Eternals: New Trailer Reveals Exactly Why Iron Man & Avengers Were Ignored During Endgame

By Aeron Mer Eclarinal Updated:
Eternals logo, Iron Man, Celestials

Eternals is poised to introduce a new superhero team in the MCU, and it looks like the group's introduction will change the landscape of the franchise like never before.

Helmed by Academy Award-winning director Chloe Zhao, the film revolves around powerful immortals who have been living secretly on Earth for thousands of years. Eternals boasts a stacked ensemble of A-list stars including the likes of Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Richard Madden. 

Plot details are still being kept under wraps, but the official synopsis of the film already confirmed that it will be set after the mind-blowing events of Avengers: Endgame.

After the debut of the first footage for the film, fans have long speculated why Sersi and the rest of the Eternals weren't available to help Earth's Mightiest Heroes against Loki, Ultron, and even the Mad Titan Thanos. 

Now, in the midst of the release of the final trailer of Eternals, the answer to the longstanding question about the group's no-show has emerged. 

ETERNALS AND AVENGERS CONNECTION

Avengers Endgame Brie Larson Robert Downey Jr
Marvel Studios

The final trailer of Marvel Studios' Eternals revealed the reason why the cosmic group of immortals didn't interfere during Thanos' invasion in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame

Gemma Chan as Sersi, Kit Harington as Dane Whitman
Marvel Studios

At one point in the trailer, Gemma Chan's Sersi shared that the Eternals arrived on Earth "7,000 years ago" to protect the human race against the Deviants.

Kit Harington's Dane Whitman then asked why the cosmic team didn't help the Avengers in their battle against Thanos or any other "terrible things throughout history."  

Sersi pointed out that they were instructed not to interfere unless "Deviants were involved:"

Sersi: "We came here 7,000 years ago to protect humans from the Deviants."

Dane Whitman: "Why didn't you guys help fight Thanos? Or any war? Or all the other terrible things throughout history?"

Sersi: "We were instructed not to interfere in human conflicts unless Deviants were involved."

The full trailer can be viewed below: 

 

WILL THE ETERNALS HELP THE AVENGERS SOON?

Barry Keoghan as Druig
Marvel Studios

Based on what's been revealed, it seems that the Eternals swore an oath to the Celestials, who are their creators in the film, to not be involved in prior MCU events. However, the trailer showed that the Deviants somehow returned, thus forcing the Eternals to come out of hiding and stop their mortal enemies from destroying the human race.

The reasoning behind the Eternals' off-the-grid status makes narrative sense considering that their nature to simply observe the human race to accomplish wonders was established during the film's first trailer.

Still, the final trailer teased that the emergence of the Deviants is not the main reason why the team is getting back together. Salma Hayek's Ajak explained that the Blip "provided the necessary energy for the Emergence to begin," but the Eternals' leader didn't clarify what this event holds for the future of Earth and its inhabitants.

It's possible that the Emergence is an apocalyptic event that spells doom for Earth, thus paving the way for the Eternals to ignore the Celestials' order to not interfere with human affairs. There's a chance that the Celestials themselves were the ones who sent the Deviants to cause havoc against the Eternals so that the team will be distracted to not step in with the planned Emergence event. 

Based on this theory, it remains to be seen why the Celestials would opt to eradicate Earth, but it's reasonable to assume that the continued arrival of super-powered beings from the planet could serve as a sign that they are a threat to them. If this is the case, then it seems that the Eternals will choose to defy the Celestials once and for all in order to protect the humans. 

This would open the door for the Eternals to team up with the new iteration of the Avengers down the line, joining forces to stop any looming threats. 

Eternals will premiere in theaters on November 5, 2021. 

- About The Author: Aeron Mer Eclarinal
Aeron is a news/features writer and Content Lead for The Direct who has been working for the site since March 2020. From writing about the inter-connectivity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to having an extended knowledge about DC TV's Arrowverse, Aeron's expertise has since expanded into the realm of reality TV, K-drama, animated, and live-action shows from Netflix,  Disney+, Prime Video, MGM+, Peacock, Paramount+, and Max. When he isn't writing and watching all things MCU, Aeron is heavily invested with the NBA (go Celtics!) and occasionally watches thrilling matches in the WWE.