Aahana Swrup
‘The Eternaut’ follows the story of an unlikely post-apocalyptic protagonist, Juan Salvo, who, out of sheer luck, manages to survive what could have been the end of the times. It makes for a strange scene when a seemingly unending snowfall overtakes the entirety of Buenos Aires and beyond, in the dead of summer. However, stranger still, this unusual snow seems to have the power to kill anything and everything that it touches. Luckily, Juan is in the safety of his friend, Favalli’s house, along with others, who are spared as the initial victims of this lethal change in the weather. Nonetheless, once Juan realizes his daughter, Clara, is still out there and could fall victim to the snow, he decides to brave the chaotic world outside in search of his family.
As the days progress, and more concerning revelations are made about this damaged new reality, impossible discoveries are brought to the forefront. Originally titled ‘El Eternauta,’ this Netflix sci-fi show presents a thrilling story about the inescapable nature of survival in the face of invasion. However, what exactly does this tale of fatalistic snowfall, buggy invaders, and crumbling society have to do with its unique title? SPOILERS AHEAD!
Eternaut: A Navigator Lost in Time
‘The Eternaut,’ the unofficial title bestowed upon the show’s protagonist, Juan Salvo, is a word Héctor Germán Oesterheld created. His beloved comic book ‘The Eternaut,’ ‘El Eternauta’ in the original Spanish, is the source material for the on-screen adaptation and the initial originator of the titular term. First published in 1957, with Francisco Solano López credited for the artwork, the comics and their 1969 reboot with Alberto Breccia as the artist/inker is one of the most celebrated Argentine political sci-fi comics of its time. The story, much like its screen adaptation, revolves around a survivor who faces off against an impossible alien enemy invasion.
However, the inked story has a divergent beginning to its narrative as it opens to the distinct scene of the protagonist, Juan Salvo, unceremoniously appearing at author Oesterheld’s home. During this visit, the character recounts his experiences of confronting the apocalyptic alien invasion. His adventures had led him to discover a time machine, capable of traveling not only through time but also through dimensions. As a result, he has now become trapped in a twisted time loop of sorts, forced to relive the end of the times, while he continues searching for his family in an unending cycle. It is this very nature of Juan’s character that feeds into the title of Oesterheld’s work.
Etymologically, ‘El Eternauta,’ the original title of the work, can be traced back to the root Greek word “naut,” which can be translated to sailor or traveler. It is a recognizable suffix used in words like astronaut or argonauts. On the other hand, the “Eter” of the term likely comes from “éter” or “ether,” a once scientific term used to describe the fifth element. It was believed to permeate the spaces, aiding in the transmission of electromagnetic waves and radiation. As such, combining the two, we get Eternauta, or a sailor through the enigmatic dimensions. Similarly, Eternaut remains just an anglicized version of the same term.
When applied to Juan, it becomes a befitting title that refers to his unique identity as a traveler suspended in time and dimension, forced to repeat an ouroboros cycle. Unlike the comics, the show only begins to hint at this storyline of his entrapping in a time loop toward the end of its first season. Thus, at the time of writing, the on-screen Juan is yet to come into his identity as an Eternaut. Yet, even though the man doesn’t know it yet, he carries the weight and the fate of a traveler through time and dimensions, saddled with the responsibility of witnessing, participating, and attempting to rewrite history.
Read More: The Eternaut Ending Explained: Who is Controlling the Bugs and the Humans?
