Eternals’ Marvel Cinematic Universe connections

Eternals is one of the most ambitious films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but does its goal to differentiate itself from other superhero movies generate fewer connections to the franchise?

Eternals sets separate standards from most blockbuster cinematic offerings. Marvel head Kevin Feige handpicks acclaimed indie filmmaker Chloé Zhao to helm the movie, that tells the story of god-like beings on Earth over thousands of years. So, with its distinct take on superhero storytelling and a completely new team of superheroes, does Eternals tie in with the Marvel Cinematic Universe at all? It does, but not as much as this year’s previous MCU movies, Black Widow and Shang-Chi, since those both contained established franchise characters and elements.

Just because we do not see any Avengers in Eternals, doesn’t mean that they are not mentioned. Dane Whitman (who will one day become Black Knight) wonders about his girlfriend Sersi’s abilities and asks her if she is a wizard like Doctor Strange.

Later on, when the Eternals reunite for a meal, Kingo tells the group that Thor used to follow him around when he was a kid. The Eternals have been assigned to Earth for the past seven thousand years, so we can conclude that Kingo did not visit Asgard. However, we do know that Odin fought against the Frost Giants in Norway about a thousand years ago, and that the Asgardians became known as Norse Gods to the people of that region. This would lead us to assume that Thor met Kingo in Scandinavia around that time.

During that same conversation Sprite ponders who will lead the Avengers now that Captain Rogers and Iron Man are gone. The Eternals have beared witness to the Avengers’ victories, along with all the world-changing occurrences of Earth for millenniums and have not interfered. When Dane asks Sersi why the Eternals didn’t help fight Thanos, she explains that the Celestials ordered them to protect Earthlings from Deviants and are restricted from participating in any other significant ways.

The major conflict in Eternals is the initiation of the Emergence, not to be confused with the Convergence from Thor: The Dark World. While the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame do not directly cause the Emergence, the Decimation does play a unique role. The Emergence, which essentially means the host planet has grown a large enough population to birth a new Celestial, while destroying Earth in the process, was put on hold when Thanos snapped the Infinity Gauntlet and caused half of life to vanish. When Hulk snapped the Iron Gauntlet five years later, everyone was brought back and, consequentially, Earth’s population was brought exceedingly close to Emergence level.

Thanos was actually name-dropped three times during Eternals, most surprisingly in association to one of his relatives. While the credits sequences do not link to past MCU films, they both foreshadow what is to come. The mid-credits spot introduces the cosmic troll Pip, who, in turn, introduces the Eternal Titan Eros, also known as Starfox. This hero’s most noteworthy connection to the Marvel Universe is that he is the brother of the mad Titan Thanos. Therefore, Starfox’s sudden appearance requires further explanation. We learned why Earth’s Eternals did not interfere, but Starfox seemingly operates on his own behest, so where was he during Thanos’ quest for the Infinity Stones?

In the end-credits stinger, Dane Whitman deliberates whether he should wield the magical Ebony Blade, which would turn him into the Black Knight. A man is heard from off-screen cautioning Dane’s next move. The voice is familiar, but not as iconic as Samuel L. Jackson or even as distinguishable as Patton Oswalt, who voices the always chatty sidekick Pip. If it was Mahershala Ali, it was an odd choice not to show his face. Ali is set to play Blade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he has never been seen as the daywalker yet, so this dubious introduction is a tad anti-climactic.

Lastly, a potential connection with Shang-Chi did not end up playing out in Eternals. When Wong tells Shang-Chi, in that movie’s post-credits scene, that the Ten Rings recently activated a beacon and that the rings are thousands of years old, it turns out that they are not associated with this film’s protagonists, who have been on Earth since 5,000 BC.

Are you looking forward to seeing more of the Eternals and Black Knight in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Did you enjoy Eternals? Let us know in the comments below!