Marvel’s Eternals: Every Reveal From The Set Photos

Set photos from Marvel’s Eternals have revealed story details about the upcoming Phase 4 movie. So far, Marvel Studios have kept information about Eternals close to the vest, so a good bit of what is publicly known about the story — which isn’t much — has come from Eternals’ set photos.

Directed by Chloe Zhao and set for a November 2020 release, Eternals brings a group of obscure Marvel Comics superheroes into the MCU. Created by comic book legend Jack Kirby in a short-lived 1970s comic series, the Eternals are a race of super-powered immortals who have shared the Earth in secret with humans for thousands of years. Also sharing the planet with the Eternals are their genetic cousins, the Deviants, who are a subterranean, lesser species of hideously deformed monsters who have long been jealous of the Eternals’ longevity and powers.

Eternals features a star-studded cast that includes Angelina Jolie as Thena, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Gemma Chan as Sersi, Salma Hayek as their leader Ajak, and Kit Harrington as the Black Knight, the only confirmed human character. As for the plot, Eternals is expected to see the main characters unite after a terrible tragedy and face off against their ancient enemies, the Deviants. What else will the movie entail? The set photos have provided a few clues.

The Eternals Takes Place (Mostly) In The Present Day

For a while, it was unclear when in the MCU’s timeline the Eternals movie would take place, as it was originally speculated that Eternals would be set in the distant past and act as sort of a prequel to the Marvel Cinematic Universe; however, it became clear when set photos of Sersi dressed in modern clothes in London emerged that the film takes place — at least partially — in the 21st century.

Though it’s become apparent that Eternals will have some scenes in the past, the present day will be the main setting for the movie, which has since been confirmed by the official synopsis that declares it to be set after the events of Avengers: Endgame. This doesn’t sound all that different to how the comics have used the Eternals. The comics have taken advantage of the Eternals’ immortality by sharing a few glimpses of things that they’ve done thousands of years ago, but all of their major storylines have been in the present.

The Eternals Will Visit Two Key Locations From The Comics

One of the ancient settings for Eternals is Babylon, a kingdom that existed in Mesopotamia over two thousand years ago. When Eternals was filming on the Canary Islands, a set piece was identified as a replica of the Gates of Babylon. A building near the Gates of Babylon is believed to be the City of the Space Gods, a place encountered in the debut issue of Kirby’s Eternals comic. In the comics, the City of the Space Gods was connected to the Incas and not the Babylonians, but the movie could change this aspect of the story.

In Marvel Comics, the City of the Space Gods was built by the Incas to honor the Celestials, the towering, godlike beings who created the Eternals and the Deviants. Ikaris traveled to the City of the Space Gods to wake up Ajak, whose job was to communicate with the Celestials when it came time for them to make their highly-anticipated return to Earth. Every thousand years, the Celestials come to Earth and pass judgment on the planet, in order to decide if its people are still worthy of living. When this judgment is being made, the Celestials stay at the City of the Space Gods until they’re able to reach a decision. This place was also the setting for a major confrontation between the Eternals and the Deviants.

As for Babylon, it’s the place where Thena and Kro — who may or may not be the main villain of Eternals — began a romantic relationship that ended up spanning thousands of years. Also, it should be noted that Gilgamesh (Don Lee) has comic book and historical connections to Babylon. Gilgamesh was the king of Uruk, a Sumerian city-state in Mesopotamia. Gilgamesh is also the protagonist of the Babylonian poem, Epic of Gilgamesh. In the comics, Gilgamesh prevented the Kronans from invading Babylon with the help of a time-traveling Captain America.

The Eternals May Have Comic Accurate Powers

Multiple set photos have shown off Eternals like Sersi and Ikaris using their powers. Ikaris has been shown flying in London, which is an ability shared by his comic book counterpart. The same appears to be true of Sersi, who has been shown suspended in mid-air. Also, hand and arm motions suggest that Sersi has energy powers.

So by all indications, the MCU’s Eternals will have comic accurate powers. In Marvel Comics, all Eternals can fly using levitation. As for why this power can be used by multiple Eternals, the reason is because the Eternals have a shared set of abilities. Whereas the X-Men and the Inhumans have different powers that set them all apart, the Eternals are all capable of flight, super strength, energy projection, telepathy, matter manipulation, and more. That being said, some do have one or two unique abilities, or are more adept at using a certain ability than their fellow Eternals. Sersi, for instance, uses her energy powers and matter manipulation ability much more than her fellow Eternals, so it makes sense for Gemma Chan’s Sersi to make full use of this skill set in the movie.

Black Knight And Sersi Are Romantically Involved

Set photos have shown Black Knight and Sersi sharing several scenes together, and one in particular confirms that Black Knight and Sersi develop a romantic relationship at some point in the movie. This backs up long-circulating rumors about Black Knight’s involvement in the story. Sersi was one of Black Knight’s love interests in the pages of The Avengers during the early 1990s. When both were Avengers, Sersi was in danger of becoming a serious threat to the world, so Black Knight had to be bonded to her psychically to keep her in line. It had to be him because he was the object of her affection, even though at the time, he was more interested in the Inhuman, Crystal.

It’s important to note that his relationship with Sersi was Black Knight’s only connection to the Eternals in the comics, so it was always expected that their ties to each other in the comics would be explored in the Eternals movie.

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