Eternals: 10 Reasons Karun Patel Is The Best Eternal

With Eternals‘ recent release on Disney+, the world now has the ability to rewind favorite moments from the MCU movie, many if not most of which likely involve Karun Patel. He is the non-powered human among gods, the personal valet and assistant of Kingo, the Bollywood star and Eternal with comedic powers.

Karun rivals other MCU non-powered favorites including Ant-Man‘s best friend Luis and Shang Chi‘s sidekick Katy. Throughout the movie, Karun tags along on the Eternal’s adventures, capturing moments on one of his many cameras. This guy has a heart of gold, brings humor, and is loyal and brave. In fact, Karun deserves his own Eternals costume and would look great in orange.

He Is A Valet, “Like Alfred In Batman”

Upon introducing himself to Gilgamesh as Kingo’s valet, Gilgamesh replies, “Like Alfred in Batman.”  This is a great comparison and accurately represents the iconic Eternals duo of Kingo and Karun. The way Gilgamesh delivered this line was very sweet and endearing

Like Alfred, Karun has some major skills and attributes that make him a valuable member of the Eternals team. As Kingo’s valet, Karun is always by his side, prepared, and ready to assist however he can. After Kingo demonstrates his skills with an impressive battle against a deviant, he calls out to Karun to make sure the valet captured the fight on camera. As expected, Karun came through.

He Has Kept Kingo’s Secret

Having worked for Kingo for 50 years, Karun has known about the Eternals and has kept Kingo’s secret. This is one of the first signs of Karun’s loyalty in the movie, and there’s a case to be made that he is in fact the most loyal of the group. Although he has not been alive for thousands of years like the Eternals, he has stood by Kingo for the majority of his life, which is different from most of the Eternals who each went their own way before the start of the movie.

He Thought Deviants Were Beautiful Creatures

The first time he sees a deviant, Karun says that they are beautiful. Instead of being afraid, he is awestruck. Few humans would look at a deviant and react like that.

Throughout the movie, Karun follows Kingo right into battle, camera in hand, and does not shy away from getting a good shot. Karun’s bravery is impressive and allows him to keep up with the rest of the group.

He Has The Same Apron As Gilgamesh

Another great line in his meeting with Gilgamesh is when Karun points out that he has the same “Kiss the Cook” apron. This is a funny moment and shows the beginning of a friendship between the two which is reflected in Karun’s reverence at Gilgamesh’s funeral. This is not the only thing he has in common with Gilgamesh. Karun and Gilgamesh are two of the movie’s most likable characters. They are both compassionate and take care of others, making them great teammates to the Eternals.

He Has A Never-Ending Supply Of Cameras

Karun is carrying or using a camera in nearly all of his on-screen moments. They constantly get destroyed during the action and fighting sequences, but as soon as one is broken, he has another one out to replace it. It almost seems like magic and might be Karun’s superpower. In an interview with the Phase Zero podcast, Eternals’ producer Nate Moore said the Karun actor Harish Patel had an actual working camera prop that he recorded real video on throughout production. Moore mentioned that Marvel Studios could potentially use the footage to create a short documentary of Kingo.

He Thought Kingo Was A Vampire And Tried To Stake Him

When Karun first met Kingo, he thought the Eternal was a vampire and tried to kill him with a wooden stake. Karun’s response to Kingo retelling the story is, “I have apologized many times.” Kingo jokes that he has not apologized enough yet. This scene shows how much these two get along and the depth of their friendship. It also shows Karun’s fighting spirit and his willingness to stand up against evil.

He Convinces Kingo To Join The Eternals On Their Mission

When Ikaris, Sprite, and Cersi come to convince Kingo to join them on their mission to fight the deviants, Kingo is tempted to stay behind and continue his work on his movies. However, Karun reminds him of his favorite movie line from his movie Shadow Warrior 2: Voyage Of Time, “Life affords no greater duty than to protect one’s family.” This line convinces Kingo to join the other Eternals and begins Karun’s journey with the group.

He Stands Up For Humanity

The Eternals have an ongoing conversation throughout the movie about how to handle the crisis with the deviants and celestials. Should they allow the seeded celestial Tiamut to emerge and therefore destroy the earth but allow other planets to be born or should they kill Tiamut and save the human race?

Karun’s presence during these conversations allows him to offer the human perspective on the matter. Karun argues, “We are not going to let every human die, right? I’m human; I’m a little bit biased.” Without Karun’s participation in these conversations, the movie may have had a different ending.

He Doesn’t Want To Go Home

When Kingo realizes the gravity of the situation with the deviants and celestials, that the world is going to end when Tiamet emerges, he tells Karun that he can go home.  Karun replies, “And do what? Watch TV? When I can be with the world’s original superheroes as they try to save the world.” This moment shows Karun’s dedication to the team and saving human life. If Kingo had not decided to leave, Karun would have been there to film the final fight with Cersei, Phastos, Makkari, Thena, and Druig.

He Is The Best Cheerleader

When things get hard, Karun is always there to cheer on, take pictures, and provide valuable insight to the Eternals. When Druig voices his frustration with the team and the deviants, Karun replies, “I think we must learn from our mistakes and do better, sir. You must not give up hope.” This is the quote that sums up Karun’s personality and is one of many examples of when Karun encourages the team to do the right thing. With Kingo, Ikaris, Sprite, and Gilgamesh out of the picture, the Eternals are in need of some new recruits. Perhaps Cersei can lobby with Arishem for Karun to be granted powers.

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