Eternals Writer Confirms Major Fan-Debated Death

One of the screenwriters of Eternals has confirmed that Ikaris is indeed dead at the end of the film. Eternals, the third film in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, introduced the group of immortal beings who were created by the Celestials to guide humanity’s progress over the last 7,000 years. Among the massive team of Eternals are Gemma Chan’s Sersi, the de facto leader after the murder of the conduit Ajak. Although during the events of the film she is dating Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman, she has a long romantic history with Richard Madden’s Ikaris that has spanned millennia.

One of the more surprising twists in Eternals is the fact that the group is split along ideological lines, positioning Ikaris as a secondary villain in the third act. He firmly believes that the Emergence must be allowed to happen, and when he fails to thwart the other Eternals, he can’t handle the complicated emotions that ensue. He finds himself unwilling to live with the simultaneous consequences of betraying his longtime love and failing to make that betrayal count for anything. Living up to his mythological Greek namesake, Ikaris flies directly into the sun, sacrificing himself.

Knowing that the Eternals can withstand conditions that normal humans couldn’t (including breathing in space), fans were unclear as to whether or not Ikaris would eventually return to the MCU. However, screenwriter Kaz Firpo has cleared that up while speaking with CBR. After explaining the motivations behind Ikaris’ actions in the third act of the movie, Firpo puts the situation in the plainest language possible: “yeah, he dead.” Read the full quote below:

What is the melting point of an Eternal? How long does it take to literally melt an Eternal robot? For what it’s worth… yeah, it was always that. He can’t bear to face his family after what he’s done, which he realizes.

I don’t think that Ikaris even thinks that he’s wrong. I think that he just has so much regret. He’s very sorry. I think he’s sorry for the way he lived his whole life on this planet, and that’s a lot of burden to carry. So really, that act is basically saying, “I made a mistake, but I can’t face my family, and I can’t go on living.”

It began as an exile that I think, throughout the course of the filmmaking, really became something that needed to be definitive. It really is a moment of saying, “It’s sacrifice.” It’s sort of saying, “I can’t serve the Eternals. If I can’t serve the Celestials, and I can’t be with my family, then I choose this third option,” which — for him — really is oblivion. So yeah, he dead.

Although they stopped the Emergence, lost Ikaris, and found redemption for Sprite’s betrayal, the Eternals still have a lot of issues ahead of them that they need to face. These issues include the arrival of Harry Styles’ Eros and Dane Whitman potentially embracing his Black Knight mantle under the guidance of Blade. While Ikaris won’t be returning to the MCU, the Eternals almost certainly will in a sequel.

Eternals choosing to permanently kill several of the characters they introduced in the film is a bold choice indicative of the scope of Phase 4 of the MCU. This phase is very much unafraid to take big swings and focus on the consequences and sacrifices involved in being a hero after the events of Endgame took a toll on the Avengers as well as the world at large. Although it will be a shame to lose Madden so soon, it’s exciting to be in a new phase of the franchise where anything can happen.

Source: CBR

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