What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedEternals
Chloé Zhao · Film · 2021
If you loved Eternals, start with To Your Eternity (2021) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Eternals across media.
What hooked you in Eternals was the way the immense weight of immortality clashes with the fragile, beautiful reality of human existence.
Books on the same thread
The End of Eternity
Isaac Asimov · Book · 1955
Explores: Temporal Paradoxes, Determinism vs. Free Will, Utopian/Dystopian Societies.
If Eternals intrigued you with the struggle against preordained paths, you will appreciate how this story explores the tension between grand bureaucratic determinism and individual free will.
The Forever War
Joe W. Haldeman, Marvano · Book · 1990
Shares a thread with Eternals: Existentialism.
The Eternals are defined by their burden of duty across ages, a feeling mirrored here as a reluctant soldier experiences the agonizing passage of time during interstellar war.
Arrival
Ted Chiang · Book · 2016
Explores: Alien Contact, Linguistics, Time Perception.
Much like the philosophical core of Eternals, this collection examines how perceiving time differently fundamentally changes one’s connection to humanity, destiny, and the inevitability of personal loss.
Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card · Book · 2013
Explores: Child Soldiers, Alien Invasion, Moral Ambiguity.
Eternals centers on the moral weight of protecting a species, a struggle that defines this narrative as a young hero grapples with the crushing responsibility of planetary survival.
Series on the same thread
To Your Eternity
Series · 2021
Shares a thread with Eternals: Existentialism.
This echoes the poignant journey of Eternals, focusing on an immortal being wandering through history while attempting to grasp the fleeting, profound nature of human connection and mortality.
Loki
Michael Waldron · Series · 2021
Shares a thread with Eternals: Existentialism.
Fans of Eternals will recognize the conflict between cosmic duty and personal agency in this story of an immortal figure navigating a bureaucracy that controls the entire timeline.
Invincible
Series · 2021
Explores: Father-Son Relationship, Superhero Legacy, Brutal Superhero.
Eternals explores the complicated legacy of powerful beings among us, a dynamic central to this series as a son navigates the shadow and moral complexity of his father.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
Series · 2023
Explores: Mortality, The Value of Time, Regret and Remembrance.
The melancholy perspective on immortality found in Eternals is expanded here, as an elf wizard reflects on the value of time and the lingering memories of those she outlives.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Orphans
The Light and Tragic Company · Podcast · 2025
If the cosmic scale of Eternals captured your imagination, you will appreciate this audio drama’s intimate focus on survival, loss, and the nature of sentient life in a harsh universe.
The Truth
The Truth · Podcast · 2026
Explores: human condition, experimental storytelling, moral ambiguity.
Eternals explores the human condition through an ancient lens, and this anthology mirrors that by using speculative fiction to probe the moral ambiguity of our existence in short stories.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Eternals a story about aliens living on Earth?
Yes, Eternals follows a team of ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. They are forced to emerge from the shadows when an unexpected tragedy occurs, requiring them to reunite to defend humanity against their ancient enemy, the Deviants.
What is the primary conflict in Eternals?
The primary conflict in Eternals centers on the team reuniting to fight against the Deviants. These creatures are described as mankind’s most ancient enemy, and the Eternals must come out of hiding to protect the world from this threat after a sudden tragedy forces them to act.
Does Eternals feature a team of heroes?
Eternals features a team of ancient aliens who have lived on Earth in secret for thousands of years. When a tragedy occurs, this group is forced to reunite to fight against the Deviants, who are identified as the most ancient enemy of mankind.
Are the Deviants the main antagonists in Eternals?
Yes, the Deviants are the main antagonists in Eternals. They are characterized as the most ancient enemy of mankind. The Eternals must come out of their long-held secrecy to reunite and defend the planet against this specific threat following an unexpected tragedy.