MCU Theory: The Real Eternals Villain Is One Of The Heroes

The real villain of Marvel's Eternals movie could be Sprite, one of their own who has betrayed the team. Marvel's first trailer for Eternals introduced viewers to the high-level concept; that the Eternals are a group of ancient aliens charged to guide humanity, who have mostly operated in the shadows - until now. But the trailer was almost silent on the identity of the actual villain, focused on introducing the main cast instead.

The Eternals trailer hints at a threat greater than Thanos, in that these powerful super-beings chose not to intervene when the Mad Titan erased half the life in the universe, and yet they've chosen to protect humanity now. It's difficult to say exactly what this threat may be, though; merchandise has confirmed their sworn enemy the Deviant warlord Kro will appear in the film, while the trailer shows storm clouds gathering akin to scenes from the comics where the Celestials themselves arrive to judge humanity. The overarching narrative remains something of a mystery.

But one single shot in the Eternals trailer may well hint at the true villain, explaining why the Eternals have chosen to intervene now; because they're facing a threat caused by one of their own.

The Eternals Trailer Hints Sprite Could Be A Villain

Lia McHugh (American Woman, Songbird, Along Came the Devil) is the youngest actor in Eternals, playing the part of Sprite. The character is traditionally portrayed as something of a Loki figure in the comics, a trickster who enjoys manipulating others and has developed something of a superiority complex because they're tired of being underestimated by humans due to their apparent age. If you look closely at the background, she appears to be performing in front of people who don't exactly look healthy. Thus, while the shot is devoid of context, it's possible this suggests Sprite is an antagonist rather than an ally; that she is performing karaoke in order to mock the Bollywood performer Kingo, who she's just outsmarted (note the "K" on the door, perhaps hinting this is Kingo's private plane).

Sprite's Role As A Villain In Neil Gaiman's Eternals Run

An antagonistic portrayal of Sprite would fit well with the comics, particularly with Neil Gaiman's Eternals run. The comic book version of Sprite is traditionally male (although Sprite has been retconned as gender-fluid in current comics), and he grew to resent the fact he'd been trapped in the form of a child - and had been underestimated by humans for millennia. Sprite launched a surreal plan to tap into the power of a being called the Dreaming Celestial in order to erase the memories of the Eternals, so they could not get in his way, and they believed themselves normal human beings - until the intervention of the Deviants. Sprite had faked the identity of a child celebrity, Colin, who was star of a show called "It's Just So Sprite," and he believed he'd now found a way to finally allow himself to grow up. But his plans went badly wrong, reigniting the war between the Eternals and the Deviants, and coming close to destroying the entire world. He was ultimately killed by Zuras, the Prime Eternal in the comics, in a heartbreaking scene.

Sprite Could Be The Manipulative Villain Of Eternals

So far, the Eternals trailer has focused on the role of the Eternals as a group in terms of serving as shepherds and guides to human social development. But they actually seem to have gone their separate ways on Earth, only uniting on a handful of occasions (such as at the Gates of Babylon). That means each Eternal will probably have their own story, their own modus operandii, their own experiences of humanity. Sprite's story will stand out apart from the rest of her people, simply because she has - as in the comics - the form of a child. One shot shows her standing in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption, clearly emotional, perhaps having attempted to prevent a tragedy but having been ignored due to her apparent age. It's not hard to imagine her emotions changing over the course of the millennia, with Sprite's sorrow turning to anger and bitterness.

We don't yet know exactly which comics Marvel will draw from with the Eternals movie, but they've always tended to look to the most popular runs. Neil Gaiman's run reinvented the Eternals for the twenty-first century, and Marvel has always tended to look at those kind of influential comics (Avengers: Infinity War was profoundly influenced by Jonathan Hickman's Infinity, for example, while Captain Marvel drew from the Kelly Sue DeConnick run). What's more, Gaiman's story presents a convincing explanation for why the Eternals have stopped interfering, and didn't get involved with Thanos' attacks on Earth; because they had their memories erased, and had no idea who they truly were. A number of artistic shots in the trailer seem to show history repeating itself in strange cycles, and it's possible those are actually centered upon the present day, with members of the Eternals remembering their pasts at last. Sprite could be the one who has done this, just as in the Neil Gaiman run, and her plans could unleash unexpected chaos that draws in the Deviants and even the Celestials.

This would further explain why the Eternals, who have previously considered themselves only guides to humanity, decide they are now faced by a threat they need to confront directly. It is because this time the Earth is threatened as a result of the actions of one of their own, forcing the Eternals out of the shadows and into the open, so they have no choice but to reveal themselves to the world. This would dramatically change the Eternals' status quo, setting up the Eternals sequel reportedly in the works; how would humanity respond to the Eternals in the present day, especially now the Sokovia Accords are in place? It's not hard to see the story potential now the Eternals have begun to interfere; they would be under enormous pressure to continue doing so. If this theory is correct, Sprite may not achieve her goals, but she will have changed the Eternals forever.

More: Why The Eternals Didn't Interfere In Infinity War & Endgame