Avengers: Endgame may have ended the Infinity Saga but the Marvel Cinematic Universe is far from over. Marvel Studio’s Phase Four will introduce a slew of new characters into the universe starting with Eternals. In actuality, these immortal, ancient beings have been in the MCU, all along but soon they’ll have to come together to defend Earth from their sworn enemy, the Deviants.
Here’s what we know so far about Eternals, including the teaser trailer, plot synopsis, release date and cast.
NOTE: This article was updated on May 25, 2021, to include the Eternals teaser trailer, poster and official plot synopsis.
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Marvel’s Eternals Teaser Trailer
Released on May 24, 2021, the first official teaser trailer for Eternals depicts the group arriving on Earth during ancient times and settling down with the locals. As Skeeter Davis’ “The End of the World” plays in the background, Salma Hayek’s Ajak explains in voice over that they’ve helped humanity advance but never interfered until now. The trailer shows the Eternals living amongst humanity throughout the years. In one shot, one team member, possible Sersi, helps with some farming while another has their hair brushed. Another shot shows a group of people who appear to be kneeling to the Eternals, perhaps as a sign of respect or even worship. There’s also an extended shot of the group in front of the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and at one point, they all use their powers together, possibly to form a Uni-Mind. Fans can also catch a quick glimpse of Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman sanding with Sersi.
Throughout the trailer, individual Eternals also get to show off their abilities and personalities. Thena spars in an area surrounded by turquoise sheets of fabric. Makkari speed-reads through piles of book and saves a girl from a falling pillar. Sersi wanders through city streets and is also seen with Ikaris throughout different eras. Sprite sings in a private jet with a bar, but looks worried in another shot where she’s surrounded by a volcanic backdrop. Indeed, a volcano can later be seen erupting in the trailer. Ajak comforts Phastos and both are shown using their powers on different occasions. Kinko performs a Bollywood number. Finally, Druig is seen walking into what looks like some sort of commune in a forest, which also serves as the setting for a fight later on.
The trailer ends with a group of Eternals eating together in modern day. Ajak, Makkari, Phastos and Druig are absent. Ikaris thanks Gilgamesh for the food and Sprite asks who the others think will lead the Avengers now that Captain America and Iron Man are gone. Ikaris responds that he could lead them, which makes everyone laugh.
A First Look at Eternals Debuted in Early May 2000
Fan got their first glimpse at Eternals in the video, “Marvel Studios Celebrates The Movies,” on May 3, 2021. The short clips show the group standing on a beach, in a forest and in front of the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, as well as individual shots of Ajak, Thena, Sersi and Kinko.
In July 2020, one of the stars of the film, Ma Dong-seok, also known as Don Lee, may have leaked a teaser poster for the film on Instagram. The poster appears to show the Eternals standing together with several large lights behind them. Some fans believe these could be portals while others are speculating that it may be the face of Eson the Searcher, a Celestial who appeared briefly in Guardians of the Galaxy. This would be fitting since the Eternals were originally created by the Celestials.
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The Official Plot of Eternals
Here’s the official, update for Eternals, released May 24, 2021, with the teaser trailer:
Marvel Studios’ Eternals welcomes an exciting new team of Super Heroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The epic story, spanning thousands of years, features a group of immortal heroes forced out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s oldest enemy, The Deviants.
Created by Jack Kirby, the Eternals are a race of powerful, practically immortal humanoids. They came into existence long ago when the Celestials, a group of ancient god-like beings, came to Earth and experimented on pre-humans. The Celestials also created the Deviants, a race of intelligent, monstrous-looking humanoids. While the Deviants have hidden underground, the Eternals have lived secretly among humanity for millennia. The two groups have always clashed.
The film will take place after Avengers: Endgame, and will likely explain what the Eternals have been doing all this time. Since they’ve been around for thousands of years, they’ve existed in the MCU from the beginning but have yet to reveal themselves to the world. The Eternals may have stayed out of these conflicts for a reason but some of them could have been secretly helping all along, like the Ancient One in the Battle of New York. Alternatively, they could have group amnesia as they did in the 2006 run by Neil Gaiman. If this is the case, the film could show the Eternals regaining their memories before coming together. While Eternals will focus on the group, Kevin Feige has indicated that Gemma Chan’s Sersi will be a sort of main character for the movie.
Eternals Release Date
Although Eternals was originally set to be released in November 2020, it has since been pushed back to Nov. 5, 2021, because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Filming wrapped in February 2020, and the movie is now in post-production.
Eternals Cast & Crew
The film is helmed by Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, The Rider) with a screenplay by up-and-coming screenwriters Matthew and Ryan Firpo.
Some alterations have been made to the characters’ races and genders from the source material. As a result, it features a diverse, star-studded cast with Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Barry Keoghan as Druig, Gemma Chan as Sersi and Kit Harington as Dane Whitman/Black Knight. The film also features Marvel’s first openly gay superhero, along with its first deaf superhero.
Directed by Chloé Zhao from a screenplay by Matthew and Ryan Firpo, Eternals stars Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Barry Keoghan as Druig, Gemma Chan as Sersi and Kit Harington as Dane Whitman, aka the Black Knight. The film will premiere in theaters on Nov. 5, 2021.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
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