Marvel's Eternals: trailers, cast, characters, plot....

Fans of Marvel comics, and superhero comics in general, may never have heard of the Eternals before, but this fall they will be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, Kevin Feige announced that Marvel Studios would be embarking on a new adventure. However, the adventure for these superheroes began long before that of others in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

While the scope of the film is grand, with a budget to boot, early reviews have been, at best, average. Has Marvel finally bitten off more than it can chew, and is fatigue in the franchise finally setting in?

What are the Eternals?

Legendary comic book artist and creator of countless characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jack Kirby, published the first comic book of The Eternals in 1976. The storyline from the original The Eternals never came to completion, but parts of the storyline have made appearances in other Marvel comic books throughout the years.

The Eternals have been around for millions of years but a group of 10 were sent to Earth around 7,000 years ago to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the Deviants. They were created by the Celestials performing experiments on proto-humans, which coincidentally also produced the Deviants and the capacity for super-powered mutations in humans.

Where were the Eternals in Avengers: The Endgame?

Although the Eternals have been around for longer than any of the other superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they seem to have sat on the sidelines for the epic battle between Thanos and the Avengers. However, that very battle is why they are back.

When they were sent to Earth to defend mankind, their mission was limited to protecting them from the Deviants. The Eternals were not allowed to get involved in human affairs, although they did give humanity some help in building civilization as we know it. Thus, even though Thanos was otherworldly like the Deviants, the Eternals had to stand by and watch as half the human population was erased with the snap of a finger.

Who are the Eternals characters?

Marvel Studios brought together a star-studded cast to roll out the new franchise; Angelina Jolie (Thena), Bryan Tyree Henry (Phastos), Gemma Chan (Sersi), Kit Harrington (Dane Whitman), Kumail Nanjiani (Kingo), Richard Madden (Ikaris) and Salma Hayek (Ajax). Entertainment Weekly has a wonderful breakdown of all 10 of the newest and oldest superheroes that will be part of Marvel Studios latest franchise to enter movie cinemas.

How have the early reviews been?

On Rotten Tomatoes, an aggregate of all professional reviews, the film sits with a rating of 53 percent, meaning barely half of reviewers gave it a positive review. This score puts it at the lowest of all MCU films, behind even Thor: The Dark World. The film is yet to have any audience reviews, but Marvel fans have been outraged at the critic response. Expect a flurry of positive reviews on release day.

Here are some excerpts from reviews:

Lots of criticism has been about the restrictions of a Marvel film; poor villains, a CGI-snooze fest punching battle climax and it being yet another superhero origin story.

The Eternals release date

Movie-goers will be able to see the full-length version of the movie in cinemas 5 November, 2021, almost a year from its originally scheduled release date.