Phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is getting interesting, as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is doing well in cinemas, and the excitement for upcoming movies, such as Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, is taking over.
Picture Credit: Marvel Studios
However, while Marvel’s Eternals may be lower on some fans’ lists, people are still excited to see a whole new team hit the big screen for the first time. In light of Eternals being the next MCU film to arrive in cinemas, we took a look at what the film has up its sleeve.
With the Infinity Saga over, and many of the well-known characters saying goodbye to the franchise, Phase four of the MCU is finally welcoming some lesser-known characters into the spotlight.
While characters such as Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), and Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) are still very much in the playing field, Marvel are introducing some comic characters that have never been seen on the big screen before.
Eternals are a group of perhaps unknown characters to general audiences, so Marvel’s stellar cast, including Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek and Kit Harrington, was a must in order to showcase the new team’s abilities and story.
The most recent trailer for Eternals confirms that the movie is mainly set after Avengers: Endgame (2019), as one character references the absence of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans), singling that the film takes place after these events.
Despite the main bulk of the film taking place in the present (within the MCU, it is 2024), the movie is set to span thousands of years as we see the team throughout different points in history.
They have been on Earth for centuries, watching over the human race and only interfering when absolutely necessary, namely when the Deviants turn up.
Now, it seems, the threat is back and the Eternals must fight to save humanity; the group have been scattered on Earth for centuries, and appear to be living normal lives within the world of humans, until they are needed once more.
One of the biggest questions MCU fans have about Eternals, is why they haven’t helped stop certain events from occurring. Many fans wonder why the team did nothing to help defeat Thanos (Josh Brolin), the Mad Titan, and it seems that the recent trailer answers that question.
The Eternals have been permitted to only interfere with human affairs if a Deviant is involved.
Of course, Marvel didn’t have plans for Eternals when many events took place, but this explanation seems to have appeased fans; for now.
The second trailer also showed us who gave the team this order; it seems as though a real Celestial, creator of the Eternals, is the one holding all the cards. The Celestial ordered the Eternals to only guide humanity, and not become involved unless, of course, Deviants posed a threat.
The Deviants mark the need for the Eternals to come out of hiding and band together once more. Deviants, like the Eternals, were created by Celestials, but are monster-like in appearance and are seen as the villainous counterparts to the super-powered group.
With the Eternals turning a blind eye to Loki’s (Tom Hiddleston) attack on New York, Ultron’s (James Spader) attempt to literally explode the planet, and Thanos’ repeated attacks, the Deviants could be the biggest threat the MCU has ever faced.
Many fans have wondered about the Celestials for a while. We have heard about them through the likes of The Collector (Benicio del Toro) in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), but never seen any come to life until now.
The first trailer for Eternals gave us little in the way of details and surprises, but the second and most recent trailer saw the reveal of a Celestial; if this particular being is Arishem the Judge, then trouble could be brewing.
Arishem is supposedly the Celestial who decides which civilisations live and which ones die; this suggests that the Deviants may not be the only threat the Eternals face.
Eternals is set to be a powerful, emotional and exciting new venture into Phase 4 of the MCU. With new characters and hints to previous movies, it appears that this instillation in the franchise will mix both old and new while still boasting a forward-moving narrative.
Eternals will be in cinemas November 5th, 2021.
Watch the trailer for Eternals below!
Written by Melissa, who you can follow on Twitter @melissajournal
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Tagged in Angelina Jolie Salma Hayek Marvel Kit Harington Eternals