Among all the extremely exciting MCU news that came out of Comic-Con, we received a lot of details on the very intriguing upcoming film, The Eternals. The film will be directed by Chloe Zhao and feature a star-studded cast including the likes of Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani and Angelina Jolie.
The story follows a group of superpowered beings and is said to expand thousands of years across the Marvel Universe. With an epic story like that, there's no doubt the movie will feature some huge revelations about the MCU and set the stage for the future as well. Here are some of the things The Eternals can reveal about the MCU.
The Knowhere Origins
Celestials have already been established in the MCU with the most prominent being Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. These are the MCU's version of gods and they are the ones responsible for creating the Eternals in the first place. It's a safe bet we'll meet some of them in the movie, and perhaps solve an unanswered question from the MCU.
In Guardians of the Galaxy, we are introduced to an intergalactic outpost called Knowhere, which is located inside the severed head of a Celestial. The Eternals might provide some backstory as to how this godlike being ended up losing its head.
The Elders
The Eternals is said to start with the early days of the Marvel Universe and expand thousands of years beyond that. Along with the Celestials and Eternals, the Elders of the Universe are another group that has been around since the beginning.
We have met some of the Elders including The Collector and The Grandmaster, and it's entirely possible they could appear in the film. But there are also plenty of other Elders that would be interesting to meet as well as explore the origins of these characters in the universe.
Beginnings Of Asgard
The only characters who have given us a glimpse into the ancient past of the MCU are the Asgardians. The Thor films have shown us glimpses of Thor's childhood. We Odin's early rule as King of Asgard and his violent path to becoming Allfather. We have even seen Odin's father, Bor.
The Eternals will likely explore a time before Asgard even existed and therefore we could see the beginnings of their society. It would be interesting to see if the Eternals have any relation to Asgardians since they too are based in mythology.
Birth Of Mutants
Ever since the deal with Fox and Disney was announced, fans have been speculating as to how the newly acquired Marvel characters will be added into the MCU – specifically, the mutants. The X-Men include some of Marvel's most popular characters, but they come with a lot of complex history that it will be hard to integrate them.
The Eternals could be a way of showing that mutants have been around longer than we think in the MCU. Perhaps we will see what event kick-started human mutation. Mutants could even be some sort of descendants of the Eternals.
Infinity Stones
The Infinity Saga, the story arc which has guided the entire MCU up to this point, is now over. However, that does not mean we have seen the last of the Infinity Stones. These immensely powerful and ancient stones have been such a big part of the MCU so far that we can't imagine they won't appear again.
There are some theories that in The Eternals, we will see the creation of the Infinity Stones. Even more interesting, there are theories suggesting the film will reveal that there is a seventh Infinity Stone that is still out there somewhere.
Hercules
Even with the already enormous roster of heroes in the MCU, there are still so many more still to be introduced. One key hero we have heard very little about so far is Hercules. Yes, the mythological hero is a superhero in the Marvel Universe, just like Thor. Hercules is also a key Avenger who has been with the team for years.
Obviously, this is a difficult character to introduce in the MCU and it probably wouldn't work just to have him get his own solo film. The Eternals seems like the perfect place to bring him into the fold as the character has crossed paths with the Eternals in the comics.
Thanos' Origins
Avengers: Endgame saw the end of one of the MCU's greatest villains with Thanos. The Mad Titan caused more devastation than any other enemy in the entire universe, and it ended up taking literally every living hero to finally bring him down.
While we got a brief glimpse at Thanos' past and what led him on his genocidal quest, but what about his early years? In the comics, Thanos is actually the son of Eternals who was cast out due to his perceived disfigurements. It is a tragic past that could make for a very interesting storyline in the film.
Future Threat
It might be interesting to see Thanos' origins, but the MCU also needs to start establishing the next big threat for the heroes to take on. While the next big team-up movie probably won't be happening for a long time, there's no reason they can't plant the seeds now.
One classic villain who would be interesting to see is Kang the Conqueror and The Eternals would be a great place to introduce him. He is a cosmic villain of immense power and is known for his time traveling. The movie could show him as an ancient threat who is waiting to emerge later on.
Earth's Mightiest Heroes
Iron Man introduced the Avengers Initiative. Captain Marvel showed the origins of that initiative. Captain America: The First Avenger showed the world's first superhero. Now The Eternals can go back even further to show Earth's first defenders.
The Eternals were created by the Celestials to be protectors of Earth so it will be interesting to see how this relates to the eventual formation of the Avengers. Will they be the inspiration? In any case, it will be fun to see a whole new team of heroes.
Where The Eternals Are Now
Given that The Eternals is said to span thousands of years, it seems likely that Eternals don't age too rapidly. Like the Asgardians, they seem to be able to stick around for a long time. So even though the story will likely take place primarily in the past, it is possible we could see where the Eternals are in the present-day MCU.
It will be interesting to see if they have been in a far-off part of the universe and come back after Thanos' evil schemes. They might be hiding in plain sight on Earth. Or maybe they are gone from the universe entirely. There are a lot of interesting possibilities with these very compelling heroes.