When Eternals was announced back in April of 2018, myself and other die-hard Marvel Comics fans foamed at the mouth. Chloe Zhao was quickly announced as the director, with Nate Moore executive producing and helping to write the script. Moore is no stranger to the MCU as he has his fingerprints on: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Zhao is new to the MCU, but she is fresh off of winning two Oscars as she received the nod for Best Director and Best Picture for Nomadland. Zhao is a rising name within Hollywood, and her getting to play in the Marvel sandbox should have every fan of the MCU extremely excited.
The cast is loaded, and those working on the project behind the scenes is filled with great names from Zhao, and Moore, to the MCU’s parents in Kevin Feige and Victoria Alonso. The cast includes Richard Madden as Ikaris, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Barry Keoghan as the villainous Druig, Lia McHugh as Sprite, and Jon Snow himself, Kit Harrington, as Dane Whitman aka Black Knight. Gemma Chan is also aboard the cast as Sersi, who according to Kevin Feige, will be the main character of the film.
Source: Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki
The official plot for Eternals was released a few months ago, and goes as followed: After an unexpected tragedy following the events of Avengers: Endgame, the Eternals—an immortal alien race created by the Celestials who have secretly lived on Earth for over 7,000 years—reunite to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the Deviants.
The Celestials are powerful extraterrestrial cosmic beings. They were the giant aliens who were alluded to multiple times in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The alien race influenced key events in human history for mysterious and unclear reasons. They were responsible for key human evolutionary events, such as the genetic-offshoot races the Eternals and the Deviants as well as the emergence of super-humans both through the inclusion of the X-Gene (Mutants) and through beneficial mutation (such as Bruce Banner becoming the Hulk when exposed to gamma rays instead of dying). They’re basically the Gods of Marvel Comics and oversee essentially every main event to take place in human history.
Source: Full Circle Cinema
The history of the Deviants is a little more complex, and dates back as far as the Eternals’ and even humanity itself. Their existence comes down to the Celestials, who possess the ability to create and destroy life. The Celestials visited Earth millions of years ago when humanity’s ancestors roamed the globe. Ziran the Tester, the Celestials’ geneticist, experimented on a group of primates and created a Deviant subspecies. This initial visit is known as the First Host event and, at other points throughout history, the Celestials returned to Earth to monitor each species’ progress and even modified them if necessary.
Unlike the Eternals (who are attractive, immortal beings) or ordinary humans (who are genetically balanced), the Deviants are abnormal. They’re often referred to as “the changing people” due to mutations in their DNA. These mutations caused the Deviants to have faded colored skin and other deformations. No two Deviant look alike, and those considered too mutated, or not mutated enough, are exiled or even killed. The Deviants’ jealousy over the Eternals’ physical beauty and defined superpowers has locked the two species in a never-ending war – a millennia-long battle that is certain to be the foundation of the plot in its MCU predecessor.
Nothing has been confirmed in the MCU, but in the comics, Thanos is a Deviant. I’m assuming that the “unexpected tragedy” that was alluded to in the official plot, has something to do with a Deviant possibly lashing out after Thanos’ death. Maybe the movie will reveal that Thanos had direct ties with other Deviants, and part of his goal in whipping out half of the universe, was giving the Deviants power and a way to be the “new Gods.” Considering that the Collector, played by Benecio del Torro, revealed in Guardians of the Galaxy that the Celestials have been dead for a millennia, it’s safe to assume that the Deviants could’ve been plotting for many years to take power. And this is where Druig comes in.
Source: Comicbook.com
Druig is the key nemesis to the Eternals, and while he is one of them, he’s considered an outcast for his evil ways. He’s even gone as far as to joining the Deviants and becoming their leader. Also know as the Lord of Flames and Nightmares, Druig was the Polarian Eternal son of Valkin, and cousin to Ikaris. He’s a power hungry schemer, and was a disappointment to his father, who nevertheless turned a blind eye to Druig's faults.
A thousand years ago, in preparation for the Third Host of Celestials, Druig worked with Valkin, Ajak, and his uncle Virako in preparing sites for the Celestials' arrival. During the preparations, Druig snuck away and attempted to seize power from the entombed Deviant Mutate known as Dromedan, but ended up unleashing him. Thor and the Eternals succeeded in beating Dromedan, but at the cost of Virako's life. Valkin vouched for his son, who claimed innocent intent in his actions, but also adopted his nephew Ikaris (Virako's now orphaned son) as his own. The close relationship between Ikaris and Valkin only further soured Druig's relationship with his father.
One would assume that most of this will be adapted, and since nothing has been revealed about Thor appearing, I doubt they’ll follow this to a tee. It’s also possible that the “unexpected tragedy” could be Virako’s death, but maybe the Eternals don’t know how he died. Maybe Druig will kill his uncle and it’s revealed towards the climax of the film that he killed him as we see him command an army of Deviants. Druig is one of the many characters that fans will enjoy. He’s a villain that you sympathize for, and will root for at times. At the end of the day… He just wants to have worth, and to be loved.
Source: Screen Rant
Rumor has it that Ikaris will be the first character in the MCU who will be apart of the LGBTQAI+ community. The MCU being around since 2008, and having literally no direct mention of anyone being apart of said group, is astounding to me. Nonetheless, we are close to the long awaited representation, and it’ll be interesting to see how it’s brought to life, not only in the film, but in the MCU moving forward.
Ikaris on the other hand is a phenomenal character, who will capture the hearts of MCU fans. He possesses God-like powers, well, he is a God, and has drawn comparisons to Superman as their powers are basically one in the same. Ikaris is just one of a handful of great characters that will appear in this fall’s Eternals.
The Eternals are a huge property that can rival the greatness of past MCU films. With Zhao being on board, I have a feeling that this film has the ability to be phenomenal, and can take the cake as the best solo movie within the MCU. Time will tell if I am correct, but don’t be shocked if it does!
You can see the movie, baring any unforeseen delay due to the pandemic, November 5, 2021.