According to a new report, the MCU's Eternals team will return despite worries to the contrary. 2021's Eternals, despite being hyped as the introduction of a significant new Marvel Studios superhero team, has not earned the best reputation since its release, remaining one of the worst-reviewed films of the MCU. Because of this, fans have been worried that the group may never be heard from again, with big names like Gemma Chan's Sersi and Kumail Nanjiani's Kingo potentially sitting on the Marvel Studios bench until the end of time.
The MCU's Eternals received the best news they have received in years, as recent reporting suggested they could return to the franchise soon. Word on the Eternals front has been unnervingly quiet over the last couple of years, with hope dwindling for a potential follow-up to the 2021 film.
Writing as a part of a recent Q&A The Cosmic Circus' Alex Perez shared he has heard some good things about the future of the Eternals at Marvel Studios.
When asked if the "Eternals [were] done for," Perez noted that they "are not" and there will be more of them "in the next saga:"
Q: "Are the Eternals done for? Were the rumors of an anime sequel false?"
A: "The Eternals are not done for. There’ll be more about it in the next" saga.
The Eternals debuted in 2021's Eternals film, directed by Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao, shedding light on this team of god-like figures helping form humanity throughout history. The film earned a meager 47% on Rotten Tomatoes, marking it as the second-worst MCU movie of all time on the platform (only behind Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania).
Since their big-screen debut, the narrative threads laid forth by that movie have not been picked up on in any meaningful way (that was until Captain America: Brave New World's inclusion of Eternal's calcified Celestial). Fans have seen several members of the Eternals cast come back in some form, with star Kumail Nanjiani appearing as his character Kingo in the animated What If...?, but the team largely has not been heard from.
How Will Eternals Come Back to the MCU?
This Eternals report will likely shock some MCU fans. Since the team made their big-screen debut, they have not exactly been the anchor of Marvel's MCU storytelling that some may have thought they would.
There were, at one point, reports suggesting a second Eternals movie was in the works at Marvel Studios, but those talks have significantly quietened as the years have gone on. Since then, with every passing Marvel project, questions about Eternals have come up time and time again.
The last fans heard about the team, star Lauren Ridloff (Makkari) told The Direct in an exclusive conversation at SXSW that she thought an Eternals return was "not likely" for Avengers: Doomsday.
The Direct: "You played Makkari in 'Eternals,' which I loved, by the way. We haven't seen that character since. So, I wanted to know if Marvel has given you any hints about when we might see [the Eternals] next. Because, after all, the next 'Avengers' film is starting up soon."
Lauren Ridloff: "Not likely. I don't know, my magic eight ball is telling me 'Not likely.'"
If, in fact, this report is accurate, and the Eternals are being eyed for a Phase 7 (or at least the next saga) return, then it seems they will survive whatever narrative culling is assumed to come with the end of Avengers: Secret Wars.
Whether this means a full-on Eternals 2 will see the like of day remains unclear. There are plenty of hanging threads if Marvel Studios were to want to pursue a full-scale sequel, including the introduction of Black Knight (played by Kit Harrington) and what was going on with Harry Styles' Eros.
An Eternals sequel feels like the most logical solution to this missing Eternals problem; it is just a matter of whether Kevin Feige and co. see the potential in chasing another story of this nature.
