Eternals is expected to come back for a sequel, but Eternals 2 should not copy the MCU’s Thor: Ragnarok trick if it does. The Eternals’ movie released in 2021 with the biggest ensemble cast the MCU had ever seen to star as immortal beings that protected the Earth from the Deviants. Although the MCU had started to explore the wider universe with movies such as Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy, Eternals went even further with its ancient protectors. With Chloé Zhao director, and a cast including Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, and Gemma Chan, with a Harry Styles cameo at the end, Eternals received mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike and was not the post-pandemic success Marvel hoped it would be.
The last time an MCU movie received a reaction as cold as Eternals was Thor: The Dark World and Marvel responded to this by completely overhauling the series, but Eternals does not need this treatment as Chloé Zhao’s direction was not the issue. Thor: Ragnarok brought in Taika Waititi to direct which completely changed the tone, allowing Hemsworth to tap into the more humorous side of Thor and gave him a more solid identity and personality. However, Chloé Zhao was responsible for Eternals’ stunning visuals and left her unmistakable stamp; Eternals 2 would not need to change these as they were the most praised aspect of Eternals. Something does need to change for Eternals 2, but copying Thor: Ragnarok which changed Thor, the tone and direction would be a huge mistake for the MCU.
Thor Needed A Reinvention; The Eternals Don’t
Thor: The Dark World was commercially successful, and some audiences and critics did enjoy it, but it was widely regarded as one fo the weakest MCU movies, and it was the whole Thor series that was the issue. The Thor series lacked any definition around its titular character, with Thor’s personality changing between Thor and Avengers movies and left Thor: The Dark World extremely underwhelming. Thor had comedic moments and Taika Waititi, who had a huge say in the story as well, brought this back out in Thor: Ragnarok and truly put his own stamp on it which made Thor: Ragnarok a huge success.
Eternals already has Chloé Zhao’s directing stamp on it, and her visuals and tone do not need correcting in the way Waititi corrected Thor’s. Eternals is forgettable, and its reviews focus more on the story and its underdevelopment, especially with such a big cast. The Eternals 2 needs Zhao still to continue to match the tone that fit the immortal beings so well, but the storyline needs to delve deeper into the characters, so audiences are more attached to them. Now the foundations have been laid for who they are and what the Eternals have achieved, Eternals 2 can use it’s time to have a more gripping plot with a more varied storyline.
Is Eternals 2 Happening? What We Know So Far
Despite Eternals ending with a clip saying they will return, there has been no official confirmation from Marvel or Disney about Eternals 2. Patton Oswalt, who voiced the CGI Pip the Troll in Eternals, said that Eternals will be returning with Chloé Zhao to direct (via Esquire) but there was no confirmation at D23 to support this. Comic Con and D23 mainly focused on the jampacked Phase 5 of the MCU, however, and there is definitely room in Phase 6 for the Eternals sequel, as it currently only has Marvel’s Fantastic Four, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Avengers: Secret Wars in its line-up. Also, in an interview (via Phase Zero), Marvel VP and Eternals producer said “I don’t want to spoil anything, but we have not seen the last of those characters”. There may not be any confirmation yet, but it is safe to assume the Eternals characters will appear in new MCU movies, and hopefully there will be an Eternals sequel.
