‘Eternals’ Introduces 10 New Marvel Superheroes to the MCU—Here’s a Full Guide
The final trailer for Marvel’s Eternals is here and this time around we get more than just a glimpse of what the newest superheroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe can do. From shooting light beams from the eyes to manipulating thoughts, their powers are bigger and better. After the end of the Avengers era, the time has now come to meet the Eternals who have much bigger concerns than supervillains like Thanos. 10 new heroes will be introduced through this movie. Let’s take a look at who they are.
But first, who are the ‘Eternals’?
Created by Jack Kirby the Eternals appeared in the comics in the 70s. They are genetically engineered humanoid aliens, who are almost immortal. They were created by an ancient godlike race called the Celestials and it was the Celestials who sent them to Earth 7,000 years ago to protect humanity from Deviants.
Since none of the villains that humanity faced up till now were Deviants, the Eternals stayed in the shadows. But a bigger threat to humanity emerged after the Avengers undid Thanos’ work and brought back half of Earth’s population. To fight this threat and defend humans, the Eternals will have to come together.
Let’s Meet the ‘Eternals’
Sersi, played by Gemma Chan, has the power to manipulate non-sentient matter. With just a touch, she can change the makeup of any material, which is not living. She also works as a museum curator and dates a human, Dane Whitman, played by Game of Thrones alum Kit Harington. Although she has another love interest, Ikaris, played by, well what do we know — another Game of Thrones alum Richard Madden. (Quite a Stark family reunion this has turned out to be.)
Back to Sersi, she has lived on Earth for thousands of years and contrary to some other Eternals, she enjoys living among humans. In an interview with EW, Chan confirmed this.
“She’s interesting because she is this immortal being, but she’s very grounded as well,” Chan said. “She’s a little bit of a free spirit and just loves being amongst humans.”
The next Eternal is Ikaris, who we know is played by Richard Madden. In the trailer, we see Madden shooting light beams with his eyes and that is his superpower. From the looks of it, he also is able to fly. He is one of the most powerful among the new superheroes and by his line in the trailer, “we need to find the others,” it looks like he will take charge in finding and leading the Eternals.
Speaking with EW, Madden said in preparation for this part he worked on understanding Ikaris’ evolution over centuries.
“I had to work out, how do you play someone who’s seen everything and done everything?” Madden said.
The next superhero is Ajak, played by Salma Hayek. Ajak is the sagacious leader of the group and her superpower is the ability to heal. She can also communicate with the Celestials, who created the Eternals.
Talking about Ajak, Hayek said that she leaned into her feminine side and approached this role as a leader through the lens of a mother figure. She also spoke of the complexity of her character.
“She’s the bridge between the Eternals and the Celestials, and it’s never easy to hold two sides together,” Hayek said.
Barry Keoghan plays the role of Druig, who can control and manipulate human minds. A loner, in the comics Druig is a former KGB agent and also Ikaris’ cousin. Talking about the transformation that takes place once he dawns his superhero outfit, Keoghan said, “As soon as you put the boots on your posture transforms. You definitely notice how your whole demeanor and everything just changes.”
Phastos, played by Brian Tyree Henry, is the inventor in the group. He can come up with the best weapons and technology and create them if he has the materials needed. Over the years, he is said to have helped humanity in their technological advances but from a distance. He is also rumored to be an openly gay family man, making him the one of first LGBTQ superheroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Kumail Nanjiani plays the role of Kingo, the unabashed Bollywood star who can manipulate cosmic energy into projectiles. To play this role Nanjiani trained a lot. Nanjiani picked up the fighting style of old heroes like Zorro to replicate Kingo’s light and effortless fighting style.
Makkari is the super-fast member of the team played by Lauren Ridloff. Unexpectedly for this role, she was asked to stop running and focus on building the muscles like that of a sprinter. Makkari is also the first deaf hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Sprite, played by the 15-year-old Lia McHugh, has also been on Earth for thousands of years but looks like a child. She has the ability to create life-like illusions. Talking about her experience filming her stunts Mchugh said, “It was just a crazy moment because I’ve never done any stunt work like that before, and it just all hit me at once, how insane all of this is.”
Gilgamesh, played by Don Lee, is the next superhero who has extraordinary combat powers along with the ability to create powerful exoskeletons of cosmic energy. He is also said to be one of the kindest members of the group, but when it comes to fighting, he likes to use his fists.
“That fit me perfectly because I’m a longtime boxer myself, for over 30 years since I was a kid,” Lee told EW.
Gilgamesh shares a deep bond with his partner Thena, who is played by Angelina Jolie in the film. Like Gilgamesh, Thena can use cosmic energy to her gain. Using the energy, she can form any handheld weapon she can think of, giving the indomitable Jolie an interesting and challenging task, especially since a lot of her weapons were added digitally.
“You feel a little nuts. You’re just throwing your hand out as if you’re thinking, ‘’is that a sword? Is that a spear? Is it a lasso? What am I doing?’ Then you get into it and it gets really fun, but it’s a puzzle,” Jolie said.
Wait, is there an eleventh Eternal?
While the list of all the 10 Eternals seems a good enough amount of power to have on one team, there might be an eleventh member.
Dane Whitman, played by Harington is also called The Black Knight in the comics. In the comics, he’s said to have been a part of the Avengers and also their leader after Captain America left.
In the trailer, we see Harington, look puzzled when a bus thrown in his and Sprite’s directions is suddenly turned into pieces.
While there is much to be learned about his character and the others in the movie, the trailer has made the fans more eager to find out. Eternals releases in theaters on Nov. 5.
