Eternals Actor Reveals How Makkari’s Name Sign Ties Into Her Powers

Lauren Ridloff recently revealed how Makkari’s name sign ties into her powers in director Chloé Zhao's Eternals. Ridloff is perhaps best known for her role as Connie in AMC’s The Walking Dead—a role that was briefly affected by Marvel Studios’ 26th installment in its Marvel Cinematic Universe. In Eternals, Ridloff plays one of ten immortals, Makkari, who has the power of super speed. Not only has the character been gender-swapped for the big screen but, with Ridloff playing her, Makkari is officially the MCU’s first deaf hero.

Makkari and her fellow Eternals have secretly lived on Earth for thousands of years and, as instructed by the Celestials, have only interfered in human conflicts involving their evil counterparts, the Deviants. In the wake of Avengers: Endgame’s “Blip,” the Deviants are bad and the Eternals must reunite to face them. In addition to Ridloff, the film features a star-studded cast including Gemma Chan, Kumail Nanjiani, Richard Madden, Don Lee, Barry Keoghan, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Kit Harington, and Angelina Jolie.

Related: Eternals' 12 Biggest Spoilers

In an interview with ComicBook.com, Ridloff opened up about her experience playing and creating the character of Makkari. During the conversation, the actress shared the origin story of how Makkari’s name sign came to be. Read what she had to say below:

"I did not do all of the creating myself," said Ridloff. "I worked with an [American Sign Language] consultant who was brought on set, and that was actually my husband. So Makkari, the reasoning behind that sign, where that came from, I don't know if you can see in the movie, but she has these fabulous earrings. And so that's where the sign starts on her ear. And then this sign means fast, zoom, speed. And so we incorporated the two from her character traits. And so now I do want to tell you a little secret. So my husband, his name sign also starts from the face and goes down. His name is Douglas. So it was also a kudos to my husband."

Ridloff and her husband, Douglas Ridloff, have two sons who are also deaf. The actress has previously spoken about how much she values her role in the MCU, opened up about unique set of challenges she’s encountered on the Eternals set in lieu of traditional audio cues, and talked about how theaters need to do more to accommodate the hearing impaired. She’s said her role will help pave the way for a world where there are more deaf superheroes—which will facilitate people like her sons’ ability to dream bigger. As of late, Marvel Studios has made an effort to improve representation within the MCU. For example, this year saw Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) finally lead her own Black Widow solo movie and Simu Liu debut as Marvel's first Asian superhero in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. That being said, Eternals also features Brian Tyree Henry as the MCU’s first gay superhero, Phastos.

Alaqua Cox is also set to play the deaf superhero, Maya Lopez/Echo in Disney+’s Hawkeye, which will focus on Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton as he passes his mantle to Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). Both actresses have overcome a plethora of obstacles before obtaining roles in something as gigantic as the MCU. In the case of Ridloff, she spent a lot of time watching scenes with Eternals' director to make sure she didn't mess up her lines via American Sign Language. The authenticity of sign seen in the film comes courtesy of the Ridloffs. That being said, it's only appropriate Makkari's name pays homage to Douglas, who lent his superpower to the creative process.

More: Who Is Eros? Thanos' Brother Explained (Powers, Origin & MCU Future)

Source: ComicBook