Back in May, the first teaser trailer for Marvel Studios’ upcoming film Eternals dropped, giving viewers a taste of the franchise’s newest heroes and the beautiful cinematography director Chloé Zhao is bringing to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Now, just over two months out from the film’s premiere, Marvel has released the full, final trailer. This one is much more dialogue-heavy, gives us a peek at the Eternals in action, and thus answers some important, burning questions along the way.
Eternals follows a group of heroes from beyond the stars who had protected the Earth since the dawn of man. When monstrous creatures called the Deviants, long thought lost to history, mysteriously return, the Eternals are forced to reunite in order to defend humanity once again.
So what have we learned from the new trailer?
How old are the MCU’s Eternals?
There have been various generations of Eternals in the comics since they were created by Jack Kirby in 1976, and there have been several takes on just how old they are. When it comes to the MCU’s Eternals, Gemma Chan’s Sersi states that they came to Earth 7,000 years ago to protect humans from the Deviants.
When does the film take place?
In the opening moments of the trailer, Salma Hayek’s Ajak is speaking to Richard Madden’s Ikaris, and she refers back to “five years ago” when Thanos erased half of the population of the universe. This tells us that the film takes place shortly after the Avengers reversed the treachery of Thanos. This would put Eternals somewhere in line with WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
How long of a period of time in the current day will the film span?
When Ikaris asks Ajak how long they have, in reference to the Deviants, she gravely states seven days. Barring time jumps and other plot twists, we can assume that the film’s events will therefore happen roughly over the course of a week.
Why didn’t the Eternals intervene during Thanos’ reign?
Throughout the growth of its four Phases thus far, the MCU and its writing teams across various films and shows have worked hard to create an interconnected universe with as much continuity as possible. The introduction of the Eternals raised a major question though: if these beings are so powerful, why haven’t they ever helped Earth before during its various wars and disasters? And why didn’t they step in when Thanos rose to power?
Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman poses this question to Sersi in the trailer. She explains to him that they were instructed not to interfere in any human conflicts unless Deviants were involved. Dane then asks, “By who?”
The Celestials
Following Dane’s question about who told the Eternals not to intervene, we fade to a shot of a Celestial. In the comics, the Celestials are an ancient race of powerful, extraterrestrial cosmic beings. They are responsible for the creation of the Eternals, the Deviants, and the X-Gene.
But the Celestials aren’t new to the MCU. Back in Guardians of the Galaxy, we saw them as the original owners of the Infinity Stones. Later, in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, we met a Celestial named Ego (the father of Peter Quill).
Why are the Deviants back?
The sudden return of the universe’s population when the Blip was reversed provided the necessary energy for the emergence of the Deviants to begin.
Kro
While we’ve known that Kro, the Deviant warlord, dictator, and military general, would be making an appearance in the film, we’ve finally been given a clear look at him. Could he be the main villain of Eternals? In the comics, Kro has unique mutations that grant him a longer life than most Deviants and also render him nearly indestructible, which makes him similar to the Eternals.
In the trailer, he’s seen lifting up Angelina Jolie’s Thena as he strokes her face and tells her, “You can’t protect any of them.” The pair has a romantic history in the comics, but it remains to be seen how much of that may or may not be carried over into the film.
Have the Eternals been together this entire time?
In the trailer, Ikaris says that they need to find the others. Sersi remarks that she hasn’t seen some of them for centuries. It’s safe to say that over the years, they’ve gone their separate ways and begun living their own lives on Earth. This is intriguing as a plot point because we’ll have the opportunity to see the Eternals work to find their footing as an all-powerful team once again.
Will Eternals have the MCU’s trademark wit and humor?
In the final scene of the trailer, Ikaris commends Phastos on his “perfect safe house.” He goes on to inquire if the table is made from vibranium, punching it. As it collapses, Phastos bluntly replies, “Fall collection. IKEA.” It’s safe to say that despite the epic, larger-than-life nature of the film, we’ll still get some moments of laughter as well.
Watch the trailer below.
The all-star, ensemble cast of the film includes Gemma Chan as humankind-loving Sersi, Richard Madden as the all-powerful Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as cosmic-powered Kingo, Lia McHugh as the eternally young, old-soul Sprite, Brian Tyree Henry as the intelligent inventor Phastos, Lauren Ridloff as the super-fast Makkari, Barry Keoghan as aloof loner Druig, Don Lee as the powerful Gilgamesh, with Kit Harington as Dane Whitman, with Salma Hayek as the wise and spiritual leader Ajak, and Angelina Jolie as the fierce warrior Thena.
Eternals is directed by Nomadland‘s Chloé Zhao and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and Kevin de la Noy serve as executive producers.
Eternals will hit theaters on November 5.
