Marvel’s The Eternals could span ‘tens of thousands of years’

Kevin Feige is teasing that The Eternals could be a massive film that takes place over a significant amount of time.

The Eternals is one of the various movies Marvel Studios is developing as part of its next phase of films. While the film’s director and production start date have been revealed, not much is known about the actual plot or direction for the project. Now, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige is teasing a few more key details.

Speaking with Collider, Feige lightly discussed Marvel’s plans for the future and emphasized how different the films will be for this new slate. He also discussed the balance between retaining old characters and introducing new ones:

"“Everything after Endgame, and after Spider-Man: Far From Home, will be different and be unique, as we try to make every film. But seeing returning characters is certainly something we’re gonna do and want to do. But also introducing characters that the majority of the world has never heard of, much like Guardians, much like Avengers before we made Avengers. And there are lots of them.”"

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On that note, talk turned to The Eternals, which Feige believes will be unlike anything audiences have seen in the MCU. He also mentioned Jack Kirby’s comic runs on the characters as being an influence, which means the movie could span thousands of years:

"“Eternals are one group, but we like the idea of introducing an ensemble, doing an ensemble movie from the start, as opposed to building up as we did with the first Avengers. More like Guardians, not tonally, but in terms of introducing a new group of people… Jack Kirby did an immense, amazing epic with Eternals that spans tens of thousands of years, and that’s also something we haven’t really done, which is why that among many other things post-Endgame, we find appealing.”"

The Eternals are some of the most unique beings to inhabit the Marvel Universe. Created by Jack Kirby back in 1976, the characters were developed using unused concepts from Kirby’s New Gods comic book for DC Comics. The group make up the most powerful characters Marvel has. And as their name implies, they are indeed immortal, and as a result they’ve existed for millennia.

Given this fact, it’s natural that Marvel Studios would want to take advantage of this aspect of the characters. Placing the film during different periods of time would make for some interesting storytelling points. It would also quickly set it apart from its MCU counterparts.

There are still a number of variables to consider for The Eternals. How will their origins be established in the MCU? During what time periods were they most active? And how can such powerful characters be made relatable? They’re all legitimate concerns, but if Marvel Studios has proven anything, it’s that they always have a plan.