Blog

We’ve known since the announcement of Eternals that we’re about to see a new group of aliens arrive on Earth. The trailer gave us a tease of their spaceship and when they first arrive, millennia before the Avengers were even a thought. Still, we know very little about their backstory outside of their ongoing war with the Deviants. Looks like a set visit by ComicBook.com may have given us an interesting reveal. Marvel Studios producer Nate Moor has unveiled that this group of heroic aliens are from the planet Olympia.

In the past, we see the Eternals, who in our version of the mythology, are immortal aliens from a planet called Olympia. The group has been tasked by the Celestials to come to Earth and eliminate creatures known as Deviants

Nate Moore

This reveal is quite interesting as they are commonly known to live on Titan, the planet we visited in Avengers: Infinity War. Thanos is an Eternal in the comics with the Deviant gene, which made us wonder if he has any connection with the upcoming group. In the trailers, they seemed aware of his existence but not of his potential origin. So, we’ll see if this opens up the possibility of other Eternals and their existence across the galaxy. Plus, the Olympia name is a nice play on the fact that some of the alien races were mixed up with the actual Greek gods. In the comics, Olympia was the name of a city. So, they might’ve given each race their own planet.

Source: ComicBook.com

The moment that we found out Kit Harington will play Dane Whitmore, many of us believed that we could see the Black Knight join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Surprisingly, he hasn’t had a large role in any of the trailers and mainly seemed to fall into the background. He also seems to primarily be the love interest for Sersi in the modern-day rather than a knight from the past. Still, we had some hope that he’ll wield the Ebony Blade at some point in the story. Yet, producer Nate Moore confirmed he won’t be wielding the blade in the film but it’ll act as a set-up for the future.

You won’t see the Ebony Blade in this movie. He’s not going to be Black Knight necessarily, but that is something that we get to play with down the road

Nate Moore

Sadly, it seems we’ll have to wait a bit longer until the Black Knight joins the franchise. Harington is quite the name for a small role in this film. So, we can expect a lot more of him in the future. He seems like a likely candidate to get his own Disney+ spinoff at some point, but we’ll see how his role unfolds in the film when it drops in early November. There’s also the ring that connects the character to his past with a raven insignia on his ring, as revealed through merchandise. They are planting the seeds.

Source: ComicBook

By all accounts, Eternals is set to be quite the stand-out film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Phase Four movie showcasing relatively unfamiliar characters from Marvel comics and introducing dramatic new mythology to the MCU. Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao has also teased how Eternals will stand out visually.

Zhao, who is well-known for her work on Nomadland, said that she believes Marvel Studios hired her for Eternals because of her ability to make the movie immersive enough for audiences to believe the premise that these superheroes have been around for 7,000 years. In an interview with Fandango, she highlighted that:

[T]here’s what I like to call an anthropological way of capturing things. The cameras are very grounded, and the movements are very natural. Shots are longer — we use wide angle lenses, and deep focus. Very similar to the thing you and I did together for Nomadland… it’s about giving the audience the space and the time to be able to explore what’s within the frame, and therefore come to their own conclusion of the relationship between the characters and the space they’re in.

Chloé Zhao

Overall, the director emphasized that one of the most important goals of the visual process was the make the otherworldly story of Eternals feel grounded. The key to that, according to Zhao, is consistency:

In this case you’re going throughout history and 7,000 years, [and so it’s] even more important to make us feel like this world feels real and grounded. I wanted to apply that same digital style to everything from action, visual effects, to also capturing the grand mythology of the Celestials in the cosmos, and the consistency of that. I wanted it to feel grounded yet fantastical.

Chloé Zhao

If her work on Best Picture-winner Nomadland and the footage of Eternals released so far is any indication, the upcoming installment of the MCU will be a visual experience unlike what audiences have seen so far from Marvel Studios.

Source: Fandango

Eternals may give Avengers: Endgame some competition for the longest Marvel Cinematic Universe’s runtime. With 2 hours and 30 minutes, we’ll spend quite a bit of time with this new alien race that could go toe-to-toe with the Avengers. Not only will they face off against a new threat in the Deviants, but the film will also explore the mysterious Celestials we’ve briefly seen throughout the first three phases.

Chloé Zhao did highlight that the length is quite intentional, as she has quite a lot to tell. Not only will the standalone film explore the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, but we’ll also see the origins of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plus, she’s got quite the ensemble on her hands with ten brand new characters who have their unique role as part of this unlikely band of heroes. Zhao even highlights that this cut may be on the shorter end.

It could be longer! You know, it’s ten characters, the Celestials and 7,000 years. There’s a lot going on.

Chloé Zhao

It’s no easy task to tell a story that spans millennia within a limited time. We don’t know how much she’ll dive into the history of the MCU, but we’ll certainly see its beginnings. The trailers also teased some parts of history that’ll build upon what we know from our very own. We might witness the events of the past few films through the eyes of the Eternals that recontextualize the events we spent the last decade with.

Source: Fandango

Eternals will introduce a new type of antagonist, the Deviants. It wasn’t until the second trailer that we got a closer look at these unique creatures that were genetic offshoots created by the Celestials in the comics. Their designs are quite distinctive from their comic counterparts, who were more humanoid in design. The only bipedal Deviant we meet was their leader, Kro. We briefly see him interact with Angeline Jolie‘s Thena, but that’s the extent of what we know about his motivation.

Luckily, director Chloé Zhao offered some insight into what drives his actions and perhaps what leads to his confrontation with the Eternals. Perhaps his main motivator is the right to survive and strive in a world that rejects him. The trailers hint that the alien race is on Earth to battle the Deviants and take care of their existence. While Zhao plays coy in her answer, she does give us a clearer picture.

I think the only thing I can say…he’s very unique. I think in a way I would say he is an accident in evolution, and there is great debate around the right for someone like him to exist.

Chloé Zhao

Last month, we learned from Dan Stevens that he is voicing the character, but that was the last we heard on it. The interesting aspect of this character is that he may show up in the story when the Deviants should be gone potentially, as Zhao teases that the Eternals went into hiding after taking care of the offshoot. So, who knows if he might have a larger plan that required a lot of patience.

Source: Fandango

Eternals looked like a project that would work independently from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yet, in an interview with Fandango, director Chloé Zhao has teased that not only does it explore the origins of the fictional universe but it may also have huge implications for the future. Luckily, she also confirmed that the Marvel Studios tradition lives on with the film having not one but two post-credit sequences. Not just that, she also highlighted that there will be some big surprises for both that might build upon the events of the film.

Don’t just stay for the first one — also stay for the second one, too. They are equally as important in weight, and both have big surprises for you.

Chloé Zhao

Eternals spans around 7,000 years and there are a lot of aspects that could help establish the future. She teased that the film will mainly focus on the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame which will most likely tie into the post-credit sequence. Perhaps there’s a new aspect of this franchise that’ll finally make its appearance once the credits roll.

Source: Fandango

Marvel Studios has just released its first featurette for the upcoming Eternals film. Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao builds off of her work of Nomadland to explore not just the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, but also the origins of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The trailers only gave us a glimpse of the Celestials, the ones that started it all but there might be a lot more to them, especially with what it may mean for the MCU moving forward.

In an interview with Fandango, Zhao offered some insight into her approach to the film, such as how she pitched it with a blow-up macro photo of sand while reciting a William Blake poem. She then went on to discuss how the film dives into the origins of the entire fictional universe and how the Celestials play a big part in the mythology they are building and may have larger implications for its future.

Well, let’s see… I think a big part of it is that audiences will be discovering the origin of the MCU through the mythology of the Celestials. I think by the end of the film, we will have a new understanding of planet Earth’s relationship with the cosmos, and also with her own inhabitants. But in that sense, it would have a huge effect on the future of the MCU.

Chloé Zhao

The origins of the MCU through the eyes of the Celestials may explore how Earth’s creation may tie into the appearance of many superpowered individuals. If it explores the history of the franchise, perhaps we’ll get a window into what makes humanity such a unique host for abilities and powers. In the comics, they also have close ties to Thanos, who’s referenced openly in some of the trailers. Perhaps there’s more to the Deviants than we first expect.

Source: Fandango