Marvel Reportedly Developing Eternals Movie, Announcement Expected Soon
The Marvel Cinematic Universe might be about to get a whole lot more godlike.
As we wait for Avengers: Infinity War to trigger the end of an era for Marvel Comics stories on the big screen, the bigwigs at Marvel Studios and the House of Mouse have been quietly, secretly assembling a next phase.
Nothing beyond the fourth, yet-untitled Avengers movie has been announced by the studio, but it's not because work isn't being done. Indeed, a whole parade of secretive projects are currently being developed behind closed doors at Marvel — and we just might know what the next big announcement's going to be.
According to a report by Bleeding Cool, Marvel Studios will soon announce a film adaptation of The Eternals, the Jack Kirby-created series that made its debut in the summer of 1976.
The series centers around highly-evolved humans in the past and present who have been deemed by the alien Celestials to be the defenders of Earth, with their ranks including a number of characters whom we real-life people would more quickly deem to be actual gods.
That includes the warrior Thena (often confused for the Greek goddess Athena), the superhuman Forgotten One, the Mexican vampire El Vampiro, the fairy-esque Pixie, and many more.
And those are just the human Eternals. There are also alien or Titan Eternals, much like Kronos, Starfox, and his brother Thanos — yes, that Thanos.
Eternals are generally defined as highly-evolved, effectively immortal entities that are powered by cosmic energy, immune to damage and able to regenerate after being wounded, so long as they maintain a mental hold over their bodies.
Able to teleport, fly, read and control minds, shoot energy and manipulate matter, Eternals are generally seen as so powerful that at one point in comics continuity, truly defeating them involved destroying their bodies on a molecular level. But are they worthy of lifting Thor's hammer? How bow dah?
Since nothing about this is official, the news of an incoming Eternals movie should be taken with a grain or two of salt. The Bleeding Cool report cites an anonymous source at the heart of the rumor, but notes that their source "has proved ultra-reliable in the past for this kind of thing." They sound confident — maybe they're onto something.
We won't know for sure until we hear it from the Mouse's mouth — or Kevin Feige's. The report says official news is coming imminently, though that may end up being after the Avengers: Infinity War dust has started to settle a little. That's gonna be a rowdy weekend. Hope you've gotcha tickets ready.
Tracking for a $200 million-plus opening, Avengers: Infinity War is set to tear the whole world up when it hits on April 27. Check out first reactions to the long-awaited team-up movie here, and be careful of spoilers, if there even end up being any. We're so close, folks — after that, perhaps, it's all about The Eternals and beyond.