Marvel Studios is usually eager to start setting up spin-offs and crossovers with its superhero characters, but the sprawling ensemble of Eternals is seemingly being ignored in subsequent projects. While Marvel has confirmed that development on other Phase Four sequels like Shang-Chi 2 and Spider-Man 4 is underway, Eternals 2 has yet to be officially announced. Patton Oswalt has revealed (via ComicBook.com) that Eternals 2 is in the works with Chloé Zhao back in the director’s chair, but this claim hasn’t been corroborated by Marvel.
As the negative reviews and low box office returns started pouring in, Eternals producer Nate Moore downplayed the possibility of a sequel. When asked about a potential Eternals sequel, Moore told The Toronto Sun, “It’s not something that is a must-have. Obviously, we have ideas of where we could go, but there isn’t a hard and fast rule where we have to have three of these things and this is the first.” This statement seemed to suggest that Marvel wouldn’t bother with Eternals 2 because it recognized there simply wasn’t the demand for it.
Eternals Did Not Perform Well Critically Or Financially
When it was released in November 2021, after being delayed to accommodate the pandemic, Eternals did not perform well, either critically or financially. Eternals grossed just over $400 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. This isn’t an insignificant figure, but the movie cost $200 million to make. Going off the rule of thumb that a successful movie should gross at least 2.5 times its production budget, Eternals was technically a box office bomb that failed to turn a profit. While this commercial disappointment can be partly blamed on the lingering effects of COVID, the less-than-enthusiastic response to the film was also a big factor in its underperformance.
Eternals wasn’t universally panned by critics. The film’s lofty themes, the cast’s committed performances, and the sumptuous visuals using real locations and natural light were all widely praised. But just about everything else was met with a negative response. Eternals’ underdeveloped characters, overlong runtime, underuse of action sequences, and overuse of dull exposition were all criticized. With a weak approval rating of just 47%, Eternals became the first entry in the MCU to receive a “rotten” score on Rotten Tomatoes. The relative failure of the movie may have Marvel rethinking the franchise’s future.
Other Projects Have Not Mentioned Events From Eternals
Marvel movies and TV shows often include references to each other to reinforce the interconnected nature of the cinematic universe. The Statue of Liberty renovation seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home was mentioned in an episode of Hawkeye. A news banner in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever announced the publication of Scott Lang’s memoir Look Out for the Little Guy from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. In Ms. Marvel, Kamala went to AvengerCon to geek out over her favorite superheroes. But, despite the global ramifications of the events of Eternals, the movie’s conflicts have barely been mentioned in subsequent MCU projects. Eternals’ final battle left a giant hand sticking out of the ocean. Aside from a blink-and-miss-it mention on a news website visited by Jen Walters in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, this hand has gone unmentioned for years. Kingo’s Bollywood career is referenced in both Ms. Marvel and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, but there’s no indication that the character himself will ever make another appearance.
Eternals May Have Caused Problems With Blade
From an incomplete script to a demanding star, there have been all kinds of rumors about the troubled production of Mahershala Ali’s upcoming Blade solo movie. One of the most prominent rumors suggests that Ali is unwilling to share the spotlight with Kit Harington’s Black Knight. Ali made his MCU debut in the post-credits scene of Eternals, in which he gave Dane Whitman the Ebony Blade (the magical sword that grants the Black Knight his powers). This teaser seemed to pave the way for a future team-up between Blade and the Black Knight, but the producers will face a hurdle if Ali wants to be the sole star of Blade.
Is It Better For Marvel To Ignore Eternals Altogether?
It might be best for Marvel to just accept that Eternals wasn’t a hit and continue to leave its events and characters out of the wider MCU going forward. There are already a ton of new characters to fold into the Avengers ensemble without having to find a way to cram 10 Eternals in there with them. But ignoring it altogether would be a shame, because Eternals isn’t all bad. Instead of keeping every Eternal around in the future, Marvel can handpick the most interesting characters and leave out the rest. Eternals didn’t leave enough room for all 10 of its major characters to be developed as much as they needed, but there were some promising new heroes in the film’s cast. From Gemma Chan’s endlessly lovable Sersi (the closest thing the movie has to a lead protagonist) to Kumail Nanjiani’s hilariously arrogant Kingo, there are some Eternals characters who would be welcome additions to the larger ensemble.