Who Is The Villain In Eternals?
Marvel Studios has officially entered Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it just keeps getting bigger. Apart from buzzy Disney+ shows like "WandaVision" and "Loki," the MCU is set to see plenty of exciting new films in 2021. Chief among them is Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao's upcoming movie, "Eternals," which will introduce fans to it titular race of immortal, cosmic beings. While the rich mythology of "Eternals" is bound to play a huge role in the future of the MCU, the film has been shrouded in secrecy ahead of its November 5 release. We know that the Eternals have lived on Earth and shaped human civilization for centuries, and that the ensemble cast is stacked with stars like Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, and Gemma Chan.
But details about what they'll get up to in "Eternals" are largely unavailable, leaving plenty of fans hungry for more information. One great way to deduce what a film is about is to discover its major conflict, and what better way to do that than discussing the film's antagonists?
Kro, leader of the Deviants, is believed to be the main antagonist of Eternals
Marvel Studios announced that the heroes in "Eternals" will face off against their ancient enemies, the Deviants, in the films official synopsis. Courtesy of a leaked merchandise reveal in March (via Movieweb), we have an idea of what Kro, the leader of the Deviants, will look like. The 20,000-year-old being is a part of another ancient race created by the all-powerful Celestials. While the Eternals are super-powered defenders of the Earth, the Deviants are the opposite: they're monster-like creatures who seek to destroy the Eternals.
However, Kro has surprising ties to the Eternals. With his more conventionally attractive appearance, immortality, and superhuman abilities, he's much more similar to the Eternals than the Deviants on the surface. Kro is also the ex-lover of Thena (Angelina Jolie), and the father of her twins. The two have a complicated, constantly evolving relationship throughout the comics, but fans will have to wait and see whether Kro becomes an anti-hero in future Marvel films.
"Eternals" could also feature a second villain named Arishem
Kro is believed to be the main villain of "Eternals," but another antagonist could also add to the action. Recently, Twitter account Pop O' Clock posted a list for several Funko Pop! figurines reportedly in development, including products tied to the release of "Eternals." The list included both Kro and Arishem. In the comics, he's the leader of ultra-powerful, god-like creatures called the Celestials. The Celestials travel around the galaxies, messing with the genetic makeup of its inhabitants in order to hopefully create new, powerful life forms, which is exactly how both the Eternals and Deviants came to be. If that sounds familiar, it's because it should to any MCU who's seen both "Guardians of the Galaxy films; Star-Lord's (Chris Pratt) father, Ego (Kurt Russell), was a Celestial.
However, Arishem is often an antagonist in the Eternals' story, because he judges a civilization's progress and schedules the widely unsuccessful ones for Thanos-style elimination. Since Arishem is introduced as an all-knowing authority figure, his more controversial actions will likely be revealed and cause chaos later in the "Eternals" film.