Summary
Fans know the MCU for its connective tissue and huge blockbuster events, whether they’re stand-alone movies or major crossovers with characters from other projects.Eternalswas unlike any MCU project before it. It was the first movie within the MCU franchise to feature a team without prior introductions and stood completely on its own. It accomplished one other first for the MCU: It delivered a projectthat doesn’t need a direct sequel to continue its story
While it brought more obscure comic book characters to the big screen like James Gunn did withGuardians of the Galaxyand delivered a compelling ending, it didn’t quite hit its mark. It removed the characters too far from the rest of the MCU, failing to give audiences a reason to care about them. However, it did provide a thread that can weave the MCU intoAvengers: Secret Wars.
$200 million
$402,064,899
47%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
77%
Eternalswas the first feature filmthat took place after the events ofAvengers: Endgame, increasing fan anticipation exponentially. Many hoped it would be just as big asThe Avengersas it introduced a whole new cast of characters, lore, and aliens. More importantly, it finally introduced the Celestials, who were both teased in the firstGuardians of the Galaxyand played an impactful role throughout the Marvel comics as creators of universes. They also conduct and judge lower life forms, and bringing them into the MCU should have meant big things for the cosmic side of the universe. Unfortunately, that’s not how it played out.
While the audience score has increased over the years since its release, the critic score remains abysmally low. The audience score sits only a couple of points above that ofThor: The Dark World, which says a lot.Eternalsfailed to make the impact the studio hoped for and it has become a mere footnote in MCU’s history. Even staunch critics against Marvel’s hyper-formulaic strategy with its movies feltEternalsstrayed too far from the formula. It’s forgettable enough that even future projects failed to acknowledge its events. A giant alien life-form protruding from the ocean is more noteworthy than a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it headline inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
The MCU should continue growing and feeling more connected, butEternalsmade it feel too far removed from the rest of the cinematic universe despite namedropping the Avengers. Its box office return might have doubled its budget, which could be why Marvel is considering a direct sequel to the movie, but the MCU has become a billion-dollar franchise. Its worldwide return should be closer to the billion-dollar mark.
But the Story Could Continue Without Eternals 2
Eternalsdid manage one successful objective:Introducing the Celestialsand all of the Eternals' characters. That saves future filmmakers from setting them up and establishing them as part of the MCU. They can each appear in future projects as supporting characters.Fantastic Four, for example, could easily continue the story ofEternalswith the Four encountering Celestials and the characters Arishem took to judge. In fact, it could be the Fantastic Four that sets out to stop Arishem’s judgment of Earth.
The post-credit scene with Dane Whitman revealing the Ebony Blade teased aconnection with Blade, making Mahershala Ali’sBladeproject an obvious choice to follow up with Dane/the Black Knight. However, there are plenty of other opportunities for fans to experience more adventures from these characters without a direct sequel. The very ending ofEternalscould set upSecret Wars.
The Eternals Ending Could tie into Secret Wars
The MCU movie all fans have their eyes on,besidesFantastic Four, isAvengers: Secret Wars.Kang Dynastymight have been on their radar before, but the recent legal issues Jonathan Majors is undergoing casts a cloud of uncertainty over the whole project.Secret Warswill happen with or without him, albeit with a few modifications if Marvel intended Kang to play a significant role. Luckily, they haveEternalsto fall back on.
Eternalsis available to stream onDisney Plus
The ending ofEternalssaw the Celestial Arishem take Sersei, Kingo, and Phastos in his custody, warning that he will spare humanity if they can prove Earth is worthy of survival.The original comic bookSecret Warsstorylinesaw a cosmic entity known as the Beyonder gather a selection of heroes and villains from Earth onto a planet called Battleworld, where everyone dukes it out, and the Beyonder gives the victor whatever they want. The studio could modify the details a bit by replacing the Beyonder with Arishem, using the outcome on Battleworld as his judgment for Earth.
This change would serve to progress Sersei and the other Eternals' story instead of leaving them to fade into obscurity. It would also let the Celestials serve a larger purpose within the MCU that isn’t confined only toEternals, introducing them to the likes of Namor and Thor. WhetherEternalssets upSecret Warsor not, hopefully, it sets up something so its monumental ending and various mid-credit plots aren’t wasted. No matter the reception of the movie as a whole, its endings set up something exciting.
MCU
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a sprawling movie and television franchise that weaves together individual stories of superheroes including Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and many more. The first film in the franchise, Iron Man, was released in 2008. The MCU has garnered critical praise and financial success, earning billions at the box office and becoming a cultural phenomenon.
