This Is How Marvel’s ‘The Eternals’ Is Connected to ‘Avengers: Endgame’
Production on The Eternals is currently underway and we’ve already seen a good share of photos from the set of Chloe Zhao’s first outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Along with the set photos, Marvel just released an official synopsis of the film, which is one of the first to kick off Phase 4 of the MCU. Here’s a look at how The Eternals connects to Avengers: Endgame.
Marvel drops synopsis for ‘The Eternals’
Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow is technically the first movie in Phase 4 of the MCU, but it takes place before the events in Endgame. This means that The Eternals will be Marvel’s first movie in Phase 4 that takes place after Earth’s Mightiest Heroes defeated Thanos (Josh Brolin).
Spider-Man: Far From Home was the first film to be set after Endgame, but it was technically the last movie in Phase 3 of the MCU.
Marvel announced premiere dates for all of its projects in Phase 4 this past summer, but until now, we didn’t know much about the plot of The Eternals. According to We Got This Covered, Marvel president Kevin Feige previously revealed that the movie would span some 7,000 years, starting back when the characters were first created.
We are still 10 months away from the premiere of The Eternals, but the synopsis does shed some light on the main story and timeline of the project. The official synopsis reads:
“Marvel Studios’ The Eternals features an exciting new team of superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, an unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, the Deviants.”
This is how ‘The Eternals’ is connected to ‘Endgame’
The synopsis confirms that at least a portion of The Eternals will take place after the events in Endgame. Feige has also said that the heroes in The Eternals know about the Avengers, so there is a good chance that they will be referenced in the film.
Beyond the timeline, we don’t know how much the events in Endgame will play into the storyline. There has been a lot of talk about Thanos returning at some point, which could make things very interesting.
In the comics, Thanos is the son of two members of The Eternals and has the Deviants gene. Considering how the Deviants are the main villain in The Eternals, there is a chance that they attempt to bring him back.
It is also interesting that the Deviants are mentioned as an enemy to mankind. This is a slight change from the comics, where they are the main protagonists for The Eternals.
What were ‘The Eternals’ doing during ‘Avengers: Endgame’?
One of the bigger mysteries about The Eternals is what they were doing during the events in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. As the synopsis confirms, the superheroes have been around for centuries and know all about the Avengers.
According to the film’s summary, they chose to remain in hiding throughout the war with Thanos. We do not know why they decided to stay out of the fight, especially considering how Thanos wiped out half the life in the universe.
But it sounds like the Deviants are doing something big enough to bring them out of hiding. That said, we also do not know how much of the movie will take place in modern times, so it is possible that only a small portion is set after Avengers: Endgame.
What else did the synopsis reveal?
Apart from a short plot tease, the synopsis also listed the entire cast for the movie. This includes the director, Chloe Zhao, who is only the third woman to lead a film in the MCU. Cate Shortland is helming Black Widow while Anna Boden directed Captain Marvel alongside Ryan Fleck.
As far as the cast is concerned, The Eternals features some of Hollywood’s brightest stars. The movie will introduce Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, and Salma Hayek to the MCU.
Photos from the set have offered a glimpse at Jolie, Harington, and Madden in action, but we cannot wait to see more as production nears a close. Hopefully, Marvel released more plot details in the weeks and months leading up to the movie’s premiere.
The Eternals is set to open in theaters on November 6. The next film in Marvel’s lineup, Black Widow, premieres on May 1.
