Sprite (Eternal)

Sprite is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in The Eternals #9 (March 1977), and was created by Jack Kirby. Although physically a child, Sprite is an Eternal, a member of an ancient and extremely powerful immortal race, who is commonly depicted as a mischievous trickster figure.

Sprite
In-story information
Notable aliasesPuck
Robin Goodfellow
Colín
Peter Frickin' Pan
AbilitiesControl over cosmic energy allowing energy blasts and invulnerability,
Immortality,
Vast psionic powers including telepathy, telekinesis, matter transmutation and illusion casting

In 2019, it was announced that Lia McHugh would be playing Sprite in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Eternals (2021).

Publication history

Sprite first appeared in The Eternals #9 (March 1977), and was created by Jack Kirby.

Fictional character biography

Sprite is an incorrigible trickster and practical joker, and has been for centuries. It is rumored that in Marvel continuity, he was the inspiration for William Shakespeare to write the character of Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Reveling in what he sees as "playful" behavior, he is seemingly unmindful of the sometimes deadly consequences of their pranks, especially to fragile "mortal" Humans. Though punished time and again for his actions, he always returns to his preferred way of life after a while.

During the Fourth Host of the Celestials, when Zuras calls for the Uni-Mind to examine the Celestials' Mothership, Sprite remains behind with Domo's Central Processor. There, he convinces the imprisoned Forgotten Eternal to help stop an attack to the Celestial ship.[1]

While trying to improve Olympia's systems, Sprite accidentally sends Olympia into the Negative Zone once, but the Eternals are able to restore it to its proper place.[2] Sprite later advocates the appointment of the Black Knight as Sersi's Gann Josin (sharing a mental bond) as compromise with Ikaris, who wants her killed.[3]

Reality change plan (Eternals – 2006)

In the Eternals miniseries by Neil Gaiman, Sprite, under the "real name" of Colín, was the star of "It's Just So Sprite", a sitcom on the Tweenie Channel. Although he presented himself to be unaware of his past or abilities, he also served as a spokesman for Hero Registration (as the series is set during the Civil War event). [4]

Ikaris, who seemed to be the only Eternal with any memory of his past, sees Sprite on television and informs Makkari that Sprite was another Eternal.[5] Later, after Ikaris disappeared and the remaining Eternals started to recover their powers, Curry contacted Sprite, seeking advice. Sprite reveals that he had always known who they both were, and takes them to the Dreaming Celestial, their creator. There, Sprite informs Curry that it was Sprite himself who made all the Eternals forget who they were, took away their powers, and removed all record of them from reality, as revenge for a million years of them treating him like a child and not allowing him to experience the vices of the world - to the extent that they created him as the Eternal 'who would never grow up', trapped in the form of a prepubescent child.[6] Using the Uni-Mind powered by the Dreaming Celestial, Sprite uses his powers to warp reality to his will, making himself a normal human male child, so that he can finally age and experience the vices of the world, including mating. Sprite and Makkari are subsequently attacked by Deviants, but Sprite escapes.[7] Sprite was later seen boarding a train to run away from the problems he caused that led to the awakening of the Dreaming Celestial, and was ultimately found by Zuras. Sprite has no apologies for causing the current situation, and, satisfied with the life he lived, although promising vengeance, allows Zuras to kill him by snapping his neck.[8]

A new cycle (Eternals – 2021)

Following the mass suicidal event that caused all Eternals to die after learning the truth of their origin,[9] they were all reborn simultaneously due to their eternal (both species and longevity-wise) nature. Now resurrected as a female nearing physical maturity, and unaware of her former self, Sprite is taken in by Ikaris, traveling around New York, subduing Deviants. When they both came back from their trip to New York City, they were suspects in the murder of Zuras. Sprite and Ikaris tracked the murderer's trail to the ruined city of Titanos where they encountered the Mad Titan Thanos.[10]

Powers and abilities

Sprite, like all Eternals, has total control over her body's life force and molecular structure, making them virtually immortal; in addition to not aging, Eternals are immune to all known diseases and toxins, radiation, and extremes of temperature. Her Eternal body has the appearance of a pre-adolescent child but she is, in fact, hundreds of thousands of years old.

Sprite is able to channel cosmic radiation into blasts of heat or force, levitate herself and others, and create illusions. She has superhuman strength, though because of her small size and childlike anatomy it is less than that of most Eternals. She is capable of rearranging atoms and molecules in such a way as to radically restructure objects (once creating a working ground-to-orbit spacecraft in seconds), and is second only to Sersi in the art of molecular reconstruction.

Sprite, in her former male incarnation, successfully used the reality-warping powers of the Dreaming Celestial to provide himself with a human body that would have aged to adulthood normally, if not for his demise.

In other media

Television

Film

References
  1. Eternals (vol. 1) #14. Marvel Comics.
  2. Avengers (vol. 1) #308-310. Marvel Comics.
  3. Avengers vol. 1 #361. Marvel Comics.
  4. Eternalsvol. 3 (2006) #1. Marvel Comics.
  5. Eternalsvol. 3 (2006) #2. Marvel Comics.
  6. Eternalsvol. 5 (2006) #1. Marvel Comics.
  7. Eternalsvol. 3 (2006) #6. Marvel Comics.
  8. Eternalsvol. 3 (2006) #7. Marvel Comics.
  9. Avengers (Vol. 8) #4
  10. Eternals (Vol. 5) #1
  11. "Voice Of Sprite - Marvel Universe". Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved July 23, 2019. Check mark indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources
  12. Coggan, Devan (July 20, 2019). "Marvel introduces 'The Eternals' at Comic-Con with Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, and more". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
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