Anticipation is high for Eternals, especially after the official reveal of the film's first trailer.
The movie will be directed by Academy Award-winning director Chloe Zhao, and it will follow a super-powered group of immortals who have lived and stayed hidden on Earth for thousands of years.
The fact that they didn't interfere with world-ending events like 2012's Battle of New York and Thanos' decimation during Avengers: Infinity War is a major story beat that the film will address, and it will be interesting to find out why.
Aside from that intriguing plot detail, Eternals will be bannered by an all-star cast which includes the likes of Angeline Jolie, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, and Kit Harington making their respective MCU debuts.
So far, the film's connection to the MCU is through Thanos, considering that the villain was born with a Deviant Syndrome. For context, the Deviants are the confirmed antagonists of the Eternals in the film.
Now, it seems that another major link to the Infinity Saga has surfaced from the latest trailer.
AN IRON MAN AND CAPTAIN AMERICA MENTION IN ETERNALS
The first official trailer of Eternals featured a major MCU Easter egg in the form of namedropping Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and Chris Evans' Captain America.
In the trailer's final scene, Lia McHugh's Sprite mentioned the fact that “Captain Rogers and Iron Man” are already gone, essentially confirming that part of the film will take place after the Blip.
Sprite: "So now that Captain Rogers and Iron Man are both gone, who do you think's gonna lead the Avengers?"
Ikaris: "I could lead them."
This short exchange is followed by Angelina Jolie's Thena sipping her drink before the entire team laughs at Ikaris' comment.
ETERNALS IS SET AFTER AVENGERS: ENDGAME
The namedropping of Iron Man and Captain America in the trailer is Marvel's way of reminding casual fans that the film is part of the franchise's ambitious Phase 4 slate. The fact that this mention came from Sprite isn't surprising either, considering the character's comic book background of being very much invested in Earth's pop culture.
The last scene of the trailer further cemented the fact that the Eternals are well aware of the Avengers' existence in the world. This could seemingly answer the question of why they didn't interfere with world-ending events in the first place since they know that the planet is in good hands with the Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Interestingly, the first synopsis of Eternals teased that an “unexpected tragedy” forces the group to come out of hiding following the events of Endgame. It's possible that Thanos' reckoning could serve as a beacon to his fellow Deviants, giving them the confidence that they need to challenge the Eternals.
Now that the main leaders of the Avengers are gone, this also creates an opportunity for the Deviants to reign supreme over mankind. There's a chance that Sprite's mention of Iron Man and Captain America is not coincidental.
Knowing full well that Earth's Mightiest will not defeat the Deviants, this could be the moment where the Eternals are mapping out a long-term plan to stop their mortal enemies once and for all.
Ikaris is known for being an unstoppable force in the pages of Marvel Comics, but the honor of being a member of the Avengers was actually given to Gemma Chan's Sersi. The Eternal is different from her peers since she wants to live among humans, and this was further amplified by her confirmed romantic involvement with another mortal in the form of Kit Harington's Dane Whitman a.k.a. Black Knight.
Of course, the MCU could retcon this plot point, making Sersi, Ikaris, and other members of the group future Avengers. The focus on Angelina Jolie's Thena during the conversation may hint that she will eventually step up to join Earth's Mightiest as well, and this will definitely be a welcome and fresh sight for fans.
This Easter egg could be one of the many references in the larger MCU, and all will be revealed when Eternals premieres in theaters on November 5, 2021.
