Eternals is Marvel Studios' latest film in its ongoing cinematic universe that introduces a wide array of exciting new characters. One, though, doesn't have the screen time that many fans believe he should have and that character is Kit Harington's Dane Whitman, and one of the writers of Eternals explains why that was the case.
Whitman, a human being who is a professional colleague and love interest of Sersi (played by Gemma Chan), is unaware of Sersi's Eternals background. Because Whitman carries another name from the comics known as the Black Knight, many thought Eternals would be his debut as the legendary swordsman hero.
However, according to Eternals writer Kaz Firpo in a new interview with The Direct, Whitman's character was solely introduced in the film to maintain a comic book accurate relationship with Sersi. "…[Dane] has a long history with Sersi in the comics. They have a really complex and interesting relationship that goes back in a lot of different runs… what we really wanted with Dane… [was] somebody that had that gravitas… that power, [who] frankly had the potential to be something great… a character that learns the rules of this world, and then still has this love for Sersi, and still has this potential for where they could go… where their characters could end up," said Firpo. It does make sense that Whitman was not explored to a greater extent, considering all of the other new characters that the film had to touch on and set up for future MCU stories.
"So it wasn't a choice to say 'Dane should only be this much,' it was really like, 'who would this human [character] relationship with Sersi be?' For it to become Dane was this no-brainer once you looked at the mythology of the universe," added Firpo. Even if his character won't be delved into deeper later down the road in the MCU, it doesn't seem to bother Harington at all. In a recent interview with Fandom, Harington expressed his enthusiasm over joining Eternals and how he hopes to continue playing the character in many more films. Harington would further add his pleasant experience working with director Chloé Zhao and how his Marvel debut was a seamless transition.
While his screen time is definitely limited, Whitman is featured in one of Eternals' most exciting scenes, which comes post-credits. In the scene, the character is contemplating taking up the Ebony Blade, a valuable family antique (which also foreshadows his Black Knight character) in order to rescue Sersi. What gets interesting, though, is when he hears a voice off-screen asking him if he is ready to harness the legendary sword, a voice that belongs to Mahershala Ali's Blade.
In the meantime, fans will just have to experience Whitman on the big screen in Eternals before his Black Knight debut. Eternals' star-studded ensemble also includes Richard Madden as Ikaris, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Barry Keoghan as Druig, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Kit Harington as Dane Whitman, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Lia McHugh as Sprite, and Harish Patel as Karun.
Eternals is now playing exclusively in theatres.
Source: The Direct