Chloé Zhao's Eternals is already achieving what no other Marvel film ever has. These achievements are both positive and negative, but the historic ground that the film is breaking cannot be taken away. The inclusion of the first LGBTQ+ couple and deaf hero are huge feats that deserve to be properly celebrated and marketed.
The buzz regarding the history Eternals is making has largely been overshadowed by the criticism that the film has begun to receive from critics. Some have remarked that Zhao wasn't the right choice to lead the film's direction, that there are too many characters to deal with and establish in one film, or have taken issue with some of the humane subjects brought to the forefront of the film. It turns out that critics aren't the only ones who may be limiting the future of Eternals and its stars.
Marvel producer Nate Moore recently revealed that Eternals may not have any sequels. Instead, he says, "We felt like there was enough story that it could be a contained universe." If Eternals is meant to stand on its own, it may begin to diminish its significance to Marvel fans who have become invested in the 11-year storyline that the MCU has built. When the potential for Eternals not to have any sequels is combined with the harsh reviews it has received, some may decide that the newest Marvel film is skippable. If it doesn't have any long-term influence on the MCU going forward, what's the point?
As a part of the MCU, Eternals can't necessarily be chalked up to a skippable movie. Even without sequels, Eternals is providing background for new characters that Moore did suggest would come to play a big role in the MCU down the line. Moore mentioned Kit Harrington's Dane Whitman specifically. In the comics, Whitman becomes Black Knight, but Harrington won't take that form in Eternals or potentially at all. "He's not going to be Black Knight necessarily, but that is something that we get to play with down the road," Moore said. Skipping Eternals would mean missing out on this new direction of Whitman and where it originated. His romantic tie to Sersi as she and Ikaris are forced to reunite may mark a change in his character that will be important going forward. Without watching Eternals, this background information to help establish his character will be lost.
Outside of Whitman, the concept that the Celestials within Eternals won't ever appear again isn't entirely the case either. Moore says that Marvel does have ideas of how the Celestials may cross over with other Marvel heroes or ongoing storylines at some point, but that within the scope of Eternals, there was already so much to play with. What this means is that the Celestials aren't necessarily a one and done group, but that with the background of 10 characters, 7,000 years of history to account for, along with the Celestials' evil counterparts, the Deviants, there was more than enough for the film to experiment with. Therefore, there isn't a chance that there will be a ton of hints for the future within Eternals. However, the post-credits scenes have generated quite a bit of positive buzz, suggesting that there may be room for the Celestials to appear in other storylines later on.
When Moore was questioned specifically about Eternals sequels, Moore said that "It's not something that is a must-have." Traditionally, Marvel films (especially origin films), have an expectation of additional films to arrive in order to help flesh out the story and its characters. The work that the Captain America trilogy did to establish not only Steve Rogers but his friends Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes also became a crucial piece to the Marvel puzzle. Given that Eternals is trying to devote time to 10 characters along with the film's more superheroic plot and impending battle, the thought of having additional films isn't a horrible idea. The issue with only making a film about the Eternals that only featured some of them may have led the film to feel unfinished. Thus, the decision to introduce all 10 characters at once is understandable, but it's also reasonable to see how Eternals may benefit from having additional exploration in their own projects.
The important thing to remember with Eternals is that even without the knowledge of any sequels, Marvel does have an idea of how the Celestials may come into play later on. This means that the work Eternals will do historically and with its characters, will not be for naught. By actively working to shake up the standard Marvel formula and centering around the relationships the Celestials have created with one another, Eternals becomes a more crucial watch. Previous films like the Captain America trilogy, Captain Marvel, and even Black Widow have proven how important the relationships established between Marvel characters can be in telling a long-term story. The 7,000-year history between these characters means that there will be a lot of complicated ties that may work to unite them and tear them apart.
Without the solidified knowledge that the story of the Celestials will continue, it may be hard for some to fully invest in the film and its characters. The ambiguous suggestion that these characters could appear later on might not be enough of a selling point for some. However, there have been very few (if any) Marvel projects that have prompted any distrust in Marvel's ability to tell an effective story. Those who have become invested in the 11-year story Marvel has told on film and in its Disney Plus series, as well as its long withstanding comic history, are aware of how effective Marvel's long-term storytelling can be. That makes the gamble of investing in Eternals that much more worthwhile.
Eternals will release in theaters on November 5, 2021.