Eternals is a 2021 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics race of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 26th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was written and directed by Chloé Zhao, with Patrick Burleigh also contributing to the screenplay. It stars an ensemble cast including Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Harish Patel, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie. In the film, the Eternals, an immortal alien race, emerge from hiding after thousands of years to protect Earth from their evil counterparts, the Deviants.
In April 2018, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced that a film based on the Eternals had begun development, with Ryan and Kaz Firpo hired to write the script in May. Zhao was set to direct the film by late September, and was given significant creative freedom with the film, which resulted in filming on location more than previous MCU films. Zhao rewrote the screenplay, to which Burleigh was later reported to have also contributed. Principal photography took place from July 2019 to February 2020, at Pinewood Studios as well as on location in London and Oxford, England, and in the Canary Islands.
Eternals premiered in Los Angeles on October 18, 2021, and was released in the United States on November 5, as part of Phase Four of the MCU. It received mixed reviews from film critics, who praised its themes and visuals, but criticized its screenplay, pacing, runtime, and character development. It is currently the lowest-rated film in the MCU franchise; however, it grossed over $402 million worldwide against its $200 million budget.
Plot[]
In 5000 BC, ten superpowered Eternals—Ajak, Sersi, Ikaris, Kingo, Sprite, Phastos, Makkari, Druig, Gilgamesh, and Thena—are sent by the Celestial Arishem to Earth on their starship, the Domo, to exterminate the invasive Deviants. The last Deviants are apparently killed in 1521, when the group's opinions differ over their continued relationship with humankind. Over the next five hundred years they mostly live apart, waiting for Arishem's orders.
In the present day, Sersi and Sprite live together in London. After Sersi's partner Ikaris left her centuries earlier, she is now in a relationship with human Dane Whitman who works at the Natural History Museum. When the trio are attacked by the Deviant Kro, Ikaris arrives and chases the creature away. The three Eternals travel to South Dakota to reunite with their leader, Ajak, only to find her dead. Sersi is posthumously chosen by Ajak as her successor, granting her the ability to communicate with Arishem.
Sersi learns that the mission of the Eternals was actually to prepare Earth for the Emergence. Arishem explains that, for millions of years, he has been planting the seeds of Celestials inside planets where the energy from large populations allows new Celestials to be born. The Deviants were sent to destroy the apex predators of each planet to ensure the development of intelligent life, but when the Deviants evolved and began hunting the planets' native populations, Arishem created the Eternals to counter them. With the reversal of the Blip, Earth has reached the necessary population for the birth of the Celestial Tiamut, which will result in Earth's destruction.
Hoping to delay the Emergence, the Eternals reconvene. At Druig's residence in the Amazon rainforest, they are attacked by the Deviants. They kill them all except for Kro, who kills Gilgamesh before fleeing. Phastos proposes the Uni-Mind, a connection between all the Eternals that would give Druig enough power to put Tiamut to sleep with his mind-control powers. However, Ikaris reveals that Ajak told him of the Emergence centuries before. When Ajak told him she wishes to stop the Emergence, he led her to the Deviants who killed her. Sprite joins Ikaris due to her unrequited love for him while Kingo chooses to leave.
Makkari locates the place of the Emergence, an active volcano in the Indian Ocean, where Ikaris and Sprite attempt to stop them. Druig knocks out Sprite, and Phastos restrains Ikaris. Kro arrives and is killed by Thena. Druig is unable to put Tiamut to sleep and Sersi instead attempts to turn him into marble. Ikaris breaks free of his restraints and goes to kill Sersi, but finds himself unable to due to his love for her. Both he and Sprite join with the others in the Uni-Mind and Sersi gains enough power to turn Tiamut into marble. Guilt-ridden, Ikaris flies into the Sun. At Sprite's request, Sersi uses the remaining energy from the Uni-Mind to turn Sprite into a human, ending her permanent childlike state. Thena, Druig, and Makkari depart on the Domo to find Eternals on other planets and warn them of the Emergences while Sersi, Phastos, and Kingo remain on Earth.
Dane professes his love for Sersi and is about to reveal a secret about his family history when she, Phastos, and Kingo are lifted into space by Arishem. Displeased with their treason, Arishem says he will spare humanity if the Eternals' memories show that humans are worthy of living. Vowing to return for judgment, he takes the trio with him into a singularity. In a mid-credits scene, Thena, Makkari, and Druig meet the Eternal Eros, Thanos's brother, and his assistant Pip the Troll who offer their help. In a post-credits scene, Dane opens a case containing the Ebony Blade and an unseen person questions whether he is ready for it.
Cast[]
- Gemma Chan as Sersi
- Richard Madden as Ikaris
- Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo
- Lia McHugh as Sprite
- Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos
- Lauren Ridloff as Makkari
- Barry Keoghan as Druig
- Don Lee as Gilgamesh
- Harish Patel as Karun
- Kit Harington as Dane Whitman
- Salma Hayek as Ajak
- Angelina Jolie as Thena
- Bill Skarsgard as the voice of Kro
- David Kaye as Arishem
- Haaz Sleiman as Ben
- Esai Daniel Cross as Jack
- Zain Al Rafeea as Mesopotamian Villager
- Hannah Dodd as Sandra
- Alan Scott as Patrick
- Sebastián Capitán Viveros as Jano
- Fady Naguib as Richard
- Harry Styles as Eros/Starfox (cameo)
- Patton Oswalt as Pip the Troll (cameo)
- Mahershala Ali as Eric Brooks/Blade (cameo)
Gil Birmingham and JaShaun St. John are been cast in an undisclosed role to be appear, but the scenes was cut in the theatrical version.