Eternals is set to introduce a brand-new superhero team in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and they will be played by a stellar cast including the likes of Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, and Kit Harington.
Directed by Academy Award-winning director Chloe Zhao, Eternals will tell the story of a cosmic group of immortals who have been living on Earth for thousands of years but, despite doing so, choose not to interfere with human conflicts.
The final trailer of the film revealed that this is due to the order of the Celestials, the Eternals' creators, wherein they instructed them to only reveal themselves when Deviants are involved.
Marvel Comics established the idea that the Eternals are one of the most powerful groups in the Marvel Universe, and the promotional drive for the film appears to also cement the fact that their live-action counterparts will be in the same category.
Now, a new interview with the film's cast has shed some light on the subject.
Eternals' Superpowers & Abilities Revealed
Eternals cast members sat down with Total Film to break down every power and ability of their respective characters in the film.
Ikaris
Richard Madden, who plays Ikaris, revealed that his cosmic hero is "very strong," and "has the ability to fly and shoot lasers from his eyes:"
"His powers are pretty cool. He's really very strong, and has the ability to fly and shoot lasers from his eyes. I suppose the main challenge was trying to make something look effortless."
Makkari
Lauren Ridloff, who portrays Makkari, shared that her character's "most obvious power" is superspeed, but she also pointed out that her character's true power is "her smarts:"
"Her most obvious power is speed, but how she manipulates speed as a weapon is just brilliant, so her true power is her smarts."
Druig
Barry Keoghan, who plays Druig, unveiled that his character "uses mind-control to manipulate and control people," admitting that it's kind of cool since "he doesn't do anything with his hands:"
"He uses mind-control to manipulate and control people. He doesn't do anything with his hands. He just stares, which is kind of cool."
Phastos
Brian Tyree Henry, who portrays Phastos, bared that his character "can use his mind and his energy" to assemble anything out of any technology around him:
"They like to call him a techno-path, which basically means he can use his mind and his energy to literally assemble anything out of any technology around him."
Kingo
Kumail Nanjiani, who plays Kingo, disclosed that his cosmic character can "shoot beams from his arms" while also sharing his preparations for the role:
"He can shoot beams from his arms. From his hands, he shoots beams. Obviously, they add laser beams in post. I didn't go that method with it. I took martial arts and dance classes to figure out what his motion would be when he was shooting."
Sprite
Lia McHugh, who portrays Sprite, revealed that her Eternals character "can cast illusions" while teasing that her powers "are utilized in a lot of creative ways" in the film:
"Sprite can cast illusions! Her powers are utilized in a lot of creative ways in Eternals that become very relevant to the story."
Sersi
Gemma Chan, who plays Sersi, told Total Film that her character "can manipulate matter" and "transmute [substances or objects] into other things:"
"Sersi can manipulate matter. So inanimate - I suppose - substances or objects, she can transmute them into other things. Which is pretty useful. That's a good thing."
Thena
Angelina Jolie, who portrays Thena, shared that her character has the "could manifest weapons in my hands" ability in the film:
"I was given the 'could manifest weapons in my hands' [power]. A lot of my training was really fun, to try to figure out how to fight that way."
Ajak
Salma Hayek, who plays Ajak, disclosed that her superpower in the film is "healing," admitting that it's the "sensation of a mother:"
"Another thing that inspired me was that her superpower is healing. That very much is the sensation of a mother."
Gilgamesh
Don Lee, who portrays Gilgamesh, revealed that his character has "superhuman strength" while confirming that he is "considered the strongest" of the cosmic group:
"Gilgamesh is immortal, has superhuman strength, and is considered the strongest of the Eternals. He has a unique one-punch knockout attack like a heavyweight boxer. As a long-time boxer myself, I tried to add a lot of real boxing movements."
Dane Whitman*
On a separate note, Dane Whitman actor Kit Harington didn't reveal any abilities for his character, with the actor teasing the "very cool" interactions that he has with the rest of the Eternals in the film:
"I'd just like a power. It was very cool, my interaction with those characters. It was cool to see - and also very jealous-making."
The Eternals' Power in Full Display
The mega-sized-breakdown of the powers of every Eternals member from Total Film goes to show that all of these abilities will be on full display once the film arrives in theaters. From shooting beams of energy to manipulating matter, it's safe to say that all of them are heavy hitters in battle.
In the pages of Marvel Comics, the Eternals don't just have one or two powers. Instead, every single one of them is capable of super strength, teleportation, telepathy, telekinesis, matter manipulation, flight, creating illusions, and shooting cosmic rays from their eyes and hands.
Based on the trailers, it appears their live-action counterparts will not exhibit every Eternal ability from the comics, with them only harnessing one or two unique powers.
In a way, this makes narrative sense as it would allow audiences to differentiate each member of the cosmic race. It would also give them a sense that the team is not overpowered.
The compelling power set of the Eternals opens the door for a much more powerful threat to arrive down the line. When the credits roll, there's a strong chance that the Eternals will already reveal themselves to the people of Earth, thus serving as a beacon that the planet is ready for a higher form of war in the future.
Eternals premieres in theaters on November 5, 2021.
