It looks like James Gunn may still be busy filming the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. While he shared a wrap gift with only a few more days to go on production, as he is working on both the special and Vol. 3, it was unclear what exactly is being filmed at the time. Perhaps a new rumor not only hints at what they are working on but even includes a great little tie-in to the overarching Marvel Cinematic Universe.
According to The Hashtag Show’s Hunter Bolding, he shared a tweet that they are currently filming something on Hollywood Blvd. While he can’t confirm which production it is, the Christmas decorations seem to hint that it is in fact the Guardians special. The biggest reveal is that it seems there are various posters of Kingo at the location. We last saw Kumail Nanjiani‘s character in 2021’s Eternals. He’s a Bollywood star and it’s a fun Easter egg to include if they are filming at the Chinese Theater.
I don't know much, but Marvel is 100% filming something on Hollywood Blvd at the Chinese Theater. Posters with Kingo from Eternals are up, and Christmas decorations are everywhere… Looks like it could be the Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special #Marvelpic.twitter.com/DejKSwcxvX
Twitter user @PokeDan4 has shared a video from the set that confirms they are in fact filming at the Chinese Theater. The only thing is that it’s hard to make out any posters featuring Kingo.
I have somehow stumbled upon the set of the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie. pic.twitter.com/FjBm0Mzurf
Of course, there are no details on what poster it might be but it’ll be something fun to find for those keeping an eye out. It does also open up the question if we’ll see the return of Nathan Fillion, who was cast as Simon Williams but his cameo was cut from the film. So, we’ll see if he might get a second chance to pay tribute to what almost was.
Updated 4/29/22:
A new video has surfaced giving us a clear look at a poster featuring Kumail Nanjiani‘s Kingo!
Following the introduction of both Konshu and Ammit in the first couple of Moon Knight episodes, Marvel Studios took yet another step into the rich Egyptian mythology that’s being built into the MCU by giving us a glimpse of its take on a few more characters based on Egypt’s ancient deities. This isn’t the first foray into the realm of gods for Marvel Studios, but it could certainly prove to be yet another substantial stepping stone toward the MCU’s near future.
Marvel Studios’ Thor (2011)
In episode three of Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight, Marc Spector, as Khonshu’s avatar, gets summoned to a meeting-of-the-avatars of sorts set within the Great Pyramid of Giza (perhaps serving as the MCU’s Overvoid). There, we meet the avatars of five members of the Ennead, a “super group of Egyptian gods” as described by Steven Grant in episode one. Its name comes from the Greek Enneás, which means “the Nine”, meaning that Steve was indeed right in correcting the mistake made by the National Gallery in its own exhibit’s promotional material. Of the nine gods with a place at the gathering, only five took to their seats at the chamber: Horus, Isis, Tefnut, Osiris, and Hathor. Shu (mentioned by name in episode one) and Geb (featured in the exhibit’s poster) were notably absent. As for the remaining two seats, it seems fair to think that those would belong to both Khonshu and Ammit, making the MCU’s version of the Ennead complete.
Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight
As for what these gods represent, little is set in stone in terms of who they are and what their main focus is within the MCU. Even the historically accepted constitution of the Ennead differs from the one we got in Moon Knight, leaving just enough room for Marvel Studios to slightly adapt each of the gods’ characters to fit whichever storyline might suit them best down the line. It’s not unheard of to have a god have multiple fields of expertise (let us put it that way), as it is actually extremely normal for that to happen. This means that it’s all up to Marvel’s writing teams to figure out where to focus on when, and if, these characters are called upon once again.
The Heliopolitans
And this brings us to the future of not only Egyptian gods in the MCU but, considering how Pandora’s box has indeed been cracked open, the future of many other pantheons of deities of specific spiritual practices and geographical locations. And the appearance of some might be more surprising than others.
Thor: Love and Thunder is an obvious choice. But this project will not only bring back Asgardian gods into the fold, as it is apparently set to introduce at least one character from the Olympians as back in April 2021 Russel Crowe seemingly confirmed that he would be playing Zeus in the Thor sequel. This might open the door for several other representatives of the Greek pantheon such as Ares, Poseidon, Apollo, or perhaps even Hercules. By making Gorr, the God Butcher, the main antagonist of the fourth installment of the Thor franchise, it would be a shame if many new gods aren’t introduced in order to, you know, be butchered.
The Olympians
But another upcoming, and perhaps less obvious, MCU movie that might also hugely benefit from Marvel Studios embracing its mythology is none other than Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. As we already speculated last September, following the release of Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, the Black Panther sequel might very well decide to focus on the Aztec Empire making it serve as the grounded real-world connection to the mythical undersea kingdom of Atlantis. Going this route, and doubling down on the mythological unveiling within yet another culture depicted in the MCU, would mean opening the door to another, less recognizable, group of deities: The Tēteoh, a race of supernatural beings worshiped as gods by the Aztecs of ancient Central America, much like the Heliopolitans in Egypt or the Olympians in Greece.
The Tēteoh
Following the introduction of the titular characters in Eternals, continuing to explore the storyline possibilities set by the several Marvel pantheons, by characters beyond the realm of man, unconstrained and with a whole new set of motivations would certainly prove an interesting one. Especially because there are numerous groups left to explore: The Ahau (Mayan), The Akua (Polynesian). The Apu (Inca), The Daevas (Hindu), The Inua (Inuit), The Manidoog (Native American), and many more, including The Tuatha de Danaan and the Fomorians (both Celtic) who operate out of Otherworld, a place that is bound to make its MCU debut following the introduction of Dane Whitman, The Black Knight, in the aforementioned Eternals.
Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings
An interesting and easy way to justify how these characters have been on Earth all along even if we haven’t seen them or even acknowledge them before is to do what Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings did with Ta Lo. In the comics, Ta Lo was a small “pocket” dimension adjacent to Earth, and it appears to be something quite similar in the MCU. It is described as a mystical dimension, inhabited by Chinese mythological creatures, that have managed to stay hidden not only by being difficult to access but especially by making it unclear to the outside world if it’s even a real place or not. And this is where Moon Knight‘s Heliopolis, as well as the Aztec Tlālōcān, the Greek Olympus, Otherworld, and many more otherwordly sites where gods roam, come to mind. They all share the common characteristic of being located on extradimensional realms, much like Ta Lo, with easy access to Earth through portals in the vicinity of where its inhabitants are worshipped by humans – places like Egypt, the Yucatán Peninsula, Mount Olympus in Greece, Stonehenge, and so on – making Earth the nexus of it all. A perfect answer as to how to bring the MCU to a new level of storytelling. Into The Age of Gods.
Marvel Studios continues to earn accolades for its work, and the latest honor bestowed on the company is pretty unique. Hawkeye, the hit Disney+ series which aired over the holiday season, and Eternals, the blockbuster film from Chloé Zhao, have been given the Seal of Authentic Representation from the Ruderman Family Foundation. The award is intended to advocate for the full inclusion of people with disabilities in society. It is only given out to movies and television shows that feature actors with disabilities in roles with at least five lines of dialogue. Other projects included in this year’s recipients are Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building and HBO Max’s And Just Like That, which also had deaf characters in major roles.
Eternals star Lauren Ridloff, who portrayed the lovable speedster Makkari, became the MCU’s first deaf superhero last November. She quickly became a fan favorite from the film, and it’s likely she’s yet to make her last appearance in the franchise. Casting director Sarah Finn released a statement on the matter:
Not only was [Ridloff] overly qualified to join an already high-level cast, she elevated the ensemble with her unique spirit, talents and charisma. It’s been a privilege getting to know her through the process and seeing what a real-life hero she has become to so many.
Sarah Finn
Hawkeye introduced the world to Alaqua Cox, who brought the deaf assassin Echo to life to critical praise. The actress, who is also an amputee, is set to reprise her role in her own solo series on Disney+. Finn continued:
Alaqua Cox’s character, Maya Lopez/Echo, is based off an existing Marvel character who is deaf and Native American. In casting the role, we wanted to celebrate and honor both Deaf and Native American cultures. We couldn’t be more delighted by Alaqua Cox’s performance. She is phenomenal and part of a new culture in film and television, where authentic representation not only matters but is paramount to the kind of stories we want to tell and how we shape them.
Sarah Finn
Ruderman Foundation president Jay Ruderman also spoke highly of this year’s recipients, finishing things off by saying:
…These practices are increasingly becoming the norm in Hollywood, with the authentic casting of Lauren Ridloff in Eternals and Alaqua Cox in Hawkeye marking a particularly high-profile and momentous milestone for Marvel and the entire entertainment industry. Each time a casting director or other executive makes such a decision, it facilitates the industry’s broader journey towards fulfilling its full potential as a beacon of all forms of diversity and social justice.
Jay Ruderman
Marvel Studios has been dedicated to ensuring that everyone can see themselves reflected on the silver screen and even on their television. As such, they’ve started to push for more diversity in their offerings and have used their unique position as one of the biggest blockbuster studios to consistently draw in audiences with each film.
Eternals was quite the departure for Marvel Studios, as indie darling Chloé Zhao spearheaded a project that tried to explore a very different part of the MCU. What seemed like a sure hit ended up becoming a surprisingly divisive film among its critical reception as it ended on 48% on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience reception has overall been more positive, but it definitely left its mark on the market as a curious experiment of Marvel Studios trying to break away from its usual fare.
In an interview with Empire, the indie director looks back at the overall reception and offers her takeaway from what the melding of these two worlds may have ended up leading to its reception. She highlights generally how a general “level of comfort” has set itself within the industry for Marvel films just as well as for indie films.
When people have that feeling, like they need to put order into things, they need to understand it by putting it into boxes… It is not about us, it is about them. And I say that lovingly, because they have a level of comfort [with] how their entertainment and their world – their beloved Marvel, or their beloved indie filmmaker – functions. That’s the order of the logic of their world that’s being disturbed. So I appreciate their passion, to try to make sense of it.
Chloé Zhao
She then goes on to highlight that the melding of these two worlds has just ended up adding different perspectives that may take away something or not. She highlights those that look for that conflict, while also discussing that making people “uncomfortable” pushes their project forward.
So I completely understand the divisiveness coming from critics and the fans. Because when you take this to extremes that are seen as opposition – the world I come from and the world of Marvel, that has been divided in a way that’s so unfair and unfortunate – and to merge the way we did, I actually see the reaction as a testament to how much we had merged with each other; how uncomfortable that might make people feel.
Chloé Zhao
Overall, the viewer reception has been stronger than the critical one, but you can definitely see that some have taken away different things from this film. I’ve personally tended to call it an indie film with a Marvel coating due to the way it focuses more on character moments rather than the usual bombastic fair–the final being the exception to that rule. One could also argue that some actors didn’t fully sell their characters as much as they could’ve due to an enlarged cast on top of a very exposition-heavy film. It’s still interesting to hear the director’s thoughts and we’ll see if the film might get a second life later down the line.
It looks like an Eternal might be making a grand return in the near future, as the site allkpop is reporting that Ma Dong Suk, also known as Don Lee to Western fans, is returning to the United States to film an unknown project. He originally played the character of Gilgamesh in the film, and it seems that he’ll return to take on the role in the unnamed project.
The actor is currently busy promoting his Korean film Wilderness before heading out in the summer. He has hinted in the past that he would potentially return, similar to a statement by Selma Hayek confirming she signed on for multiple films. So, we might see the members of the Eternals film make their return throughout multiple projects, as we still haven’t received a confirmation for a sequel.
Of course, fans of the film might question how he may make a return after his fate in the 2021 Marvel film. There’s a chance he may make an appearance before the snap, as his death in Eternals doesn’t take place until after Thanos’ defeat at the hands of the Avengers. Yet, as they are artificial begins, he may make his return as a new version of the character that doesn’t have the same memories. Whatever it may be, it’s great that he may have a future with the franchise.
The end of Eternals finally introduced the MCU to the Ebony Blade. Kit Harington‘s Dane Whitman opened a box to unleash the cursed weapon, but that was not all. He is suddenly greeted by a voice off-screen that was later confirmed to be Mahershala Ali‘s Blade. Of course, it made us wonder what this might mean for the character’s future as the Black Knight and it seems that they may be setting up an appearance in his upcoming solo film.
ComicBook had the chance to sit down with Eternals VFX Supervisor Stephane Ceretti, who revealed that the Ebony Blade will return in the upcoming Blade solo film, as he talks about passing on the work they did so that Martin Lawson, who is taking over a similar role for the upcoming solo film, can build upon that.
The funny thing is my second on the show, which is Martin Lawson my additional supervisor, is actually going to be supervising Blade very soon. So I told him, I said, ‘I’m giving that to you as a gift, use it wisely and make good out of it.’ But I’m sure it’s going to do actually even better.
Stephane Ceretti
It would make sense that they build upon the scene from Eternals, but we also know very little about the plot of the upcoming vampire-hunting film. Perhaps Whitman becomes an unlikely ally that has to help him in stopping a new type of vampire. He would make for a great everyman and actually be involved with the story unlike in his introduction. Of course, there’s always the chance that the blade might make an appearance, but it would seem strange not to include its iconic wielder.
Eternals has finally released on Disney+ and offered many a chance to check out the Chloé Zhao-directed film that didn’t get a chance to see it in theaters. Of course, a release on any streamer is bound to get the attention of people that want to see just how much of a second life a streaming service can give a project, and it looks like Marvel Studios’ take on an Indie film has garnered quite the attention in its home release.
SambaTV, who has shared data on various projects in the past based on internal study panels, has revealed that 2M households in the United States alone viewed the film within five days of its release. As pointed out by @Luiz-Fernando_J, this is the biggest film debut from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it has surpassed Shang-Chi‘s 1.7M debut.
The film had a strong run at the box office, ending its run almost hitting the $400M benchmark without a Chinese release. While it didn’t have the momentum that other Marvel Studios projects had, it still had an impressive run. So, it getting a second life on Disney+ is a sign that the film still had a strong showing and may finally give Marvel Studios a push to hint at what the future has in store for the franchise.
Marvel Studios Eternals made its streaming debut today on Disney Plus and with the release came an update to the MCU’s chronological viewing order. While the film made it clear that the events set in the “present day” timeline took place after the events of Avengers: Endgame, the update to the app has now placed it more precisely.
It’s now clear that Eternals lands between the events of Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings and the Christmas-centric Hawkeye. Given that the events of Spider-Man: NoWay Home were shown to take place just before and during Hawkeye, it’s probably safe to assume that Eternals also took place before the big events of No Way Home as well. Moving forward, it’ll be interesting to see how long it takes before references to Eternals make their way into Phase 4 and 5 projects; given that a Celestial was frozen as he broke free from the Earth’s core and another appeared in the sky, it’s only a matter of time before we start hearing about those events in other projects.
Eternals is now streaming on Disney Plus in both widescreen and IMAX enhanced formats.
Last year, Marvel Studios released Eternals in theaters, launching a potentially brand new franchise for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the film wasn’t as well-received as Spider-Man: No Way Home, or even Black Widow, the film has left many fans wondering when they’ll next get to see the Eternals. Thankfully, thanks to one of the stars of the film, it seems likely we’ll see more of these heroes soon.
Gemma Chan recently spoke to W Magazine to promote the film’s release on Disney+ tomorrow. In the interview, she talked a bit about her character’s journey, as well as her future. In relation to the film itself, Chan made note of the learning experience that Sersi had:
In Eternals, she starts out shy and then discovers her power as a leader. That was fun.
Gemma Chan
Furthermore, Chan confirms that we will see her as Sersi again, with a joke:
Yes. Marvel owns us for life.
Gemma Chan
Seeing the character’s learning journey and confirmation that we will see her again at some point brings up a familiar MCU feeling. Some characters in these feel like modern adaptations, only to become closer to their more comic book classic character as we go further into a story through various projects with them. This suggests to me, despite the cosmic ending to Eternals, we will see the Avengers team-member that Sersi is further down the line.
As it stands, a sequel has yet to be announced, however, it’s worth noting that Shang-Chi was confirmed for a sequel about a month after it hit Disney+. Hopefully, we’ll have Eternals sequel news with Chloe Zhao this time next month. For now, fans can revisit the film when it arrives on Disney+ tomorrow.
We’re only a few days away from the home release of Eternals, which will be made available digitally. It’s also getting a Disney+ release to subscribers that have been waiting for their chance to revisit the Chloé Zhao film. With the release, we also get our first look at some of the bonus features that offer a look at what didn’t quite make it into the film’s theatrical release.
The first deleted scene, as shared by @UPDATESETERNALS offers a discussion between Makkari and Sprite. It takes place around the time they found her in their old spaceship, as she started holding artifacts from human history. They discuss if it’s worth saving humanity with a special focus being given to the Avengers win over Thanos. You can check it out here:
The scene highlights the core message for Sprite’s conflict later on, but also gives us more insight into why Makkari became a hoarder. It would’ve been great if they included this reference in the film to offer a better glimpse into what Makkari was up to all this time. It may have also helped with some people that were a bit surprised by Sprite’s decision later in the film.
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