Here's a complete timeline of the gods and their pantheons in the Thor of Asgard was an Avenger as well. The first Thor film carefully avoided going too far with the idea, complete with dialogue in which Thor suggested he came from a realm where science and sorcery were one and the same thing. Arthur C. Clarke would have been proud.
Marvel needn't have worried, however. It swiftly became clear the supernatural could coexist quite easily with the pseudo-science, and in Phase 4 Marvel has doubled down on their gods. Thor Odinson confront countless gods in Omnipotence City. Representatives of many different pantheons were glimpsed there, all of whom must have played their part in the MCU's history given their legends and myths have a solid basis in the world.
It's actually quite difficult to chart the history of gods in the MCU. That's partly because they're ill-defined; this article assumes the Celestials are divine beings, given Eternals established a creation myth and two of their number were seen on Omnipotence City, but that classification is highly debatable. Making matters even more complicated, the gods will have had a significant impact on human history, meaning any timeline will jump from one pantheon to another in quite a confusing way. A better approach is therefore to look at each timeline individually. Beginning with the Celestials, here's the complete history of the gods of the MCU - as revealed to date.
The Celestials & the Origin of the Universe
Assuming Celestials are essentially "space gods," Eternals tells the story of the creation myth associated with them. According to Arishem, they conceive the universe to be "a constant exchange of energy, an infinite cycle of creation and destruction." The first Celestial, Arishem was responsible for light and matter coming into existence, and he implanted Celestial seeds within certain host planets so the worlds' energies could nourish the beings who grew within. Eternals treated this story as truth, but it's entirely possible it is a creation myth somehow woven into the history of the MCU.
The Celestials Create Deviants & Eternals
Celestial seeds grow by drawing on the life energy of creatures living on a world, and so the Celestials required predation to be kept to a minimum. To that end, Arishem and the Celestials created genetically engineered beings known as Deviants to keep the number of predators down on inhabitable planets so intelligent life could grow. The Deviants' biological nature meant they evolved, and they became a threat to the Celestials' plans. In response, the Celestials created the Eternals, powerful synthetic beings to cull the Deviants. Eternals were sent to world after world, ensuring the evolution of intelligent species until a Celestial emerged from the planet's core.
The Celestials & the Infinity Stones
The Celestials appear to be connected to the Infinity Stones, and it's possible they were responsible for forging them into their form of "concentrated ingots." The Collector showed footage of one Celestial using the Power Stone to judge an entire planet in ' version of the Celestials clashes with this, a result of retcons and pivots, so it's difficult to ascertain the truth.
A Celestial Death Creates Knowhere
Guardians of the Galaxy saw the ragtag team gather on the mining colony Knowhere, which is situated in the severed head of a Celestial. At some point, then, this ancient Celestial was killed; in the comics, its death was tied to the use of the Necrosword, introduced to the MCU in Thor: Love & Thunder. According to the Marvel Studios Visual Dictionary, the planet Sakaar is likewise littered with pieces of Celestial corpses. It's possible a great war was fought against the Celestials at some point, and these space gods largely operate in the shadows to prevent it happening again.
Ego Returns, But Is He A Celestial?
All these events likely happened in ancient times. More recently, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 certainly treated Ego as a Celestial, but he doesn't match with the cosmic beings seen in Eternals, so he may well be something very different.
The Emergence of Tiamut the Celestial In Eternals
The most recent events involving the Celestials were seen in Eternals. The Eternals learned the Celestial egg inside Earth was about to hatch and would destroy the planet in doing so, and they turned on Tiamut in order to save humanity. ' cliffhanger ending saw Arishem appear over Earth, summoning the Eternals who had killed his progeny so they could be judged for their actions. More Celestials were seen on Omnipotence City in Thor: Love & Thunder, but the relationship between the Celestials and other godheads is unclear.
Zeus Was the First of the Official "Gods" in the MCU
Moving on to Terran pantheons, in Thor: Love & Thunder Thor Odinson claimed Zeus was the first of all the gods - presumably meaning the Greek pantheon (or some version of it) was the first to come into being. Thor grew up believing Zeus to be one of the greatest heroes, and modeled himself on the supreme deity of the Greek gods. Unfortunately, it is unclear whether any of the tales Thor had heard were true, or whether they'd been embellished. Certainly Zeus had a son, Hercules, who seems to have been rather more heroic than his father.
Zeus & Other MCU Gods Retreat to Omnipotence City
According to Thor: Love & Thunder, Zeus established Omnipotence City as the resting place of the gods. This may well have coincided with the Enlightenment period of history, a time that marked a key moment in humanity beginning to turn away from the notion of gods as strictly as it once had. The pantheons welcomed to Omnipotence City remained there, indulging in their own hedonistic pursuits and doing nothing for their worshipers. Their faiths declined.
The Greek God Ares Becomes A Champion Of Sakaar
One Greek god did leave Omnipotence City, however; Ares, the God of War, who found his way to the planet Sakaar. There, he competed in the Contest of Champions, and his face can be seen honored among the heads on the Grandmaster's Tower. Other historic champions include Thor: Ragnarok.
The Asgardians Wage War Against the Dark Elves
The gods of Asgard are, of course, the ones who have been explored the most by the MCU. According to Thor: The Dark World, in around 2,988BC the Dark Elves realized they could combine the power of the Aether - the Reality Stone - and a rare event known as the Convergence. Their goal was to reverse creation, to ensure the dominance of light. Bor, the ruler of Asgard, led his people against the Dark Elves in battle. They saved the universe, and hid the Aether away. The Dark Elves were thought to be extinct.
