Eternals has touched down, and with it comes an entirely new group of heroes for the world to get to know.
Like Shang-Chi and Guardians of the Galaxy, this project is yet another example of Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige plucking characters from comic obscurity into the public spotlight.
Eternals hasn’t had the best critical reception ever, but audiences seem to be loving it. Many see it as a refreshing change of pace for the MCU, with director Chloé Zhao’s style adding a unique flair to the proceedings.
The story establishes how this group of Eternals was sent to Earth by the Celestial Arishem to watch over humankind’s development. It’s also revealed that this patchwork family is one of many across the cosmos.
So were the likes of Ajak or Sersi ever in communication with others of their kind? There does seem to be some clues that point in that direction, with their knowledge of Mad Wy’ry and also Harry Styles' Eros speaking of the Thena of legends.
Now, the film's writers have addressed this possibility.
Eternals & Their Potential Cosmic Communication
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Direct, Eternals screenplay writers Ryan and Kaz Firpo were asked how Eros was aware of Thena despite the fact that the Eternals that fans followed throughout the film were never in contact with any others of their kind.
According to Ryan, “they don’t have any memories communicating with other Eternals,” but there’s always the chance it happened in one of their many other lives:
“I think that on each individual mission, they were not—they don’t have any memories of communicating with other Eternals, I guess that’s what I would say. Maybe it happened on other planets. Maybe they even got swapped, and they did other missions on other planets with a different group.”
Ryan continued, making it apparent that “they were clearly aware that there were other Eternals out there,” but that they “were [not] in active communication with them:”
“But they don’t have any memory of that because their memories are wiped between each mission. So they were clearly aware that there were other Eternals out there. That’s built into their whole deal. But I don’t think they were in active communication with them.”
Do Other Eternals Know of Their Pursuits?
Are the characters that audiences followed in this film known by other Eternals throughout the cosmos? Clearly, some know who they are, seeing as Eros seemed fairly knowledgeable about Angelina Jolie's Thena.
It's intriguing how Ryan Firpo offered the idea that "maybe they even got swapped," meaning that this team of Eternals may not have always been the same unit every mission as originally implied. This could easily explain how some might know of the Eternals assigned to Earth.
Maybe the sequel will explore these ideas further, especially given half of the group will be traveling the cosmos trying to find their family. They also have a guide who is almost certainly known by more than a handful of people across the galaxy.
If the group truly wants to break the cycle of violence in which the Celestials formerly held the Eternals, some form of communication between members of their kind will have to be established. This could likely become a key aspect of whatever story comes next. An Eternal phone plan, anyone?
Eternals can now be enjoyed across theaters worldwide.
