The Marvel Cinematic Universe is getting godly in Phase 4.
"Eternals," the 26th movie in the sprawling MCU,
is hitting theaters in 2021, about a team of heroes you may know nothing about. Here's
everything you need to know about "Eternals," and how the film fits into Marvel's Phase 4.
"You are about to meet the greatest warriors the world has ever known."
"Eternals" was officially announced on July 20, 2019 at Comic-Con in San Diego,
with a slated premiere date of November 6, 2020. Unfortunately, when the
coronavirus pandemic inevitably led to a total reshuffling of the MCU slate, things changed.
With theaters around the world shuttered, "Black Widow" ultimately ended up being
moved to May 2021, making 2020 the first year without a Marvel movie since 2009.
"Eternals" was given a new release date of November 5, 2021. Fortunately, this schedule
actually stuck. Marvel fans have been hearing news about a film based on the Eternals comics being in
the works since the spring of 2018 — three and a half years later, they'll finally get to see it.
Even longtime Marvel fans might not be too knowledgeable about who the Eternals are
and their role in the Marvel Universe. After all, they appeared in a relatively limited run of comic
books in the mid 1970s and '80s. The storyline was revived for a miniseries by Neil Gaiman in 2006,
which brought these characters into the modern Marvel universe.
So, who are the Eternals, and what is their significance? According to Marvel lore,
an alien species called the Celestials visited Earth millions of years ago
and began carrying out experiments on the inhabitants. Naturally,
the results of these experiments weren't always a net positive for our planet.
The Celestials were the original creators of the Eternals, beings that looked like
humans yet possessed abilities like flight, mind reading, and unbelievable strength and endurance.
Their superpowers and resilience made them essentially immortal and indestructible.
But the Celestials' experiments were also responsible for the creation of the Deviants,
another group of humanoids who were burdened with genetic mutations and typically grotesque
in appearance. Humans mistook Eternals for gods, and the Eternals often clashed with
the Deviants to protect humanity. However, the Eternals weren't unfailingly perfect — as we'll
likely see in the film, they can be misled and instigate conflicts among themselves.
At this point, we've met countless characters from the original Marvel comics in the MCU.
Have we been introduced to any of the Eternals yet? Sort of.
It hasn't been mentioned in the movies yet, but Thanos, the most formidable enemy of the
Avengers so far, was actually the child of Eternals. If that seems a little confusing,
that's understandable — the Eternals were supposed to be protecting humanity,
not wiping it out, and they should be able to physically blend in among humans.
However, it's safe to say that Thanos was a bit of a wild card,
because he also possessed a recessive Deviant gene, which explains his purply appearance.
Obviously lots of things can change in the journey from the comics to the MCU,
so we wouldn't necessarily use him as an example of the Eternals or Deviants to come.
Given that the MCU has never shied away from streamlining or changing
its characters' dense histories for the screen,
it's entirely possible that Thanos' comic history as an Eternal-Deviant hybrid may not even come up.
"Eternals" actually shares a connection with another film in the MCU. In "Guardians of
the Galaxy Vol. 2," Peter Quill's father, Ego, tells Peter that he is a Celestial.
"Celestial like a god?" "Small 'g,' son."
He's portrayed as extremely powerful and possesses god-like abilities. Ego is millions of years old,
and he is able to manipulate the matter around him. By the time we meet him in "Guardians Vol.
2," he has managed to form a whole planet around himself, but he can also inhabit a human body.
Yet all of this wasn't enough for Ego. He eventually became bored with mere immortality and
decided that he wanted to turn all of the worlds in the cosmos into extensions of himself. But he
wasn't capable of doing this alone, so he needed another Celestial to help him turn his idea into
reality. That's exactly why he became a father in the first place — he hoped his son Peter would
become his accomplice, and to ensure that his son wouldn't be led astray, Ego killed Peter's mother.
When Peter found out that Ego was responsible for his mother's death,
he turned against Ego, and the Guardians teamed up to destroy him. Clearly, the Celestials can
have nefarious intentions, and they're not an all-powerful force for good in the universe.
The cast of "Eternals" is rounded out with both rising stars and A-listers. Richard Madden,
who rose to fame for playing the ill-fated Robb Stark in
"Game of Thrones," has signed on to play Ikaris.
Ikaris was known as the "Prime Eternal" in the comics, meaning that he was more powerful than
the other Eternals. He is fueled by cosmic energy, and he can move at super speed and communicate
telepathically. His sheer physical strength and agility makes him a formidable opponent in combat.
"What is this even made of? Vibranium?" "Don't-"
And speaking of "Game of Thrones," Kit Harington,
who is best known for playing Jon Snow, is in the "Eternals" cast as Dane Whitman.
Whitman isn't an Eternal himself, but he is a superhero who goes by the name the Black
Knight -- and it's likely that he'll have a prominent place in future Marvel films,
one way or another. You may not have heard of him, but it's worth mentioning that he's
been a member of the Avengers -- and sometimes even the team's leader -- for a very long time.
"Who do you think's gonna lead the Avengers?" "I could lead them."
Ridloff was born Deaf, and as one of the few Deaf actors in Hollywood,
she has always wanted to see more representation for her community onscreen.
Now, she's made film history as the first explicitly deaf superhero in the MCU.
Her casting also represents a major change from the original comics — her character
Makkari was actually a male character, and he wasn't written as deaf. But the reception to
this change has been overwhelmingly positive so far, and fans are generally looking forward
to seeing Ridloff's portrayal of Makkari, an Eternal with the power of super speed.
Angelina Jolie plays the ageless Eternal, Thena,
in the "Eternals" cast — a major get for the MCU, to say the least.
In the Marvel Universe, the city of Athens, Greece was actually built for Thena, not the goddess
Athena as most would naturally assume. And that's no inconsequential mix-up; human beings confusing
Thena and Athena bred hostility between the Eternals and the Olympic gods of Greek mythology,
eventually leading to an all out war. In Gaiman's "Eternals" comics, Thena works as a researcher
at Stark Enterprises and starts remembering her past as an Eternal through recurring nightmares.
Jolie is definitely the biggest name attached to the "Eternals" cast,
and maybe the MCU in general, and she's ecstatic to be part of the evolving on-screen universe.
Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con, she said,
"I'm going to work ten times harder. I know what we all need to do,
we have all read the script, we all know what the task ahead is,
and we know what you deserve, so we are all going to be working very, very hard."
When Marvel initially revealed the main "Eternals" cast members at Comic-Con,
they left audiences in suspense about who would be playing Sersi.
At Disney's D23 Expo it was announced that Gemma Chan had landed the role.
As an Eternal, Sersi possesses powers like transmutation, mind control, and flight. However,
she also loves living among humans. She eventually becomes a famous party planner in New York City,
entertaining her guests with magic that they believe is mere illusion.
Chan actually has a previous, unrelated role in the MCU as the Kree warrior Minn-Erva, last seen
getting blown up near the end of "Captain Marvel." She's ecstatic to be joining the "Eternals"
cast and having the opportunity to play a new character in the MCU, posting on Twitter in 2019,
"I couldn't be happier to be coming back to the MCU to play this iconic character
and to work with this incredible group of people."
Chan isn't the only rising star joining the "Eternals" cast. At D23, it was revealed that
Barry Keoghan will officially be playing Druig. Druig does have superpowers, but he doesn't use
them for good — he's the villain of the film, wreaking havoc in the cosmos and on Earth.
Keoghan has wanted to join the MCU for a while — in fact,
he even tweeted to Stan Lee about it in 2013, writing,
Stan Lee, Please Make me a SuperHero :).
Now, he's finally achieved his goal.
Keoghan caught the attention of critics with his performance as
George Mills in the Academy Award-winning film "Dunkirk"
and went on to star in the psychological thriller "The Killing of a Sacred Deer."
Most recently, he played a role in two episodes of the critically acclaimed HBO series "Chernobyl."
Druig definitely represents a different type of role for Keoghan, but clearly,
he's been waiting years for a shot at landing a part in the MCU. Now, it's his time to shine.
Overall, the cast of "Eternals" is stacked, with a few other names new
to superherodom that you'll probably recognize.
Kumail Nanjiani will be playing Kingo, an Eternal with a day job as a major Bollywood star.
Brian Tyree Henry will be appearing as Phastos,
who basically develops all of the high-tech gear and equipment that the Eternals need.
In an apparent first for Marvel, Lebanese actor Haaz Sleiman will be appearing in "Eternals" as
Phastos' husband, making him one half of the first openly gay relationship in the MCU.
Salma Hayek has signed on to play Ajak, who often has to serve as a
diplomat between the Eternals and the Celestials. This is because Ajak was
originally the only Eternal with the ability to directly communicate with the Celestials.
Don Lee is taking on the role of Gilgamesh, an Eternal who in the comics has fought alongside
the Avengers on numerous occasions, but has been essentially overlooked until now.
Finally, Lia McHugh, the youngest member of the main cast, is playing Sprite — as the name
suggests, she's a mischievous trickster whose pranks have always gotten her into trouble.
Director Chloe Zhao will be at the helm of "Eternals."
Zhao is a newcomer to the world of Marvel.
These days, of course, Zhao is best known as the director of "Nomadland."
The film won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture
and Best Director, making Zhao the second woman in history to secure an Oscar for directing.
Zhao's history as an indie filmmaker turned Oscar winner makes her an interesting choice
for the director of Eternals. This film definitely represents a new artistic
direction for the filmmaker, but there's no doubt that the movie is in good hands.
Young Syrian actor Zain Al Rafeea has a supporting role
in "Eternals" -- and it may be a significant one.
While he only appears briefly in the movie's teaser and trailer,
apparently as a prehistoric human, Salma Hayek posted a photo with Lia McHugh and Al Rafeea,
with the caption, "Hanging with the Eternals' youth." Al Rafeea himself
hinted that he might be playing Namor the Sub-Mariner, an Atlantean prince and mutant.
Time will tell whether or not these rumors have any truth to them,
but if "Eternals" opens the door to Marvel's undersea kingdom,
and the story of the first mutant, it'll be even more of a must-see movie.
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