Richard Madden's days of playing Ikaris might not be done, as new evidence suggests he could return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Eternals. The 2021 movie directed by Chloé Zhao introduced over a dozen new and incredibly powerful characters to the MCU. This came in a story that spanned 7,000 years, which explored new pieces of the shared universe's past and how the world changed after Avengers: Endgame. Audiences met new fan-favorite characters like Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) and Druig (Barry Keoghan) during the movie, but Eternals primarily revolves around the relationship between Richard Madden's Ikaris and Gemma Chan's Sersi.

The story of Eternals showed how Ikaris and Sersi took different paths during their time spent on Earth. Sersi came to love humans and became integrated into their society, but Ikaris wasn't as charmed by them. This led to them being on opposite sides in Eternals' finale after Sersi learned of the Eternals' true purpose: to help a new Celestial emerge from Earth and destroy all of humanity. Ikaris became the movie's ultimate villain in the end, and his decision to fly into the sun after realizing the errors of his ways raised questions about his MCU future.

Related: Why Ikaris Flies Into The Sun At The End Of Eternals

Despite Ikaris' apparent death in Eternals' ending, there might now be a sign that Madden is returning to the MCU sooner than later. A TikTok video posted by Emmy Kennard (via My Cosmic Circus) caught the attention of MCU fans recently, as it revealed her stunt double brother is set to play a returning MCU character next. Emmy Kennard is the sister of stuntman, Joe Kennard, who served as Madden's stunt double for Ikaris in Eternals. Ikaris is the only MCU character Joe Kennard has been a stunt double for in the past, and he recently worked with Madden again on Citadel as his stunt double. While it is possible Joe is being used on a different Marvel production and as a new character for him (such as US Agent, since he doubled for Wyatt Russell in Overlord), it is just as possible that he's learned he will do stunts for Ikaris once more.

Ikaris in the final battle in The Eternals.

This is far from confirmation that Madden's Ikaris is returning to the MCU after Eternals, so it is best to take this with a grain of salt for now. It even creates some questions about how he could come back, considering the movie's writers confirmed Ikaris died. However, his death wasn't explicitly shown on screen, potentially so that Marvel could do what they might be planning and keep Madden involved. He is a fairly recognizable actor, thanks to Game of Thrones, so his short MCU tenure would be a surprise. It is possible now that Marvel has found a way to bring Ikaris back, either by revealing he didn't die in the sun or even through the Celestials recreating his body.

If Madden's Ikaris is returning, it will be fascinating to see where exactly he is seen next. If the stunt double is only just now learning about his involvement in the project, it is unlikely that Ikaris is in any movie that has already started production. That makes placing Ikaris' MCU return much more difficult, as cosmic-based properties like Thor: Love and Thunder, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and The Marvels aren't options. Instead, this could be a sign that Marvel Studios has decided to make Eternals 2 and that it will happen quicker than many anticipate. Those hoping to see more of Ikaris will now have to wait and see if the Eternals character does indeed pop up in a future MCU project or if any other evidence surfaces to support the idea.

More: Eternals' Biggest Death Confirmation Avoids A Big Sequel Problem

Source: Emmy Kennard [via My Cosmic Circus]

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