Eternals Kills Marvel vs. Star Wars Movie Hopes

Thanks to Eternals, any hope there may have been for a Marvel crossover with Star Wars is pretty much dead. Featuring Easter eggs to the galaxy far, far away, Eternals has ensured that the Star Wars franchise is firmly cemented as a fictional part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, rather than as another galaxy or dimension that could one day be visited by Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Not only was footage from one of the actual films featured but Star Wars merchandise was also shown in the MCU, rendering the likelihood of a crossover virtually nil.

Eternals is not the first MCU film to feature Marvel references and/or Easter eggs to Star Wars. The iconic film franchise was featured in Steve Rogers' notebook of things he missed out on while frozen (seen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier), while the laser sound effects of Imperial walkers were used for Yellowjacket's cannons in the first Ant-Man. Furthermore, Tom Holland's Spider-Man has become a large source for Star Wars references which began when he referenced Empire Strikes Back (without naming it), using the film as an inspiration to tie up Giant-Man's legs like he was an Imperial Walker. There's also been a variety of Star Wars merch featured in his own solo films, like Ned's Lego Death Star.

That being said, Eternals effectively kills the possibility for a potential Star Wars crossover with the MCU. Not only does Phastos' son have a Star Wars coloring book, but Kingo's private jet has Empire Strikes Back playing in the background as they're flying to gather the other Eternals, seen during an intimate moment between Ikaris and Sersi. While there had been minor references before in the MCU, having an actual scene from Star Wars in the background hammers the point home that Star Wars has the same level of existence in the MCU as it does in the real world, serving as a fictional film franchise.

Eternals-Empire-Strikes-Back-Star-Wars-Featured

It's understandable why some fans might have still been holding out hope for a potential Star Wars crossover with Marvel prior to Eternals. Many of the references seen in past MCU films are fairly minor and could be overlooked in favor of seeing Marvel and Star Wars, Disney's two biggest properties, merging together for what would no doubt be a major blockbuster. Also, the central fact that Disney owns both properties makes the idea of crossover film (or short film, TV show, etc.) seem like an obvious slam-dunk opportunity for Disney - one that merges two gigantic, overlapping fan bases. However, Eternals' references (particularly the in-flight movie) are just too overt an obstacle for Disney to jump over to make this happen.

While Eternals' Star Wars Easter eggs are entertaining and serve to be fun nods to the ever-popular franchise, they also feel like the final straw. There's just too many references to be ignored now, making it more certain than ever that a Marvel crossover with Star Wars crossover is not in the cards; however unlikely it might have been to begin with.

More: Eternals's Thor Easter Egg Created An Avengers Movie Plot Hole