Eternals Isn’t As Funny As Ragnarok Or As Serious As Black Panther

Nate Moore, producer of Eternals, says the upcoming Marvel movie is not as funny as Thor: Ragnarok, nor is it as serious as Black Panther. The MCU's third theatrical entry of 2021, Eternals will introduce the titular cosmic alien race into the franchise as they fight to hold together a post-Thanos world. Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Berry Keoghan, and Kumail Nanjiani all star in the ensemble film. Eternals will take place over two timelines, one set in the distant past during their initial arrival on earth and one in the modern era as they once again face off against their mortal enemies, the Deviants.

Black Panther and Thor: Ragnarok debuted during Phase 3 of the MCU and became two of the most critically acclaimed entries in the franchise yet. Chadwick Boseman will forever be remembered as T'Challa, the king of Wakanda whose legacy will live on in the 2022 sequel Wakanda Forever. Thor is set to return in 2022, too, and Taika Waititi is back behind the camera for Love and Thunder after he revived the God of Thunder's solo series with his irreverent and extremely fun Ragnarok. Looking at the God of Thunder from a more comedic perspective helped propel the third Thor film to fan-favorite status.

Taking a page from two of the most loved MCU movies, Moore revealed during a visit to the set of Eternals that the upcoming Marvel movie lands somewhere between the two. He makes sure to point out that the ensemble film will not be as funny as Thor: Ragnarok or James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy movies, but it also won't take itself too seriously. Moore cites Black Panther as one of the more serious Marvel entries and reveals that, ultimately, Eternals lies somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.

It's not Ragnarok, it's not Guardians, it's not Ant-Man even in tone. It may be somewhere in Avengers, who get to have fun moments but, obviously, there are big stakes. I don't think it's as serious as Panther, so it's somewhere in that spectrum, but it's not as much as I've said the word comedy. It is not on the comedic side of our spectrum, I think it's probably somewhere in middle, yeah.

The Eternals trailer already showed off both the comedic elements of the film and the cosmic stakes at the heart of the plot. Much of the comedy seems to be derived from the complicated dynamic of the titular group - when they reunite in the present day, some of them will be seeing each other for the first time in centuries. This dynamic will also be mined for drama, too. At the heart of Eternals is the love story between Sersi and Ikaris, a millenia-spanning romance that is only complicated further by their reunion.

While Moore's comments don't reveal much about the film, it should come as a relief to know that they weren't trying to lean too hard in one way or another for the film. Eternals will deal with heady themes (much like Black Panther), but it will still have some levity - just not as much as Thor: Ragnarok. Luckily, Marvel knows how to balance tone for the most part and as Eternals' theatrical premiere inches ever closer, audiences will find out sooner or later just how well they've stuck the landing.

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