Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Eternals.

Eternals star Kit Harington recently told fans to get over Thanos and the Blip as the MCU continues to expand into Phase 4. Directed by the Academy Award-winning Chloé Zhao, Eternals arrived in theaters on November 5. Alongside Harington, the film boasts an all-star cast with the likes of Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, and others. The film is the third cinematic installment in the MCU's Phase 4 and comes on the heels of earlier 2021 releases Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. 

It's no secret that Marvel is moving into new territory with their Phase 4 projects. The events of Avengers: Endgame wrapped up many of the MCU's long-term story arcs, but as fans have seen in recent releases like Loki, the multiverse has also created limitless potential for new characters and plots. According to Zhao herself, Eternals was designed to feel like a standalone movie separate from the MCU's most popular heroes. The Eternals' absence in earlier projects was briefly touched on in the film, but it didn't stop fans from wondering where the Eternals were during Thanos' snap, and why the nearly 7,000-year-old Eternals seemed disconnected from the existing universe.

Related: All 12 Marvel Movies Releasing After Eternals (& When)

According to Harington, the reasoning behind that is simple. Harington, who plays Dane Whitman in Eternals, recently told National Post that Marvel fans "mustn't get too bogged down" by former events like Thanos and the Blip. He went on to explain how Eternals signals a new phase for the MCU, and that audiences, "need to remember to keep a level of suspended disbelief." Harington's full quote can be read below:

“I think the answer is pretty satisfactory. This is me talking to the Marvel fans, so shoot me. You mustn’t get too bogged down. This is a new phase; this is a new group of people coming in. If it becomes too much about the Blip or events that happened in the previous stuff, you can trip yourself up everywhere. We need to remember to keep a level of suspended disbelief.”

Kit Harington Admits He Googled His Eternals Character Before Filming

It seems like Harington's character is going to become increasingly important to the fate of the MCU, as his future as Black Knight was teased in one of Eternals' post-credits scenes. And with Harry Styles' bombshell Marvel introduction as Eros/Starfox, it certainly seems like the MCU is making it a point to expand their focus far beyond Earth. Eternals 2 has been hinted at as a possibility and the group of Celestial beings will almost certainly lead any future Marvel team-ups. But oddly enough, not even Harington himself knows what's next for Dane. Though it's all but confirmed that he'll appear in future MCU projects, it'll be interesting to see exactly how and when his character evolves.

Even though Eternals represents a new era for the MCU, the franchise has still had trouble moving past the events of the Infinity Saga. Seeing as Thanos' Snap was so integral to the climax of the first three phases of the MCU, it's not surprising that Marvel has had trouble moving past it and various films have dealt with its impact. Harington makes a good point, though - as the MCU continues to move deeper into Phase 4, the Blip and Thanos himself will become more obsolete as the franchise increasingly focuses on the future and its next Thanos-level threat.

 More: Who The Voice Talking To Dane Whitman In Eternals' Credits Scene Is

Source: National Post

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