Who Is Arishem the Judge in Marvel’s Eternals?
Marvel Cinematic Universe fans rejoice as a new movie is just about to hit the theaters in early November. The Eternals will explore a whole new world of characters, and we’ve already seen in the trailer that the Celestials and their leader, Arishem the Judge, will appear in the film. So, who is Arishem the Judge, and what does he do?
Arishem the Judge is the leader of the four Celestial Hosts on Earth, tasked with judging civilizations and worlds and deciding if they deserve to live or be destroyed. Celestials are a group of incredibly powerful beings who created the universe, including the Eternals.
If you haven’t read Jack Kirby’s The Eternals series which started in the 1970s. In that case, you probably don’t know a lot about the Eternals, Deviants, and Celestials, as they haven’t had a major role in the MCU so far (apart from Ego the Living Planet appearing in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2). So, let’s dive deep and explain who Arishem the Judge is and what does he do.
Who Is Arishem The Judge?
Arishem The Judge is one of the four Celestial Hosts on Earth and also their leader. Apart from him, there is Nezzar the Calculator, Jemiah the Analyzer, and Hargen the Measurer. They aren’t the only existing Celestials, just the ones responsible for Earth.
The Celestials are among the most powerful entities in existence, and they have lived ever since the First Firmament (or the First Cosmos) came into existence. The First Firmament was a sentient cosmos. He created the Celestial to his liking, granting them unfathomable powers.
They have massive cosmic energy, and they can manipulate it along with a matter to the molecular level, meaning they can do whatever they want and see fit. When the Celestials rebelled against the First Firmament, they shattered it into pieces, causing the first branching of realities, or the first multiverse.
So, why would they turn up in The Eternals movie? Well, the Celestials are the ones who created the Eternal and their counterparts, the Deviants. It’s uncertain what role the Celestial Hosts – including Arishem – will play in the movie, but judging by the comics and their overall purpose, I doubt they will be the good guys.
What Does Arishem The Judge Do?
If you want to know why I believe that Arishem and his team showing up can’t be a good thing, all you need to know is how he got his name.
As the leader of the Celestial Hosts, Arishem is responsible for judging which planet or civilization deserves to survive. He comes to a decision based on his accord and the insights of his subordinate Celestial Hosts: the Calculator, the Measurer, and the Analyzer.
As I mentioned, they roam the cosmos and rule over the destiny of entire galaxies. That’s just the testament to their power – they survived six obliterations of the cosmos, and now, they created a new iteration again, the Seventh Cosmos, where the main Marvel Universe takes place.
However, Arishem’s decisions are based solely on his belief in the right thing to do. Traditional moral standards or ethics don’t lead the Celestials. They simply do what’s best for the greater good without an agenda and exception. They’ll obliterate millions if it means saving billions.
We’ve seen a flashback of them using the Infinity Stones to do their bidding in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, too. That’s why I believe that Arishem’s arrival at the MCU can’t be a good thing. If they decide that Earth is unworthy of survival, they’ll be an unimaginably bigger threat than Thanos ever was. When you compare their powers, Thanos is just a fly on the wall.
How Powerful Is Arishem The Judge?
We all know that Thanos was deemed the most powerful being in the universe, even without all six Infinity Stones. So, how can he be that inferior to Arishem the Judge and the other Celestials? Well, Thanos is an Eternal from Titan, meaning the Celestials themselves created him.
Although Thanos is the most powerful Eternal ever (except for maybe Kronos), his powers are inferior to those of a Celestial. So, how powerful is Arishem the Judge, being the leader of the Earth Celestial Hosts?
Well, let’s start with his physiology. Nobody knows what a Celestial being truly looks like inside their armor. However, they appear as 2000+ feet tall armored giants, almost resembling gigantic robots. Each has a unique color, shape, and details, but the basic armor and helmet remain the same.
They have spectacular matter and energy manipulation powers, which gives them unlimited strength both physically and mentally. Arishem the Judge is among the most powerful Celestials, as he can destroy entire planets with his energy blasts.
Arishem can also manipulate matter, create pocket universes out of energy, travel through time seamlessly, and much more. They instruct the Earth’s Eternals on what to do – as we learn in the movie trailer, they instructed the Eternals not to interfere while the chaotic Infinity War incidents occurred.
If Arishem the Judge and the other Celestials decide that Earth should be no more, or if they interfere in a war happening on the planet, it’s bye-bye for anybody who stands in their way.