- "I suspected that you might have changed your mind. I can't let you betray Arishem."
"Why don't you just kill me yourself?"
"When the others realise something is happening to the Earth, they will come to you. When they find your body, they will know that the Deviants are back. That will keep them busy until the Emergence." - ―Ikaris and Ajak[src]
The Assassination of Ajak was a murder, planned by Ikaris, to prevent Eternals from stopping the Emergence of Tiamut the Communicator.
Background[]
Celestials creating stars
Possessing infinite power, the Celestials created planets, stars, and lifeforms and brought light into the universe. In order to create more Celestials and keep the cycle of life in the universe going, they seeded each planet with nascent Celestials, which would harness the energy of the sentient life for their Emergence, which would mean the end of that world. Noticing that planets have the predators that keep the sentient population from growing, Arishem the Judge created the Deviants and sent them on the planets to hunt them down.
However, the Deviants evolved over millions of years and became predators themselves, so Arishem engineered Eternals to protect the populations from them. Eternals would stay on each planet, overseeing the progress of the population without interfering, unless the Deviants attack, and after each Emergence, they would be taken to another planet with their memories erased. Arishem sent Ajak, Sersi, Ikaris, Sprite, Kingo, Druig, Makkari, Thena, Gilgamesh, and Phastos on Earth, where humans were threatened by the Deviants. Eternals stayed on Earth, protecting humans from the Deviants and subtly pushing them toward progress, as Ajak was the only one aware of their true mission.
The population of Earth returning
Eventually, Eternals managed to eliminate all of the Deviants and made a decision to split their ways and live peaceful lives on Earth. When the Emergence of Tiamut the Communicator was coming, Thanos used the Infinity Stones to erase the half of the universe's population, which halted the Tiamut's birth. However, the Avengers managed to undo Thanos' actions and bring all of them back, which allowed Tiamut to continue his Emergence. Due to Tiamut's Emergence, the Earth's core starting to heat up, which resulted in glaciers melting and the Deviants freeing themselves from ice.[2]
Assassination[]
Ajak met with Ikaris at her house in South Dakota, stating that she made a decision to prevent the Emergence of Tiamut the Communicator and save the Earth. She told Ikaris about the beauty of humanity she saw over the years, which made her question the design of Arishem the Judge, and stated that other Eternals must know the truth. However, Ikaris remained a firm believer in Arishem and his design, and could not let his fellow Eternals to stop the Emergence, since it was needed to keep the cycle of life going. Ikaris brought Ajak to Alaska, where he showed her the Deviants emerging from the ice.
Ikaris was suspecting that Ajak would try to save humanity, so he had a plan to have Ajak killed by the Deviants, so other Eternals would focus on the immediate danger, instead of stopping the Emergence. Ajak apologized to Ikaris for leading him down the wrong path, but he only pushed Ajak into the path of the Deviants, so she would meet her demise. Ajak had attempted to protect herself against the Deviants, using a shotgun she found, however, she was attacked by Kro, who absorbed her life force and killed her. Ikaris then brought Ajak's lifeless body back to her house, and although he deeply regretted Ajak's death, he was determined that it was the right thing to do.[2]
Aftermath[]
Absorbing Ajak's life force, Kro gained her powers, as well as some form of a sentience, so he used it to have other Deviants to evolve as well. Kro then arrived at London where he attacked Sersi and Sprite, only to be stopped by Ikaris, who arrived in time to save them. With the Deviant threat at hand, they headed to South Dakota to seek Ajak's advice, only to find her dead. Sersi was granted with the Celestial Communication Sphere, Ajak used to contact Arishem the Judge, which meant that Sersi was chosen by Ajak as the next Prime Eternal.
While seeking the help of fellow Eternals, Sersi contacted Arishem and found out the truth about the Emergence and the true nature of Eternals, which horrified her. Sersi and the others started to devise a plan how to prevent the destruction of Earth, and decided to seek the help of Druig and Phastos. Reuniting at the Domo, Phastos managed to create the Uni-Mind, which could give Druig enough power to enthrall Tiamut and stop his Emergence. However, Ikaris showed his true colors, revealing that he knew the truth for a long time and could not let Ajak and others to prevent the Emergence, stating that he would kill anyone else who will try.[2]