Gilgamesh Was Originally Kingo’s Valet In Eternals Movie Script

Warning! This post contains spoilers for Eternals

Screenwriters Kaz and Ryan Firpo have revealed that the Gilgamesh (Don Lee) was originally intended to be Kingo's (Kumail Nanjiani) valet in Marvel Studios' Eternals, not the highly popular new character Karun (Harish Patel). Eternals recently released in theaters, being the 26th entry in the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie is actually the lowest-rated MCU movie so far, but its lower critic score does not match its quite high audience score. It opened to $162 million worldwide on its opening weekend, helping Marvel Studios solidify itself as one of the studios to perform the best during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

During the opening weekend for Eternals, Karun's popularity seemingly exploded. In the movie, he is the valet driver for Kingo, who has become a high-profile Bollywood star. As the Eternals are reunited with each other throughout the course of the movie, Karun follows along, recording as much as he can for Kingo, who wants to make a documentary about the immortal space team. On the other hand, Gilgamesh is the heavy-hitter on the team, and tasks himself with protecting Thena (Angelina Jolie) from her memory-loss illness in modern day.

Now, writers Kaz and Ryan Firpo have talked about the writing process of Eternals and the character of Kingo's valet. In an interview with THR, the Firpos revealed that they had much different plans for Gilgamesh and Karun. These original ideas could have altered some of the characters' stories and their roles in the plot. Check out their full comments below:

Kaz Firpo: We have to give huge credit to Patrick Burleigh [the screenwriter who came in after the Firpos] for that. We had a version of them, and Patrick went gangbusters with that. He’s another human surrogate you need on the journey. That [character] was someone we played with as the director of all his films. Once upon a time Gilgamesh [Don Lee] hung out with Kingo. They were working together. So there was a similar dynamic.

Ryan Firpo: When we had 12 characters, Gilgamash was not paired with Thena. He was Kingo’s valet, so he essentially was that character, but as Gilgamesh.

Kingo and Karun standing in the desert in Eternals

Having Gilgamesh as the valet would have detracted from Thena's illness plot. Her memory loss is such an important aspect of her character, and Gilgamesh is by her side the entire time from the onset until his death. He has many important moments with her throughout his time on screen, such as taking her away when the Eternals separate to care for her. Additionally, he knows that he would be the only one who could stop her when she lashes out. While Gilgamesh could certainly have had great character moments as Kingo's valet, he was given a lot to do emotionally for the movie by being Thena's guardian.

Karun's role in the plot is also important to Eternals. While he does not make a direct impact on the goals of the team, he brings a level of humanity. Kit Harington's Dane Whitman also gives a sense of this too, which shows how the human characters are just as important to the Eternals' story. The movie heavily explores the idea of gods living among humans, and Karun's role serves this purpose greatly.

Next: Why Arishem The Celestial Doesn't Take All The Eternals At The End

Source: THR