Eternals Star Richard Madden Says Character Could Lead Avengers

Eternals star Richard Madden believes that his character Ikaris could lead the Avengers, and has the right traits to take command of the team. Madden plays the leader of the MCU's team of immortal aliens in Chloé Zhao's upcoming Phase 4 movie, as they reunite to protect humanity from the deviants. Eternals is set to be released theatrically on November 5th.

In Eternals, Madden's Ikaris is one of the team's heavy hitters, capable of flight and able to fire cosmic powered energy beams from his eyes. Like the rest of the Eternals, Ikaris steps out of the shadows and returns to his duty of protecting humanity following an "emergence" triggered by the events of Avengers: Endgame. With the film confirmed to be set around the time of Spider-Man: Far From Home's events, the Eternals are stepping into a world seemingly without any defenders, with both characters in-universe and fans alike questioning who should take up the role. In a recent interview, Madden has offered his own input on the situation.

When speaking to Total Film (hat tip DigitalSpy) about the upcoming movie, Madden was asked whether he believes Ikaris could lead the Avengers. He stated that he didn't know for sure, but then explained that Ikaris is a good leader and a good soldier, and if that is what was needed for leading the team then he'd be good for the role. Madden then reiterated that he wasn't sure, stating that he couldn't predict that. Check out Madden's full quote below.

"I don't know. I know that he's a good leader and a good soldier. If those are two traits you need to lead the Avengers, then he has them. But I wouldn't be able to predict that."

Ikaris's chances of leading the Avengers were first brought up following the release of the first Eternals trailer. The preview ended with the hero suggesting he could lead the team following the death of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers stepping down, only to be met by the laughter of his fellow Eternals around the dinner table. Ikaris's possible future isn't the only challenge the character will face during the film, however, as it has been previously teased that not only will the film tackle the complex love triangle between him, Gemma Chan's Sersi and Kit Harington's Dane Whitman, but also he and Sersi's conflict over how they protect humanity.

It is interesting to hear Madden's perspective on the matter, as well as his reasoning why Ikaris would be a good choice to lead the Avengers. However, as is seen throughout characters such as Steve Rogers and Tony Stark in previous films, it isn't just skill and experience that makes an Avenger, but one's heart and morals in the face of impossible odds. With Ikaris seemingly being in favor of the Eternal's non-interference in the MCU's timeline as seen in recent trailers, it's questionable whether he possesses what's necessary inside to join Marvel's premier hero team, and perhaps that may fall to a different Eternal when Zhao's Eternals finally releases in November.

Next: Shang-Chi's Success Bode's Well For Eternals

Source: Total Film (via DigitalSpy)