Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is coming to a close with “Avengers: Endgame” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” In the meantime, Marvel studios have begun to move forward with their plans for Phase 4. One of the first films on their list is Jack Kirby’s 1976 comic “The Eternals,” which has a suspected 2020 release date. It’s believed that the movie’s plot will be set in the past, revealing the never-before-seen history of the MCU. This is a very bold move from Marvel, seeing as “The Eternals” has a smaller fanbase.
Rumors suggest that “The Eternals” will be set “millions of years ago,” when a cosmic race known as the Celestials first began to experiment on humans. The Celestials will eventually go on to create two powerful evolutionary offshoots of humanity, the Eternals and the villainous Deviants, races who will eventually be at war with one another for basically forever.
Marvel Studios hired writing duo Matthew and Ryan Firpo to write the movie script back in May. They’ve also hired Chinese director Chloé Zhao to take on the film.
Who are “The Eternals”?
In the beginning, there were a cosmic race of godlike beings called the Celestials, who visited Earth some 5 million years ago. During their time on Earth, they performed genetic experiments on human beings, eventually creating the Eternals, who have the ability to augment their own life force, making them invulnerable and essentially immortal. They were also able to use psionic powers where they can manipulate matter at the molecular level to do almost anything. They’re also crafty at building their own advanced technology.
While both experimenting and creating the Eternals, the Celestials also created beings who were genetically unstable and monstrously grotesque, called the Deviants. Both the Eternals and the Deviants have animosity toward one another, which locked them into an ongoing war. Maybe it had to do with the Eternals not looking like disgusting monsters?
Despite looking human, the Eternals lead longer lives, which keeps them from having much contact with their human cousins. Although Eternals have a low birth rate, they can still interbreed with humans, but it always results in a normal human being. Despite this, the Eternals strive to protect the human race, especially from the Deviants.
The Character Line-Up
The big question when it comes to this film is which characters Marvel Studios will choose to focus on. Although The Hashtag Show revealed the character line-up for the movie, there will be a ton of characters in “The Eternals.” Here’s to wondering if there will be more than the revealed list tells us.
Karen: Not much is known about this character, as she doesn’t have a comic book character associated with her. She’s a new addition and is described as a powerful leader with a timeless quality.
Druig: Since his name made an appearance on the list, it seems he may or may not be the bad guy in the movie. Usually there’s more than one villain in these comics/movies.
Piper: Piper, who’s wise beyond her years, has a strong and charismatic presence. Originally this character was a boy named Sprite, but it looks like the film will take a different direction with Piper altogether.
Elysisus: An artificially created being patterned in and possessing the attributes of an Eternal, she was created by a sentient computer system on Titan.
Forgotten One: Also known as Gilgamesh, they are the outcast among The Eternals.
Ikaris: From the Eternal city of Polaria, Ikaris is an Eternal born over 20,000 years ago. Not only can this guy create illusions, but he can red superficial thoughts of any mind due to his low level psychic abilities.
Makkari: Born in one of three Eternal cities on Earth, Markkari is a member of The Eternals’ Technologist’s Guild, where he builds high-speed vehicles.
Sersi: A fourth generation Eternal. She loves and desires to live with the humans.
Starfox: Unlike his brother, Thanos, Eros (aka Starfox) is a hero of Earth and has the power to control the emotions of others. He won’t be finger-snapping anyone away.
Thena: Daughter of Zuras, like all Eternals Thena possesses superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility and reflexes. She also has the ability to manipulate cosmic energy to augment her life force.
Zuras: Hailing from Titanos, the first city of The Eternals, Zuras is the chosen leader of The Eternals on Earth due to his creation of the Uni-Mind.
A Love Story?
The plot of “The Eternals” largely revolves around the war between the two beings created by the Celestials, the Eternals and the Deviants. While an early synopsis confirmed it, the core of the story will focus on the love between Ikaris, a man fueled by cosmic energy and Sersi, an Eternal who delights in living amongst humans. However, newly revealed character breakdowns reveal an even larger scope for the film’s cast.
TheWrap reported in April 2018 that “multiple screenwriters have taken meetings and have been asked to come up with a story that focuses on the female Eternal known as Sersi.”
The character made her first appearance as Circe in Jack Kirby’s “Strange Tales” No. 109 in June 1963, essentially making her the nymph or goddess of magic that appears in Homer’s “Odyssey.” Marvel’s Thor is an Asgardian that humans worshipped as a god, and although Circe is something similar to that, it’s just in a Greek pantheon of gods kind of way.
In the comics, Sersi loves living among the humans despite her immense power. She eventually settles in New York City, uses illusion magic to entertain humans and becomes a party planner. Were these characters living on Earth all along? Or do they only exist in a post-“Endgame” reality? Also, how does an almighty Eternal become a party planner?
The Cast
While there isn’t a lot of information on who will be playing each character in the film, one character is certain: Angelina Jolie is confirmed for “The Eternals” movie. She will be playing Sersi, one of the main characters in the franchise. This should be an interesting role for the famed actress, and the first Marvel film she’ll be featured in.
News also broke out on April 5 that comedian Kumail Nanjiani was in negotiations to join the MCU. Nanjiani is best known for starring in the HBO sitcom “Silicon Valley,” and he was also nominated for an Oscar for his screen play “The Big Sick.” It’ll be interesting to which superpowered Eternal he’s going to be. And, since he’s a comedian, we should expect some kind of hilarity to ensue.
As of last week, Marvel also announced South Korean actor Ma Dong-Seok, also known as Don Lee, will make his first debut in the “The Eternals.” What or who he will portray is being kept under wraps. Marvel is really keeping the cast hush-hush, as those are the only actors we know of thus far.
While the actual release date hasn’t been announced, the film is reported to begin production in Atlanta during August of this year. With production starting so soon, then it should be released sometime 2020. Check out “The Eternals” when they hit theaters next year.
