Marvel's Eternals trailer introduces viewers to the next group of MCU superheroes - and here's our full breakdown of the trailer, exploring all the story details and character moments. It's easy to forget that, when Marvel launched the MCU back in 2008, they didn't have any of their most famous or popular brands. Iron Man and Captain America were far from household names, with the film rights for Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four sitting with Fox.
Marvel learned an important lesson; it doesn't matter how famous a superhero character already is, or how well-established they are in the public consciousness already. If you make a good enough movie, they'll become a hit. As a result, the MCU's Phase 4 will introduce an unlikely group of super-powered beings, the Eternals, who have never exactly been A-listers in the comics and have been reinvented by award-winning director Chloé Zhao for the MCU. Now, at last, Marvel has released the first Eternals trailer, and for most viewers this will be their introduction to the group.
As a result, the Eternals trailer is mainly focused on establishing the high-level concept and showing off some of the Eternals' powers. There are only hints at the overarching story, and the trailer provides only a glimpse of Kit Harington's Black Knight, who is also set to make his MCU debut in Eternals. So here are the major takeaways and reveals.
25. The Arrival Of The Eternals
In the comics, the Eternals are an evolutionary offshoot of humanity created by a cosmic race of aliens known as the Celestials. The MCU appears to have rewritten their origin story, however, instead portraying them as a group of ancient aliens who were sent to Earth to serve as shepherds and guides for human civilization. Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, actor Kumail Nanjiani discussed the Eternals' origin in a little more detail; "We were sent to Earth thousands of years ago to protect Earth from these monsters, the Deviants," he explained. "By this point, we've been on Earth for a long time." That's abundantly clear in the trailer's stunning opening shot, which sees the Eternals' ship decloak over a group of fishermen and farmers thousands of years ago. This ship may serve as the Eternals' base of operations, allowing the Eternals to interact with different human civilizations across the planet; set photos have shown everywhere from Babylon to the Aztec "City of the Space Gods" from Jack Kirby's original Eternals run. Its ability to cloak means it could still be hidden in the present day.
24. Eternals' Opening Music
The opening song in the Eternals trailer is unusual, but potentially significant. Skeeter Davis' "The End of the World" was released in 1962, a sad song written after the end of a romantic relationship. It's a perfect song-choice for Eternals, because it blends the theme of romance - believed to be central to the film - with the literal threat of the end of the world. Amusingly, it also has links to Angelina Jolie - it was used in the award-winning Girl, Interrupted, albeit in a very different way.
23. Sersi & Ikaris Look Down At Earth
Two of the Eternals are shown looking down at the Earth; Gemma Chan's Sersi and Richard Madden's Ikaris, who are set up as the main characters in this first Eternals trailer. In the comics, Sersi is the member of the Eternals who has traditionally interacted with humanity the most, even becoming a member of the Avengers during the '90s. It's fitting that she falls in love with the Earth the moment she sees the planet, dedicating herself to its defense on an emotional level. Ikaris, the leader of the Eternals, seems rather less impressed.
22. Angelina Jolie's Thena
Angelina Jolie is making her MCU debut as Thena, an Eternal warrior who has often served as a diplomat for the Eternals, helping them find common ground with other cultures and civilizations. The Eternals trailer gives viewers their first look at Thena in costume, and the design is gorgeous, perfectly complementing the flares of circular cosmic energy surrounding her. The introduction of such cosmic energy is important in its own right, because the WandaVision.
21. Ajak, the Spiritual Leader of the Eternals
The Eternals trailer moves on to introducing Salma Hayek's character, Ajak, who's been gender-swapped from the comics. Ajak is believed to serve as the Eternals' spiritual leader, and according to leaked Eternals merchandise her wisdom has guided the team from their arrival on Earth to the present day. She possesses the power of physical healing, which she can use to heal humans and Eternals alike, and intriguingly the merchandise teased she possesses the unique ability to communicate with the Celestials.
20. Phastos Manipulates Cosmic Energy
Next up is Phastos, the Eternals' inventor, played by Brian Tyree Henry. Merchandise suggests this character has operated from the shadows, secretly helping humanity develop technologically. The Eternals trailer shows him manipulating cosmic energy in an unknown way, and it's unclear precisely what he is attempting to do. The flares of cosmic energy are beautiful, evocative of the creative designs of Jack Kirby.
19. The Eternals' Role In MCU History Explained
The Eternals trailer features both a voice-over and a number of scenes explaining just what role the Eternals have played in the development of human civilization. They have presented themselves as ive observers but, for all their claims, in truth they have served to direct humanity by helping people progress as a culture. Their actions have led to the Eternals being treated as gods; in the comics, their creator Jack Kirby intended them to be the inspiration for the legends of the Greek gods in particular, explaining the origin of their individual names (Thena being linked to Athena, for example, and Ikaris to the legend of Icarus). Amusingly, Thor: Love & Thunder, perhaps meaning the Greek Pantheon will be drawn from two sources in the MCU mythology.
18. Sersi Helping Irrigate A Desert
True to the comics, Sersi appears to have interacted with humanity to a greater degree than other Eternals. One shot shows her using her power of matter transmutation to create water, effectively irrigating a desert environment. It's easy to see why the Eternals are worshiped as gods; many of the earliest gods worshiped by humans were associated with fertility, with rivers flowing in the deserts. There is most definitely a sense of the divine about Sersi's demonstration of benevolent power. She's later shown integrating with a human family, getting her hair platted by a girl.
17. Thena Showing Off Her Combat Skills
Angelina Jolie's character, Thena, looks set to be one of the stand-out characters in Eternals. According to leaked Eternals merchandise, in the MCU Thena is able to reshape cosmic energy in order to create any weapon she can imagine. Her favorite weapon in the comics is a staff, so it's safe to assume the trailer shows her wielding the MCU version of that, which she has forged using her powers.
16. The Eternals At Babylon
The Eternals are shown at the Gates of Babylon, with the voice-over hinting they may well have been linked to all seven of the ancient "Wonders of the World." Babylon is a key location in Eternals lore in the comics, because it was there Thena began her long and controversial romance with the Deviant warlord Kro, who's been confirmed to appear in Eternals by tie-in merchandise. What's more, the Eternal Gilgamesh is tied to Babylon as well; his very name comes from an ancient Babylonian poem, while one comic book story saw a time traveling Captain America team up with Gilgamesh in order to defend Babylon from an alien army. It's interesting to note the shots in Babylon seem to suggest the Eternals have revealed themselves to the people of the city, in marked contrast with the voice-over claiming they never interfere.
