Yes, Angelina Jolie Was Just Expecting to Cameo In Marvel's Eternals Movie

The next movie that Marvel Studios will be bringing to the world is Eternals. The film, directed by Chloé Zhao, will introduce the race of Eternals. Often seen by Mankind as gods, these powerful cosmic beings have been tasked with protecting existence from the Deviants.

By whom? Well, the massive forces of the universe called Celestials––who were first glimpsed in Guardians of the Galaxy.

The film includes an all-star cast, with massive names such as Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, and Kit Harington. Not only that, but it's one of the most diverse teams of superheroes ever.

Among the biggest names on the list is Angelina Jolie, who portrays Thena, the Eternal who can create weapons out of thin air. Her role in the film is set to be fairly large, but apparently, that wasn't always the case.

Angelina Jolie's Thena Got the Upgrade

During a conversation with Comicbook.com, Marvel Studios and Eternals producer Nate Moore was revealed some new information about the film.

In this case, the producer said that originally, Angelina Jolie's Thena was set to have a much less screentime. The character was going to be one of the most powerful Eternals, but Jolie was expecting nothing more than a "very small cameo" in the Marvel ensemble.

This changed, and the actor was more than okay with it. Moore revealed that Jolie "really threw herself into Thena" and "creat[ed] a [unique] movement style:"

"When we first talked to her, I think she thought, well, I know she thought we wanted her for a very, very small cameo... so she was sort of surprised at the size of the role, and really threw herself into Thena and creating a movement style for Thena and a fighting style for Thena that was unique."

The producer went over how the team worked directly with Jolie, whose past work is packed with action roles, to make sure that they "creat[ed] a movement style that did feel different:"

"She's been through it with Salt and with Tomb Raider and Gone in 60 Seconds, all these movies. So, and we sort of collaborated with her and our stunt coordinator to create a movement style that did feel different because she has done so much... She could say, 'Well, I've done this before. What if we tried this other thing?' And part of that was developing a weapon system that she could train and become sort of fluent in, because she hadn't done a lot of swordplay and she hadn't done a lot of staff fighting and things like that."

Thena Was Once Behind the Scenes, so Are There Others?

It's curious when producer Moore mentioned that Angelina Jolie's Thena was once a more powerful Eternals behind the scenes, something which alludes pretty clearly to the fact that the Eternals in the upcoming film are not the only ones. 

With the tight-knit dysfunctional family approach, one could've come to the reasonable conclusion that this group was among the only Eternals left. It seems this might not be the case, however; it could even be something clearly teased within the film.

As for Thena getting a bigger role, that's nothing but great news. She's a terrific actor, and the more of her, the better.

If the character was originally going to be set up in Eternals for a bigger role down the line (sequel, anybody?), does that mean Jolie's Thena has a good chance at survival? If the second trailer is any indication, she might be in trouble. 

Fans will have to see it for themselves when the movie hits theaters worldwide on November 5, 2021.