Marvel's Eternals is set to bring the MCU into the world of mythology. This obscure comic was the brainchild of Jack Kirby, who brought the immortal team to life in the mid-'70s.
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The Eternals protect the Earth from a force known as the Deviants. Both were created by the Celestials (a race of god-like creatures that help mold the galaxy). The Eternals have been protecting mankind from the Deviants for centuries, all while helping push humans in the right direction while remaining secret. The secret part hasn't really worked out, and many of the Eternals have been worshipped as gods in comic lore. In fact, Eternals like Thena are said to be the real-life inspiration for Athena (in the comics).
After visiting Earth, the Celestials experimented with human DNA and created two offshoots, The Eternals and The Deviants. The former gained immortality, while the later was deformed with unstable DNA. It seems like the MCU may change this a bit, making the titular group more so ancient aliens that discovered Earth thousands of years ago. Thanos is famously a part of the Eternal/Deviant family.
Thena and Thanos are first cousins in the comics
The synopsis for Eternals states that the heroes come out of hiding after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Thena, played by Angelia Jolie, is actually related to Thanos in the comics (they are first cousins). Let me explain.
In the comics, the Eternals made Earth their home after being created. However, their leaders Kronos and his brother Uranos got into a big civil war about who should lead. Long story short, Uranos was defeated, and he took his half of the Eternals to space, where they eventually settled on Titan.
Kronos soon after experimented with cosmic energy and fatally wounded himself, but gave all of his Eternals the ability to manipulate the cosmic force. Since their leader was dying, the Eternals elected to choose a new leader. Between Kronos' sons, A'lars and Zuras, the former lost and left Earth for Titan. There he discovered the planet in shambles with one survivor, Sui-San. A'lars and Sui-San repopulated the planet over time, and had a son named Thanos. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Zuras had a daughter, Thena.
Thanos was born with Deviant Syndrome, which is kind of like the X-Men mutant gene for Eternals/Deviants. That is why he looks deformed and is very strong. I'm not sure how much of this storyline will bleed into the MCU film, but since they're using Endgame as a reason for the titular team to get active, we should expect some Thanos cross-story.
That was a ton of backstory...sorry. I get carried away sometimes. Regardless, you can see that Eternals is set to weave a deeper galactic story that will add to Thanos's origin and possibly even introduce other cosmic forces (maybe a Galactus name drop?).
Eternals looks fantastic! I am so ready and hyped for this film!
But let's not get carried away talking about Thanos and Galactus...this is the Eternals story. The large group of immortal beings will be making their way to the screen this fall, and I'm sure you have no idea who most of them are. That's okay! Much like Guardians of the Galaxy brought obscure Marvel characters to life, Eternals is set to do the same. But just so you're somewhat caught up before the film drops, these are all the heroes that appear in the new Eternals trailer.
1. Richard Madden as Ikaris
Richard Madden as Ikaris. That’s it. That’s the tweet. #Eternals
Ikaris is the most powerful Eternal on Earth. He has the power of cosmic manipulation, teleportation, immunity to disease, super strength, super durability, and a multitude of psionic powers. Ikaris is the leader of the team and will be played by Game of Thrones alumni Richard Madden. Although this is a big cast, we can assume Ikaris will be a main focus in this story.
2. Angelina Jolie as Thena
3. Gemma Chan as Sersi
4. Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo
5. Lauren Ridloff as Makkari
6. Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos
BRIAN TYREE HENRY !! https://t.co/kZTjXPuPdZ
Phastos really exhibits the same powers as all the other Eternals, except his invulnerability makes him a little harder to harm. Also, Phastos is the resident genius and inventor who can create anything he can think of (with the right tools). He creates some of the deadliest weapons and helpful tech. This Eternal may be responsible for all of humanity's technological advances. In the movie, Phastos will be the first gay MCU hero.
7. Salma Hayek as Ajak
8. Lia McHugh as Sprite
9. Don Lee as Gilgamesh
Don Lee looking like a whole snacc 😩👌 #Eternals
Other than Ikaris, Gilgamesh is considered the most powerful Eternal. He has the same range of powers as Ikaris but a much longer history of fighting the Deviants. Gilgamesh is a famous warrior and explorer in ancient history and folklore (in real life), and the Eternals' hero of the same name is supposed to be responsible for this.
10. Barry Keoghan as Druig
no bc i think i would have a crush on druig. 😭 https://t.co/DLY6JFE901
Think of Druig as a mix of almost all the other Eternals. He is the cousin of Ikaris in the comics and has all of his father's abilities, and then some. Druig has telekinetic and telepathic abilities that are stronger than Thena's, and he can manipulate matter like Sersi. In the film, Druig is believed to have mind-control/manipulation powers.
He is most typically a villain, although we'll see how the MCU spins this. It is possible Druig influenced the minds of the Eternals (explaining why they let the Avengers handle Thanos all alone). It's probable that after the events of Endgame, Druig's manipulation over the Eternals' ceases, bringing them back to reality. However, this is just a fan theory. But there is a storyline in the comics where The Eternals lose their memory before regaining them...I guess we'll see.
11. Kit Harington as Dane Whitman
12. Kro
The new #Eternals trailer has seemingly revealed the first on-screen look at the villain Deviant #Kro! At the 1:28 mark of Marvel Studios' Eternals trailer, the villainous Kro seems to make his first on-screen appearance. (Source:https://t.co/JXRxKOeHmL)
I have no idea who is playing Kro, the main villain, but we do get to see him in the trailer for a split second. Kro is a Deviant leader and a general, but he has a secret relationship with Thena in the comics. Kro is a shape shifter, which makes him even more dangerous. It doesn't appear that Thena will be dating this villain in the movie, due to his strange appearance (that would be a really weird sex scene). However, anything is possible.