This article contains spoilers for Eternals
With thousands of people around the world working on Marvel Studios’ productions, it’s impressive that we don’t hear too many leaks. But the Mouse House can’t stop them all, and today a TikTok post may have revealed an intriguing MCU character return.
This came via TikTok user Emmy Kennard, who shared a video with the caption “When your brother is a stunt double and his next job is a character coming back into the MCU” and the comment “And thats on signing an nda✌🏽” Kennard is the sister of Joe Kennard, the personal stunt double for Eternals‘ Ikaris actor Richard Madden. Check it out:
Joe Kennard hasn’t worked on any other MCU production, though has worked with Madden on multiple productions due to their similarities. So, is Ikaris making an unexpected comeback?
Spoiler warning for Eternals
If so, it’d be completely out of left-field. Eternals ends with Ikaris flying into the sun and killing himself, burning up so as not to have to face up to his actions and the judgment of the Celestials. Writer Kaz Firpo even confirmed that he was as dead as it gets, saying:
“What is the melting point of an Eternal? How long does it take to literally melt an Eternal robot? For what it’s worth… yeah, it was always that. He can’t bear to face his family after what he’s done, which he realizes. It began as an exile that I think, throughout the course of the filmmaking, really became something that needed to be definitive. It really is a moment of saying, ‘It’s sacrifice.’ It’s sort of saying, ‘I can’t serve the Eternals. If I can’t serve the Celestials, and I can’t be with my family, then I choose this third option,’ which — for him — really is oblivion.”
If Madden really is reprising the role, there are a few options. The simplest is that Eternals are so strong not even the sun can kill them, and it’s notable we never actually see him burn up. Another is that he’s returning for a flashback scene set sometime during his long life. As Eternals are artificial beings, we could also see a fresh Ikaris being constructed by the Celestials.
Or, more prosaically, Marvel Studios were so impressed by Joe Kennard’s stunt work on Eternals they’ve tapped him to double for someone else.
Whatever the case, I suspect Kennard may have a conversation with his sister about her social media posts soon, as speculation on this story is blowing up.
Eternals is now streaming on Disney Plus.