Synopsis / Summary / Plot
The Great Machine that is the Earth greets the reader on a rare peaceful day on the planet. The Avengers and the X-Men are both relaxing. But in the hidden Eternals' capital Olympia Druig is not resting easy on his newly-won Eternal Prime throne. As seen in Eternals #12 and Free Comic Book Day 2022: Judgment Day he sought to cement his rule by finding a cause he could unite his people behind. And he found it in the mutants who had recently discovered how to make themselves effectively immortal by a rebirth method similar to that of the Eternals. This smacked of Excess Deviancy which the Eternals are compelled to root out as part of the way the Celestials created them.
He goes to see chief scientist Domo and asks how to kill all mutants. Domo considers it purely as a scientific problem and shows him the giant anti-matter bomb he just happens to have lying around. The Machine could teleport it to 1 of its nodes beneath the mutant island nation Krakoa. It is general technology that couldn't be specifically traced back to the Eternals. With Krakoa gone the other mutants on Mars will probably disintegrate in a civil war. But even if not they can be dealt with later. Druig tells him to do it quickly so they can have a celebratory drink this evening.
The title pages now give us a political breakdown of the 100 Eternals. Those in Olympia, Polaria, the Exclusion, the Oceanic Watch, the Damocles Foundation and the Hex all (supposedly) support Druig. The Tricks do too because he pays them. Others are independent:- the Celestian Priests, the Titanos Hermits, the Lemurian 'mission', the Gaian Sisters, the Forgotten and 3 whose location is unknown.
The Lemurian 'mission' is actually the group who left Olympia for the Deviant capital Lemuria after discovering (Et#6) that every time an Eternal died and was resurrected it cost the life of a human. They wanted to learn how to live as mortals. But their presence brought destruction on Lemuria when Thanos attacked the place (Et#8-9) seeking the Eternal Phastos to make him completely Eternal. Now we see Ikaris and Sersi helping to repair the place. But many Deviants blame them and 1, an enhanced Deviant named Crimson Karlau, now attacks the pair. They subdue her rather than injure or kill her, but it reminds Ikaris of his regretted past including killing many Deviants in war. Sersi also feels regret that she sent Jack Of Knives (1 of the Tricks) to 'persuade' him (Et#7) to keep the the resurrection secret a secret, but it was necessary.
In Olympia Druig is heading for the Exclusion. the Eternals' prison. The Machine takes a moment to mention Excluded E who it says is being held because of what the unscrupulous might use him to do. And also because he only recently fell into the Eternals' grasp and they don't want to let him go. It also points out that with the Delphan Brothers counting as 2 there are actually 101 names on the list described earlier, not the 100 immortals originally created by the Celestials.
Druig is actually going to visit Phastos. He suggests that he should wipe from Phastos' mind the memory of the resurrection problem (which is traditionally what was done to any with a conscience who found out). But Celestian priests Ajak and Makkari are here because they want Phastos to help them, and Druig is graciously letting him go. (Of course they all suspect Druig has a devious motive for this, and Druig's thoughts tell us that it would be useless to mindwipe Phastos because the other rebels would just tell him. Better to wait until he can wipe them all. Besides he doesn't think the priests can do anything he should be worried about.)
The 2 priests take Phastos to their base city Celestia where he learns that they intend to create a new Celestial god to replace the ones that have forsaken them. (Presumably using knowledge they gained from the mind of the dead Celestial that is now Avengers Mountain HQ, as seen in Et#11-12.) He examines their plans and says it *could* work with the help of a mutant expert they propose to kidnap from Krakoa. But this would risk war with the mutants. And the resulting Celestial might turn out not to be what the priests hope for. So on balance he's out. But Ajak says they only wanted his expert opinion on whether it was *possible*, and he's given them that. But he reminds them that he (in Et#1-6) tried to stop the Great Machine's resurrection system killing humans, and wound up causing more deaths. Their project might have unintended consequences too. And he leaves them. Makkari says it's a good job they didn't let him know they'd already captured the mutant. And we see that it's Mr Sinister.
Phastos returns to Lemuria to join in the reconstruction work. Sprite is keeping a child amused. Kingo Sunen is just standing around looking martial. Thena is talking to the Deviant leader Warlord Kro. They contemplate the remains of the statue Thena's now-dead Deviant ex-lover Tolau created of the Eternal/Deviant pair. Thanos melted it (#9) but she and Kro agree that it has been improved by that. Tolau tried to show the best in both species but now it shows their shared monstrousness. Kro remembers how they 2 were once lovers, but she brushes him off by reminding him that he's now dallying with Sersi. Sersi herself joins them at this point and she and Kro exchange banter.
More seriously she reminds them that the info Ajak got from the dead Celestial included data on the Deviants. They may be able to create a cure (for Excess Deviancy?). But also that the Deviants were the true purpose of the Celestials' prehistoric meddling. (They were the source of superhumans who were able to defeat the Celestials' foes the Horde - see the early issues of the current Avengers series.) The Eternals were just there to keep the Earth and Deviants safe. Kro hasn't yet told his people. He's worried that extreme factions would use it as a cause for war with the Eternals. On the other hand the sense of self-worth might *stop* that vicious cycle of envy.
Druig is snooping on peaceful Krakoa as Domo finishes his preparations. Out of curiosity the scientist asks *why* Druig wants the mutants exterminated. He says the mutants have got so much of the superhumanity derived from the Deviants that they are really Deviants themselves. And now that they're immortal and have spread to Mars this counts as Excess Deviancy. And by Celestial decree the Eternals are bound to eliminate it. (He doesn't add that this act will elevate him to the status of great man and great leader.) Domo sends the anti-matter bomb on its way ...
... and the pair suddenly feel great pain and chant 1 of the Celestials' built-in edicts "Protect the Machine". Domo quickly recalls the bomb and deactivates it. He rationalises that the sentient island Krakoa must be a vital part of the Great Machine that is the Earth. (The Machine tells us he's correct.) Domo offers to think of another method of killing mutants without harming Krakoa. But Druig has a different plan ...
... He goes back to the Exclusion to see the expert on genocide his 'grandfather' Uranos.