other cosmic entities such as eternity, the watchers, Galactus all have variants in each universe. I believe according to comics only the living tribunal and the One above all are unique and only one of them exists throughout the multiverse. The only entity that is able to oversee every variant and every universe and is the supreme power over everything marvel related is The One-Above-All

[@SettaXY]

They have variants

[@kevz2474]

Icarus was doing the job he was created to do.

[@delmarfrazier2727]

Exactly Do your job go home get paid

[@Jacob-nt9yj]

Great video as usual Ryan! IMO Eternals is really a really underrated story and a refreshing deviation from the main marvel formula. Only big complaint about the film for me was the design of the deviants being generic monsters. Would have been cool to see versions of monsters from mythologies.

[@nanettesage1112]

When a wrench is thrown into the system, most of the time it breaks everything. However, there are those few times where that event brings about a BETTER result. Additionally, if what the Celestials are doing is what they say, then everything is calculated out and, in the end, offers little potential for true growth through the chaos of change. So, be it a bad thing or not, what they did, in my opinion is one of the BEST things that could have been done. It opened so many doors to so many things that would otherwise never happen.

[@carloscardenas5947]

I think the real matter is that the Eternals were lied to. Maybe they would have ridden along if they had been informed that they were protecting humans to harvest them, because that was their purpose in life. They, however, were told they were protecting humanity, they thought this was the reason for their existence. So, I think they had a sort of mental breakdown because they realized their purpose was void and they simply refused to accept that. After all, what is the point of protecting something that is going to be destroyed anyway?

[@eldibs]

Preventing a life isn't the same as ending one. If the Celestials are so powerful, they have the ability to find a better way. I'd rather go down spitting defiance in the face of the indifferent universe.

[@yusufanbarfirdausi621]

Thanks Ryon Ariy From Screencresh

[@lamarkeys1847]

Ryan, Thank you for all the hard work you are doing breaking down these movies. I recently fell in love with the MCU after The Black Panther and now I can't get enough so, keep up the good work.

[@andyhandy9977]

Etenals is actually very good movie.. completely diff from regular MCU movies..i don't know why it Flopped

[@willjames915]

Covid

[@Zooted504]

Didn’t flop check the numbers

[@joesamson2639]

400 million is far from a flop particularly during covid

[@MrRichieRides]

I just rewatched Eternals yesterday and I have to say it holds up! The first and 3rd act are flawless the 2nd act while good still seems just a little off for some reason but I still really enjoy this movie and I don’t understand it’s underrated Ed’s the fight scenes are beautiful and the plot seems to drive a huge narrative and I believe a few years from now when that narrative is ultimately revealed this movie will be a go too movie to truly understand what’s going on for people who didn’t watch it or haven’t seen it in a awhile just wait you’ll see something unbelievably huge is coming to the MCU and I personally cannot wait!!!!

[@dannydevito5312]

This movie was far from flawless. Pretty much the worst marvel movie they’ve put out in awhile and yes that’s including the trash captain marvel movie

[@BoxCatKeys]

@@dannydevito5312 yea, box office this box office that, but it’s all relative. I’ll go see anything marvel, but this is hands down the better movie of the two. Do you think it is coincidence that the carol danvers actress hasn’t had any real screen time since her solo movie?

[@druunderwood5602]

That bus driver had a bloody hard job down the depot explaining where his bus went!

[@niyazahmed6537]

It's soo interesting how you introduce the video sponsors in each video

[@skullsnake9063]

Mind Blown... thank you! I needed this today.

[@DDuffy143]

Ikaris "followed blindly", because even though the emergence would mean the death of the planet, it would also mean the death of Cersei and Dane's relationship. If he can't have her, then no one can. Ikaris was heart broken. He really did love Cersei, that's why he committed suicide over the extreme guilt and grief he accumulated from hurting her.

[@ademolaabdulgafar6901]

He loved her but didn’t really care too much for Dane.. lol… Dane is mortal, they’re Eternals and live forever…

[@fabianplays1838]

all he had to do was wait 70 years for dane to die, 70 years is nothing to someone who’ll live forever

[@michaelharris7157]

I don’t think Arishim lied. He didn’t tell the Eternals everything it’s similar to the Adam and Eve story. He told them just enough because Arishim values loyalty through choice e.g., free will, and not through force.

[@nunotavares393]

Maybe he doesn't understand the moral dilema, Arisham only sees the big picture and from that perspective there's no choice at all

[@decepticonxhunter4850]

Arishem blatantly lied to the Eternals about their origins and where they came from in order to ensure they would be loyal to him and his program. Furthermore, he deliberately kept the Eternals' memories locked away in what was essentially a secret vault in space and reset their memories if they started thinking for themselves, so it only makes his agenda look even more questionable.

[@Mo-sk7xo]

Yo that ad placement was Crazy.....I did not see it coming

[@rhyswilliams26]

I really enjoyed this video, I would really like to see your point of view on if you think Sylvie was right or wrong in killing He Who Remains or whether you lean more towards Loki’s view in that moment, would love to see your take on that in a video sometime

[@Evangelium]

This is Exactly why Eternals was a great movie! Deep with nuance an thought provoking questions. Those who disliked this film just aren't mature enough.

[@mitchdavis4752]

With all due respect, I must disagree with your conclusion. I truly enjoyed the film and the plot. the reason why I am not as big a fan of the film as you is simply that too much was going on, and too much was at stake, for this to have been a single film. With the introduction of about a dozen characters and the entire history of the universe, it should have been two films, so that it could truly explore these characters and situations. We don't really get to know the Eternals, other than some rather simplistic explanations of each's character. Had they allowed the film to breath, and turn this into two films (with the third being the Eternals being judged by their creators), it would have allowed the movie to not jump about quite so drastically.

[@KPlaysSports123]

if you like eternals you aren't mature enough, because you don't understand how motivations have to be fleshed out

[@ZrodyApo]

I don't know if it was mentioned before or confirmed, but I got the feeling that when the Eternals united their powers (the Unimind thing), Tiamut also joined them in the end and he was the real catalyst to stop the emergence, like Tiamut itself was against this process and decided to help stop it

[@burningitchingstinging4698]

Heavy stuff man!

[@johnkuijs1537]

Great vid, good argumentation. 👍🏼

[@RicardoPetinga]

I'm glad that the conclusion of a video titled "Why IKARUS was Right" is that Ikarus was wrong! lol Because he was. The "trillions of lives that will never be created" don't care that they'll never be created because they don't exist, therefore they're not even lives, they're not even a "they", just products of the imagination of the living. Coming to existence is not a right or privilege or an event of more importance than the lives that are already real. It's not a good or a bad thing, it's just something that happens when it happens and if it doesn't, there's no gain, but there's also no loss. Ikaris' romanticizing of the unborn over the extant is a reflection of a problem that negatively and broadly affects us in our real daily lives. So that's a take that I really dislike because it reminds me of those in the country I live in, and in a few other countries where it unfortunately still happens as well, that try to justify horrible unethical practices like bullfighting with "if we stop making bullfights, we'll stop breeding this breed of bulls because that's all they're for". It's just wrong on every level. I'm giving an example of something that is generally regarded as unethical, but it can be applied to some things that are generally accepted because of cognitive dissonance (the ignoring of the moral compass you mentioned). Also, to think that the Celestials serve the Universe rather than do what they do for their own benefit requires faith, not only because of what you said, but because we don't really know enough to just trust those claims without questioning to begin with. They have their narrative that they pass on, and it might be right, but it also might not be.

[@st3althyone]

The problem with your argument is that Ikarus went about it the wrong way, first by sacrificing their leader and alllowing the Deviants to almost overtake their world because of his stupidity. Also, they were all lied about their true purpose, they’re just machines made for one single purpose while not being told about it from the start. Not to mention that star/galaxy/life doesn’t require the meddling of anyone to exist. Yes, life requires all these intricate variables to exist, but it’s all down to chance, it’s not about putting the value of one species over another. We wouldn’t be here if that meteor hadn’t killed the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago, but who’s to say that the dinosaurs wouldn’t have gone exticnt in another time giving the rest of the species a chance. What makes our life less valualble than that of a celestial? Our universe is all about balance, we are all made of stars, they give us life and the universe is all about creatiion and destruction. The universe is what is and will continue to be so for time immemorial, our species will one day be snuffed out (whether by our stuipidy or due to some natural unavoidable event) and replaced by something else. Life always finds a way, we don’t need some Celestial’s help in this cycle of life. If you follow your logic, then we’re nothing more than just cannon fodder to allow a Celestial to be born. What makes them more valuable than the rest of intelligent life in the universe? Celestials are nothing more than a parasite, feeding off intelligent lifeforce and then destroying said life when they’re born. Why can’t they find a more reasonable way to exist? Why must they destroy the planet they inhabit instead of just being born and allowing the planet survive along with eveything on it. It’s fucking selfish of them to just not give a fuck about the intelligent life that gave them life and allow them to continue to survive. There has to be another way. Stars give us all the material and elements necessary for life when they go nova, but that’s on time scales that make even the longest living species lifespan insignificant, but this cycle is fair and balanced. Destroying a planet and all the life within it for the sake of one Celestial is a shitty bargain. Ikarus and his Celestials can go suck a bag of dicks for all their benevolance. They’re nothing but killers on an interstellar scale. Life is precious and should be protected at all costs, not just to serve the purpose of birthing one Celestial. Don’t get me started on your sinking ship methapor, the universe is heading towards entropy, and nothing the Celestials do will stop that. They’re fighting a a losing battle because spacetime itself is expanding faster than stars and galaxies are created. We are headed towards a universal heat death and nothing can stop that. Ikarus was a complete idiot, his moral compass is flawed, he was wrong.

[@fastblade_yt4532]

Obviously celestials are more important than us

[@rafinha7081]

@@fastblade_yt4532 again, why are they?

[@rafinha7081]

Agree. The whole things has flaws and sides to choose.

[@jakewolfram29]

In the marvel universe it does not seem that life and the universe can exist without the celestials, and that comes from Arishem stating that without the celestials the universe would fade to darkness. The way I understand it, in the marvel universe, stars, galaxies, and planets need celestial input to form. This would make sense in the universe and explain why celestials are necessary. In real life, such objects are able to form by themselves, but we can’t assume real life astrophysics applies to a fantasy world. I don’t necessarily disagree with you, and there certainly are ways to prevent the loss of intelligent life at the hands of the celestials, but I would consider celestials to be essential to the life cycle of the universe, rather than a parasite to it.

[@GammaRays10]

His moral compass is flawed compared to yours. It's not flawed to him. Morals are individualized. Everyone has their own. You would be right to say his moral compass is unethical.

[@timhealy7335]

You are the only one to make Eternals make sense to ne. Seriously what a great explanation and examination of a movie I previously gave zero sh!ts about. Now I actually want to watch it

[@sammakesstuff4176]

okay okay i'll give it a rewatch

[@andyhandy9977]

Phastos should be actual Villian...he is weapons creator.. indirectly causing Hiroshima Nagasaki atom bombs ...he can get the motive that everytime he makes a Weapon..humans used them in wars..world wars happend..this also makes the real life wars part of MCU

[@finalcam1740]

Captain America, and also now that xmen is in the mcu, have already confirmed our real wars exist in the mcu.

[@turnerjazz7872]

Ok Ryan I started to doubt you this time but you eventually got there. 1. The eternals movie establishes that the celestials are unreliable narrators. They lied about the origin of the eternals for their own self preservation and I think they're lying about the way the universes works for the same reason. GOTG already established that the big bang happened in the MCU and if that's true, the universe has all it needs to keep making new stars and new planets. There's no need for celestials. They lie because making new celestials is difficult and they need the eternals help to do it . 2. Also, you already made a video that Thanos was right for trying to stop the celestial birth! Icarus can't also be right for trying to make it happen!!!!!

[@gemmacarlo2109]

Thanks TRex. Your sacrifice is remembered in the numerous Jurassic Parks. You’ll undoubtedly never be forgotten.

[@thenumberonebeaner2211]

Another fantastic philosophical thought project! Keep doing these! One request: bring Doug into it!

[@anirudhchakra3975]

Druig (Barry Kegon) should actually be the Villian...because he countrols the Minds around him ..he mentions in the movie..i can change their mind in span of minutes ..but everytime I stop controlling them..they go back to their original form...orginal form here is fighting against each other with hate😡...this is a great motivation for a Villian and the actor also has Villian looks

[@RicardoPetinga]

"Villain looks" is probably something we should drop entirely from our storytelling. He doesn't have "villain looks", but even if he did, what should matter is his actions.

[@nibor4323]

am I the only one annoyed by the fact that he keeps refering to Ikaris as "Ikarus"?

[@BretMuckdogs]

Thanks Ryan!

[@IllusiveBunny]

good job bro

[@utubepunk]

Do celestials die? Or would they live forever if they're not killed? Reason I ask is I'm suspicious of immortal beings justifying genocide on a planet-size scale when they're the ones benefitting. For example, was Thanos ever at risk when he snapped his fingers. This whole genocide is okay because think of the future lives doesn't hold water with me.

[@d34dR0d3n7]

Don't know about celestials (in MCU anyway, pretty sure they are immortal in the comics), but Thanos was absolutely at risk. I don't remember which of the movies, but almost 100% sure someone straight asked him what if he was part of the half that disappeared. His answer was basically "it'd be worth it."

[@dickmarx1298]

Nothing is forever. Everything dies. Eternity is not forever but only a concept of time beyond the imaginings of those who use the word. An average human lives for 75 orbits around the Sun. A mayfly lives for one turn of the Earth on its axis. To that mayfly I am an eternal. So yes the eternals die. Everything dies. Because for life to exist it must feed to sustain itself. That sustenance comes from the taking of other lives. Life exists because of death and death exists because of life. It is inevitable.

[@delmarfrazier2727]

Ego was a celestial ego died.

[@d34dR0d3n7]

@@delmarfrazier2727 I've never heard of any immortal dying from age in any literature/story. Ego didn't die, he was killed. Also, the way he aged makes me think he was either lying about being a Celestial, or was a 'flawed' one, which I think Ryan touched on in some video on this channel.

[@delmarfrazier2727]

@@d34dR0d3n7 look u Can be a sheep 🐑 or believe what Your eyes showed you 👀

[@jointhetable2941]

Wildfires also create new life with all that carbon. Good video essay, as always! Love your work

[@TrentBooth]

Well done…great arc here. Cheers!

[@emmanouilmastorakis2370]

great job sir!!!

[@lincolnbeckett8791]

All of the question brought up this video is why I loved this movie. Its so nice to have a Marvel movie that really makes me think about its themes and discover new things about it overtime. Shame we'll likely never get another Marvel movie like this again since the majority of Marvel fans can't appreciate a movie that's more complex and philosophical than what their use too.

[@devanirnf]

I'd REALLY like to see your analyses on other topics!!!!

[@jentalksbooks]

Gotta admit! Doug is still my favorite part of these videos. But you've brought up a few points about Ben Aflleck's Batman that I had never considered. 🤔

[@youuglymess]

Beautiful video 🥰🥰

[@joserozay001]

Amazing video!

[@sakabaniya9725]

I was waiting for this😍😍😍

[@FrancoisMontegut]

Best SC video. Period.

[@Dreadhead669]

I love the fact that the MCU started with Tony Stark, IN A CAVE! And now we facing the literally creators of the universe.

[@AS-ri1mb]

Excellent video!!

[@azialindilepupuma546]

Now I understand the movie. Thanks man

[@Ston3dNinja13]

I am totally with this take. But I can't help to think not only has this happened before but there is a protocol set to determine the outcome of the action taken by the Eternals. Maybe Arishem will see that humanity is not only awesome with our compacity for Love and Hope but also how we can also create. Creating AI and working with DNA. In the future humanity could have the potential to be Celestial like.