With the Eternals coming out in 2021, after having been pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is going to get a large expansion of its fictional world. Not only are the Eternals an essential part of Marvel’s mythology, but they are also a very large group that is definitely going to be an integral part of the next phases of stories in the MCU.
It’s because of their importance, that we’ve decided to introduce them to our readers and talk about who the Eternals actually are and who will be featuring as the main characters in the upcoming film. In addition to that, we are going to explain how the Eternals are going to fit into the MCU and how they are going to help its evolution. Enjoy!
Who are the Eternals?
The Eternals are a fictional group from the Marvel Comics universe. They were created by Jack Kirby and first appeared in The Eternals #1 (1976). The Eternals are a powerful and immortal race of humanoid aliens created by the ancient Celestials.
The Eternals are generally depicted as good guys and protectors of the universe, especially when it comes to humanity; they usually protect the galaxy from their evil counterpart, the Deviants, but also against other cosmic enemies.
Dozens of Eternals have been identified in the comics so far, but that is only a small portion of the total number since there are more than 1,000 Eternals in Marvel’s Universe. They are usually divided into five generations, as follows:
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First Generation (born before the fall of Titanos) |
Arlok, Astron, Daina, Kronos/Chronos/Chronus, Master Elo, Oceanus, Shastra, Thyrio, Uranos |
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Second Generation (alive during Chronus’ experiment) |
Mentor (A’lars), Amaa, Cybele, Forgotten One/Gilgamesh, Helios, Perse, Rakar, Tulayn, Valkin, Virako, Zuras |
|
Third Generation (born after Chronus’ experiment, but before the Second Host) |
Aginar, Ajak, Arex, Atlo, Domo, Ikaris, Interloper, Mara, Phastos, Sigmar, Thanos, Thena, Veron, Zarin |
|
Fourth Generation (born after the coming of the Second Host) |
Argos, Ceyote, Chi Demon, the Delphan brothers, Druig, Khoryphos, Makkari, Psykos, Sersi, Kingo Sunen, El Vampiro |
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Fifth Generation (born after the coming of the Third Host) |
Aurelle, Sprite, Titanis |
The main characters of the Eternals movie
Ok, so now you know who the Eternals are, let’s see which of these characters are going to be appearing in the movie as the main characters:
- Thena (played by Angelina Jolie), known as one of the fiercest warriors among the Eternals;
- Ikaris (played by Richard Madden), known as being an all-powerful Eternal;
- Kingo (played by Kumail Nanjiani), an Eternal that possesses cosmic powers;
- Makkari (played by Lauren Ridloff), known for her super speed, but also for being the first deaf superhero in the MCU;
- Phastos (played by Brian Tyree Henry), known for being a cosmic-powered, genius inventor, and also the first openly gay superhero in the MCU;
- Ajak (played by Salma Hayek), best-known for her wisdom and for being the spiritual leader of the Eternals;
- Sprite (played by Lia McHugh), an Eternal known for being eternally young;
- Gilgamesh (played by Don Lee), known for his immense strength;
- Sersi (played by Gemma Chan), known as a human-loving and very emphatic Eternal, and;
- Druig (played by Barry Keoghan), the aloof Eternal.
As you can see, the movie is going to focus mainly on the Eternals from the third generation, which also gives us some information about the timeline of the movie and how it is going to fit into the MCU timeline.
How will the Eternals affect the MCU?
Now that you know everything you need to know about the Eternals and the main characters of the movie, we can discuss how the movie is going to impact the MCU when it finally comes out in the cinemas 12 February 2021. We know for a fact that the Eternals are going to have a big impact on the next phases f the MCU, which is why we are going to discuss some of the possibilities in this section of the article.
The first major impact it could have is related to the MCU’s cosmic narratives. We’ve seen in both Guardians of the Galaxy movies, as well as in Thor: Ragnarok, what Marvel’s cosmic stories look like, but these movies gave us just a glimpse of that large universe.
The Eternals can fully expand on that aspect and allow us to dive deep into Marvel’s galactic mythology, most of which was created or at least sketched by the legendary Jack Kirby. The stories of galactic exploration, meeting new races and creatures, exploring new planets, etc. – all of that is now a possible reality once the Eternals establish their cosmic narrative and we are really looking forward to seeing how deep into space the MCU writers plan ongoing.
This cosmic aspect will also allow for the Eternals to connect their narrative with some already-established plot elements within the MCU. The Eternals are connected with the Kree race, which has already played a major part in the MCU, but also with Titan, Thanos’ home planet whose destruction was shown in Infinity War.
Thanos is also an Eternal and it is heavily speculated that he will make an appearance in the Eternals, which is a great thing, as it will finally tie Marvel’s first big baddie with narratives that are not directly connected with the Infinity Saga.
Finally, the Eternals have a well-established comic book connection with the Avengers, which would be a great thing to explore in future movies.
Namely, Gilgamesh, who is set to appear in the movie, became a member of the Avengers in Avengers #300; he didn’t remain a member for a long time, but his presence was duly noted. It was when the Avengers brought Gilgamesh to Olympia to be healed that the group met Sersi, another Eternal that is set to appear in the movie.
Captain America was so impressed with her that he immediately offered her a place in the group, which she accepted in Avengers #314, remaining with the team until #375.
