The Final Trailer for Eternals is Here: Meet the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Ten Newest Heroes

Monica Pagano
Marketing Executive

Angelina Jolie as Thena in Marvel’s Eternals

Big just got bigger. That’s the theme for the cinema industry at large this year as we embark on an epic six months of blockbuster content. The same rings true for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which continues to grow to epic proportions as we’ve always dreamed it would.

While Avengers: Endgame may have closed out one Marvel chapter, Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao launches the franchise into Phase 4. The latest trailer teases a new apocalyptic threat, dealing with the fallout from Avengers: Endgame. Markedly, it addresses the Eternals absence in the last film, noting that Eternals can only come out of hiding when Deviants pose a threat to humanity.

Who are the Eternals?

Legendary comic artist Jack Kirby first dreamed up the Eternals, a team of powerful immortals from the planet Olympia, back in 1976. The Eternals were genetically engineered by the godlike Celestials and sent to Earth to defend the planet from the evil Deviants of the same creator. Sharing this history, we can expect 7,000 years of pent-up animosity to bubble to the surface when these ancient beings clash.

Meet the newest MCU heroes:

Sersi – Gemma Chan

Leading a relatively normal life as a museum curator, Sersi hasn’t connected with some of the other Eternals teammates for centuries, but when the Deviants return, the humankind-loving immortal reunites the clan. This is the second time actress Gemma Chan appears in the MCU, following her performance as blue-skinned Starforce sniper Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel (2019).

Ikaris – Richard Madden

Grounded by a complicated on-again-off-again relationship with Sersi spanning the centuries, Ikaris is the true ‘Superman’ type. One of the most powerful Eternals, he has the ability to fly and shoot beams of light from his eyes.

Phastos – Brian Tyree Henry

Marvel will debut the first openly gay superhero in Phastos, a brilliant inventor with a mind for building revolutionary technology and weaponry. The film will also feature actor Haaz Sleiman as Phastos’ husband, the first MCU portrayal of an LGBTQI relationship.

Sprite – Lia McHugh

Sprite is bought to the big screen by the Eternal’s youngest co-star; 14-year-old Lia McHugh. McHugh says she treated her time on set as an ‘acting masterclass’, absorbing as much as she could from her elder costars. Sprite has control over cosmic energy and possesses telepathic and psychokinetic powers.

Thena – Angelina Jolie

Elite warrior Thena is one of the oldest Eternals, and has honed her powers over thousands of years, making her one of the most formidable members of her race. She has the ability to manipulate matter and manifest weapons out of thin air, levitate and teleport among many other strengths. In preparation for her role, Jolie took ballet lessons and learned how to yield an array of weapons – all of which were added digitally in post-production. She said the process lead to her feeling “a little nuts”.

“You're just throwing your hand out as if you're thinking, "Is that a sword? Is that a spear? Is it a lasso? What am I doing?" Then you get into it and it gets really fun, but it's a puzzle.”

Gilgamesh – Don Lee

Physically the strongest Eternal, Gilgamesh possesses great strength, stamina, speed and power. He is protective over the group and his family and has a close bond with his partner, Thena.

Kingo – Kumail Nanjiani

Kingo has the power to manipulate energy with his hands. Unlike the other Eternals who have flown under the radar for centuries, Kingo is living large as a Bollywood movie star. Big Sick actor Kumail Nanjiani described training for his elaborate Bollywood dance sc scene as his biggest yet most rewarding challenge; “to be able to do an homage to the genre of movies that I loved and grew up watching was really special."

Ajak – Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek initially turned down the role of Ajak but was persuaded by Chloe Zhao’s involvement in the franchise. Hayek said, “I was shocked. Imagine in your 50’s you get a call from this director that you're crazy about, who says, 'You're going to be a superhero.'"

The character of Ajak is a stoic leader with the ability to heal. She takes on a motherly role to the rest of the group, with an emphasis on femininity which was encouraged by Hayek.

Makkari – Lauren Ridloff

Makkari is known for her superhuman speed, and as the first and only deaf superhero in the MCU, the ‘sonic boom’ that accompanies her cosmic speed does not affect her.

Actor Lauren Ridloff expressed her pride in bringing deaf representation to the big screen, saying “It makes so much sense to have this diversity and representation within the MCU because what the MCU is offering the world is amazing. They're offering a way for us to hope, to be able to get up and keep going and fight for what's important. More and more people are starting to see themselves in that universe, and that's powerful."

Druig – Barry Keoghan

Keoghan portrays Druig, a quiet and detached soul with the ability to manipulate minds. He is withdrawn from the other Eternals as he disagrees with the way they have interacted with mankind over centuries gone.

Marvel’s Eternals is in cinemas 4 November.