The Squid Game is, of course, one of the most brutal and relentless competitions to have appeared on television in recent years, exploiting people’s desperation in order to get them to betray and destroy one another. Even though the main characters of the new MCU movie Eternals are, in their own ways, heroes, each of them shows that they have the ability to do some terrible things if they are convinced that it is the right thing to do in the given circumstances (or for their broader mission).
As a result, they would make skilled competitors in the game, though only a few would be poised to win.
Kingo
Kingo deserves a lot of credit for being able to disguise his immortality and to become a part of Bollywood.
However, he also shows that he doesn’t have the strongest moral compass, and he is more than willing to follow the guidance of whoever happens to be the strongest, in this case Ikaris. It’s this inability to take actions on his own and to take a firm stance that could be very deadly in the Squid Game, and it’s unlikely that he would have the ruthlessness needed to advance.
Sprite
Though Sprite clearly has a certain brutality that would serve her well in the Game--she does stab Sersi in cold blood, after all--she has a number of liabilities that would make it either difficult or impossible for her to actually win the Squid Game.
Most importantly, she can’t quite shake her bitterness that she is sentenced to always live in the body of a child while everyone else gets to be an adult, and it’s this chip on her shoulder that would render her easily exploitable by other competitors in the game.
Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh is one of the most likable of the Eternals, with a gregariousness and a kindness that makes him hard to resist. He is also steadfastly loyal to Thena, bringing her back from the precipice many times.
However, it’s precisely his good nature that would make him a rather weak competitor on the Squid Game. It’s unlikely that he would have either the cruelty or the willingness to do what was necessary to survive, let alone win the competition, and he would probably be eliminated quite early.
Phastos
Phastos is one of the more extraordinary members of the Eternals, with a mind that understands how things work. He would be able to use this to his advantage in the Squid Game since he would be able to see several moves ahead of his competitors.
At the same time, he’s one of the Eternals with the most human nature and the most investment in kindness and empathy, and these are not traits that would serve him well when competing in the Squid Game (which obviously rewards ruthlessness).
Makkari
With her super speed, Makkari would make an extraordinary competitor in the Squid Game, if for no other reason than that she would be able to leave most of her opponents behind. And, as she shows when she kicks Ikaris' ass in the climactic battle, she’s more than able to defend herself.
However, like many of the other Eternals, she is a fundamentally good person who would probably not have the cutthroat attitude that would enable her to really win the Squid Game when it came right down to it.
Ajak
Ajak is one of Salma Hayek’s best roles, and she has a warmth and a compassion that makes her one of the best characters in the movie. While these traits would be a liability in the Squid Game--in which only the most ruthless are able to survive and to ultimately claim victory--she has one key attribute that would make her more likely to win than some of her other Eternals, and that is the ability to heal herself.
It would take a formidable opponent indeed to be able to overcome that fundamental aspect of her personality. And, given that she shows extraordinary bravery in thwarting the Eternals' mission, there are few who could defeat her.
Thena
Played by Angelina Jolie in yet another of her great performances, Thena is one of the most vulnerable of the Eternals, since she alone starts to experience some of her repressed memories.
However, as she shows repeatedly throughout the movie, she is also one of the team’s most formidable fighters, and she’s the one who actually manages to kill the Deviant that has already killed two of their fellows. She has what it takes to not only survive the Squid Game, but also to possibly emerge victorious.
Sersi
Sersi is one of the most powerful of the Eternals, even though she only slowly reveals just how much power she has. Her ability to transform matter into another form would come in handy during a competition of the Squid Game, since it would allow her to dispense with almost anyone that came against her.
More to the point, since she was the one who was able to defeat the Celestial, it seems pretty likely that there would be few among her competitors who could actually defeat her.
Ikaris
Ikaris is one of the most fascinating characters in the movie, in part because he straddles the line between hero and villain. While he loves Sersi, his sense of duty and obligation to their mission is such that he is willing to sacrifice even those that he loves to see it through.
While this makes him something of a villain, it’s exactly this single-minded approach to the mission that would allow him to have what it takes to see the Squid Game through to the end and to emerge as the winner.
Druig
Like Ikaris, Druig is not exactly the most sympathetic character, and he shows that he’s willing to undertake some morally questionable actions (most of which are predicated on his ability to manipulate minds).
While this makes him a rather unpleasant person and contributes to his cynicism, it has to be said that his willingness and ability to control minds, often several at once, would make him the most formidable competitor on the Squid Game. And, as he shows, he has a certain kind of ruthlessness that would allow him to emerge as the winner.