Eternals will introduce the MCU’s newest crop of heroes, but it could also acknowledge all the problems brought about by the events of Avengers: Endgame. Officially announced at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, the film will center on the titular Marvel characters. Admittedly obscure for the general movie-going audience, the Eternals is a group of super-powered beings created by the Celestials.

Directed by Chloe Zhao, the film boasts a star-studded cast of characters with Angelina Jolie as Thena, Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, and Don Lee as Gilgamesh. Marvel Studios belatedly revealed additional casting of Gemma Chan as Sersi, Barry Keoghan as Druig, and Kit Harington as Black Knight.

Eternals is currently in production, and while Marvel Studios has worked to ensure that the film’s details remain under the lid, set photos and other information have made their way online, giving fans an inkling of what the movie might be about. From the looks of it, the story will tackle some of the lingering questions left by Avengers: Endgame.

Eternals’ Plot Is Directly Influenced By Avengers: Endgame

Slated for a November release, Eternals is the second film out of MCU’s Phase 4 gate. However, while it follows Scarlett Johansson and Cate Shortland’s Black Widow, the Natasha Romanoff standalone primarily takes place in the two years between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. This means that it will barely touch on the status of the universe after Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) defeat in Avengers: Endgame. Eternals’ story, on the other hand, will directly tie to the events of Avengers: Endgame as revealed in the newly revealed synopsis.

Kevin Feige previously said that the events of Eternals would take place over 7,000 years, which means that the movie will tackle varying eras in history. This is backed up by set photos. It seems, however, that the main story will be set in contemporary MCU. Based on the latest synopsis for the movie, it will follow the events of Avengers: Endgame, with the ancient heroes forced out of hiding to band together to deal with The Deviants.

Interestingly, it cited “an unexpected tragedy” as the main catalyst for the movie. While it didn’t give any additional information regarding what the supposed catastrophe was, there’s a chance that it has something to do with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ fight with Thanos. Assuming that this is the case, kicking off Eternals’ story with what went down in Avengers: Endgame will be an effective way in tying the new property to the bigger MCU.

Avengers: Endgame’s Ending Left Big Questions

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, along with writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, were able to craft a satisfying ending for the Infinity Saga with Avengers: Endgame. The final product was lauded by both critics and audiences, setting an impossibly high bar when it comes to culminating stories. However, while it delivered on the bigger narrative beats, including how it handled certain character arcs without forgetting the bigger picture, there were several issues it left unresolved. And it appears that Eternals could tackle some of these unanswered questions.

Questions about MCU’s rules of time travel was among the most discussed topic after Avengers: Endgame’s release. Eternals could better establish the parameters of the concept, thus clarifying the potential scenarios fans have pondered about, including the idea of going back in time to once again get a hold of the Infinity Stones a la the Time Heist. Avengers: Endgame made traveling through time a possibility with a mix of Stark and Pym technology. With Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) back from the dead, making multiple trips should be easy with no shortage of Pym Particles. This means that if any ill-intentioned being attempts to wield the power of the elemental crystals for nefarious reasons, it can be done, albeit not easily. Eternals can also finally confirm how many alternate realities the Avengers created during their Time Heist shenanigans.

Another pressing query surrounds Thanos’ real MCU status. The initial presumption was that the snap killed half of life in the universe in Avengers: Infinity War, while Hulk’s (Mark Ruffalo) in Avengers: Endgame brought them back. However, Marvel Studios co-president Louis D’Esposito explained that the Infinity Stones apparently cannot reverse death, which means that those who got dusted in the Decimation weren’t technically dead as they were able to be resurrected. If that’s the case, there’s also a chance that Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) sacrificial snap didn’t murder the Mad Titan and his minions. With Thanos defeated in Avengers: Endgame, there wasn’t much discussion about what really happened to him and if there’s any chance of him returning. Considering the villain’s ties to the cosmic race as the son of A’lars, perhaps the upcoming Eternals can not only provide more about his backstory, but also reveal his real current state.

Eternals Will Explore The Endgame Fallout Properly

Obviously, the Eternals movie will primarily deal with the titular characters who are ancient beings. Feige confirmed that the superhero team already knew of the Avengers, so it’s quite intriguing why we haven’t seen them interact with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, especially considering the dire situation against Thanos. As the film tackles the gang’s separate and individual arcs, it’ll also be able to properly tackle the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame.

Another MCU film - Spider-Man: Far From Home - had the same idea. It revealed how the Blip and its eventual reversal affected ordinary citizens who weren’t aware of the goings on of Thanos’ takeover. However, its story was still told from Peter Parker’s perspective, who was such a significant player in the battle against the Mad Titan in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. With Eternals introducing an all-new MCU line-up, the movie can show us how outsiders were truly able to perceive the events of the Avengers sequels. The narrative may not fully dwell on it. However, given that they’re supposedly in existence throughout the events of the Infinity Saga, it’ll be interesting to see the narrative from fresh eyes.

Aside from simply dealing with the Avengers: Endgame fallout, Eternals can also explore other ramifications from wielding the power of all six Infinity Stones. And given the cosmic origins of the Eternals, the movie can focus on how a massive galactic event affected places beyond Earth as well. It would allow Marvel Studios to expand their narrative settings organically, as everything could still be rooted on the events of Avengers: Endgame.

Avengers: Endgame was marketed as some sort of story finale for the MCU, but it’s not a secret that it won’t really be the end of the franchise. The universe will continue to evolve with the introduction of new characters and the return of some familiar faces. It’s curious if the direct fallout from Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will be explicitly referred to moving forward, but if they do, Eternals is the best film to do just that.

More: Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker Proves How Good Avengers: Endgame Is

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