Although there are no signs pointing to when the next MCU project will release in 2022, fans are flocking to Disney+ to enjoy the recent arrival of Marvel Studios' Eternals, the third theatrical film of 2021. This provides the opportunity for Marvel fans to fully process the highly controversial November release, analyzing every frame for Easter eggs and teases for the future of the franchise.
With Eternals coming in as the second-longest MCU movie to date, only trailing 2019's Avengers: Endgame, Chloé Zhao and company were able to lay out plenty of Easter eggs to hunt for throughout the movie. These nudges include a new kind of nod to the galaxy far, far away from Star Wars, along with not-so-subtle tributes to DC's Batman and Superman.
On top of these references to worlds outside the MCU, Eternals also provided some minor updates on everything currently taking place within Marvel's Phase 4 narrative. This started as soon as the plot went to the present day setting with an Easter egg that came through a "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" moment shortly after the movie started.
Eternals' Nod to Sam Wilson & Bucky Barnes
In the opening present day scene from Marvel Studios' Eternals, as discovered by Reddit user u/KostisPat257, a massive billboard in London features an advertisement for the Global Repatriation Council.
The banner boasts the message "Welcome back, we can help" as Gemma Chan's Sersi takes pictures of the artifact signage beneath it with her iPhone.
Fans will recognize the GRC as the same organization that first came into play through The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the MCU's second-ever Disney+ show
Multiple posters and ads for the GRC were seen in this Disney+ show as the organization looked to help bring the world back to normal after half of the population returned through The Blip.
Disney+ and Marvel Movies Joining Together
Since the MCU expanded to storytelling on Disney+, excitement has built to see how this growth would manifest in Marvel Studios' movies as they continue telling major stories in theaters. While this will make more of an impact in movies like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, smaller nods to this connection come with moments like this one in Eternals.
While the ad only appears on-screen for a few seconds, Eternals pays tribute to the events that went down in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as the GRC continues its work around the world. The organization should come into play more prominently in projects like the upcoming Captain America 4, but for now, Marvel is making sure that all of its current releases remain connected in one way or another.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier may not be directly involved with the more cosmic story that comes into play in Eternals, but with Earth recovering after The Blip, the GRC continues making an impact all across the globe. The expectation is that more Easter eggs like this one will pop up in future projects, which will also include plot points that haven't come to screens yet in Phase 4 on Disney+ and in theaters.
Both Eternals and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are streaming now on Disney+.
