Why Chloe Zhao Is Credited As Eternals' Writer Twice

With the first trailer for Marvel’s Eternals came the official poster, and eagle-eyed fans noticed that at the bottom of it, director Chloe Zhao is credited as the movie’s writer twice – and contrary to what many believe, this wasn’t a mistake. The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s highly-anticipated Phase 4 has officially begun, and what makes this new wave of content especially exciting is that it will cover both movies and TV shows that will have different connections. Phase 4 will continue the stories of previously introduced characters and bring new ones into the mix, and among those newcomers are the Eternals.

Set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, which marked a turning point in the MCU, Eternals follows the title team – an immortal alien race created by the Celestials and who has been secretly living on Earth for thousands of years – as they reunite to protect humanity from the Deviants, their evil counterparts. Eternals counts with a big cast with some heavyweight names, as are Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, and is directed and written by Chloe Zhao, who was credited twice as a writer in the official poster, sparking a lot of curiosity (and making way for a couple of memes).

Eternals was written by Chloe Zhao and Patrick Burleigh, but fans were quick to notice that, on the credits found at the bottom of the poster, in small letters, it reads “written by Chloe Zhao and Chloe Zhao & Patrick Burleigh”. Naturally, people began to wonder if this was a mistake that slipped the always vigilant crew at Marvel, but it wasn’t a mistake at all. As explained by screenwriter Zack Stentz (Thor, X-Men: First Class) on Twitter, when it comes to writing credits “and” means one rewrote the other, while “&” means they were a team. In this case, Chloe Zhao did both: she wrote the script for Eternals as an individual and with Burleigh, so she’s credited twice.

Eternals poster Chloe Zhao double credit

Eternals was announced to be in development as part of the MCU’s Phase 4 in April 2018, and in September of that year, Chloe Zhao was announced as the director. Zhao has already shared some of her influences for the project, which go from the original work of Eternals creator Jack Kirby and previous MCU projects (of course) to her experience as a fan of the MCU and her love of science fiction, fantasy movies, and manga. The purpose of bringing the Eternals into the MCU in Phase 4 is for them to serve as a transition into a new era of content, in a style that was started by Captain Marvel in 2019. The MCU has already been exploring its cosmic side with the Guardians of the Galaxy, but Eternals looks to be something entirely different from what previous movies have shown, and will introduce characters and concepts that will surely change the perception of the MCU as a whole – and if Zhao’s vision and influences are reflected in the final product, Eternals will surely be a one-of-a-kind ride.

All eyes are on Zhao following her historic Oscar win with the movie Nomadland, and Eternals surely won’t be the last the world will see from her, as she’s only getting started. Chloe Zhao’s double writing credit in Eternals actually speaks volumes about her screenwriting talents, and looking at her influences, only makes this upcoming Marvel project all the more exciting.

Next: Eternals Origins Explained: How The MCU Heroes' Backstory Compares To The Comics