The anticipation surrounding Eternals is sky-high, especially after its successful world premiere.
Directed by Chloé Zhao, Eternals follows the story of cosmic-powered immortals who have been staying on Earth for thousands of years, protecting humans from the powerful Deviants. Despite being on the planet for a while, the super team does not interfere with human conflicts unless Deviants are involved.
The Marvel film features a stellar cast that includes the likes of Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Kit Harington, and Gemma Chan. The all-star cast was, of course, present during the world premiere, and alongside their inclusion was a stockpile of teases and hints about the movie.
For starters, Jolie teased a potential sequel to the Marvel film while Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige promised that more gay superheroes would arrive in the larger MCU.
Alongside those reveals, the first reactions from critics also arrived, with a good chunk of them being positive. However, the hype turned to disappointment when a major spoiler about the post-credits scene was unveiled on social media following the film's world premiere.
Now, Disney responded to this latest development.
Disney Executive Responds to Eternals Spoilers
In a tweet, Disney Marketing Head Asad Ayaz appealed to the press and fan community who have already watched and will watch Eternals in the coming weeks to not post spoilers and big reveals from the film on social media.
This is in response to a previous social media post by a trade reporter who spoiled a major reveal from one of the film's post-credits scenes right after its premiere.
The full statement can be read below:
"To our colleagues & friends in the press & fan community who will be watching #Eternals in the days ahead, please help preserve the experience of this incredible film. Please do not post spoilers and reveals that so many have worked so hard to protect."
Marvel's Secrecy Is Being Tested
Inviting the press to world premieres of films has been the norm for major studios like Disney since the reactions that follow generate buzz about the movie, whether good or bad. Instances like this one, though, where a major spoiler was unveiled are rare occurrences.
Many would agree that it is an unwritten rule for invited journalists to not reveal major plot points from any film so that surprises can be saved for the film's actual premiere to the public. The key role of the press is to boost anticipation for the film if it's good or give their honest thoughts if it's mediocre and needs improvement.
This latest incident is unfortunate on all fronts, mainly because fans who don't want to be spoiled would be disappointed with the reveal. This is further amplified by the fact that Eternals will be released weeks from its global premiere, thus adding more insult to injury.
Marvel Studios is best known for its high-level secrecy, with some actors and comic-book writers even joking about being scared of Marvel snipers so that they can get away with spoiler-related questions from the press. However, this development came out of nowhere from a noteworthy individual who works in a reputable trade outlet.
It is unknown if Disney or the trade outlet will reprimand the reporter who shared the major spoiler, but it's reasonable to assume that there will be consequences. Moments after the incident, information spread like wildfire on social media, with several outlets also creating reports about the big reveal.
At this stage, it is already an open secret, thus likely ruining the surprise for Marvel fans. This latest statement from Disney's Marketing Head is a gentle reminder about the future but also serves as a stern warning to the members of the press who will be involved in future world premieres.
The MCU is full of twists, turns, and surprises, making it an interesting interconnected franchise for fans to look out for whenever a new project comes out. Many would agree that it's best for those surprises and reveals to be kept as a secret instead of it being out in the open.
Fans will learn more about the major spoiler when Eternals premieres in theaters on November 5, 2021.
