The Eternals will be coming to the MCU at the end of 2021. Let us see what we know about these Cosmic Beings who are about to “visit Earth.”
Who would have thought that the idea “to bring together a group of remarkable people” would eventually bring together immortals from various corners of the Universe! The Eternals will be making their MCU debut in Phase 4, and speculations were never more varied and enthralling for Marvel fans. Directed by Chloe Zhao and slated to release In November 2021, MCU’s The Eternals will pave way for even more characters from the Marvel comics to the big screen.
Who Are The Eternals?
The Eternals had the debut in the Marvel comics in the 1970s by the hands of legendary Marvel writer and artist Jack Kirby. According to the comics, the Eternals are a race of ancient immortal super-humans or aliens who have shared Earth with humanity in secrecy. They were the creation of God-like beings known as the Celestials, who also created the evil Deviants. And since the film will be the first appearance of the Eternals, it seems natural that they will face their arch enemies, the Deviants, “mankind’s most ancient enemy.”
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The cast of MCU The Eternals includes Salma Hayek, Don Lee, Richard Madden, Kit Harrington, Brian Tyree Henry, Angelina Jolie, Lia McHugh, Lauren Ridloff, and Kumail Nanjiani. As for the characters which they will be playing, we need to delve some ore into the very history of the Eternals.
Where Were The Eternals During Endgame?
According to the Marvel archives, the Celestials established a rule that the Eternals will not be allowed to interfere in the affairs of the Earth until they made their visit, which is once every thousand years. This would let the Celestials observe humans without the Eternals using their powers to alter the fate of mankind. This makes sense in the MCU storyline too. Since the Eternals were forbidden from involving in earthly matters, the Avengers did not encounter them (even with so much at stake in Endgame). And neither would the X-Men or Fantastic Four, if they were a part of MCU earlier, which now they are. So this seems to be the perfect moment for the Eternals to arrive at the MCU.
Watch: The Eternals | Comic Con Panel |2019
Origin of The Eternals in the Marvel Comics
In the Marvel comics, there are four separate groups of Eternals, and apparently, two will be appearing in MCU The Eternals. Let us find out more about them.
The Olympian Eternals
Centuries after their arrival on Earth, the chief scientist of the Eternals –Kronos – was working with cosmic energy. This is when an accident occurs and destroys his body. This alters the molecular structure of all the Eternals at their home planet, Titanos. This alteration is what gave the Eternals their immortality and their cosmic powers.
So, with Kronos gone, his son Zuras took over, and under his leadership, the Eternals founded Olympia, a secret city near Mount Olympus, Greece. The Marvel comics mostly deal with Olympian Eternals, and it seems that the MCU, too, will do the same. This is clear by the cast of characters that Marvel revealed at Comic-Con 2019. It includes Thena (Angelina Jolie), Sprite (Lia McHugh), Sersi (Gemma Chan), Gilgamesh (Don Lee), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), and Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry). All these characters are from Olympia.
The Polar Eternals
After the destruction of Titanos, along with Olympia, the Eternals built three other cities. One of these is Polaris in Siberia. And the Eternals of Polaris are known as Polar Eternals. As per the reveal, three Polar Eternals will be debuting in the movie, Richard Madden playing Ikaris, Salma Hayek playing a gender-swapped Ajak Barry Keoghan playing Druig, and Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo. Although we do not know if Polaris will be in the movie, the presence of these characters might lead to their collaboration with the Olympian Eternals.
The Uranian Eternals
Uranos was the brother of Kronos. After a civil war between their forces, Uranos left Titanos with his followers. And they founded their colonies on Uranus along with one of the moons of Saturn, Titan. The Titans colony was wiped out but the colonies of Uranus survived. Although they won’t be in MCU The Eternals, Marvel can bring them over in the not too distant future.
The Titanian Eternals
After Kronos’ death, not every Eternal supported Zuras as the new leader. Some wanted Kronos’ other son A’lars to be their leader. Dissatisfied, a group of Eternals followed A’lars into space and built their colony on Titan. Sometime later, A’lars fell in love with one of the Eternals of Uranos, Sui-San. And they had two sons, Eros (also known as Starfox) and the one whom we all know by now, Thanos. MCU has not yet shown any mention of the “Mad Titan” being an Eternal. But we may see A’lars in the future of The Eternals franchise to establish the connection.
So, there is a lot to wait for and a lot more to speculate. Meanwhile, MCU The Eternals comes out in November 2021, just after Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings.
