Marvel Studios has big plans for The Eternals. The film will apparently give us a deep dive into the MCU’s past, with its immortal cast of heroes battling through history. This fresh perspective should allow us to really get into the cosmological origins of various elements of the universe, and will also introduce a very large cast of new characters.
Now, at Disney’s D23 Expo, we’ve finally been given the chance to see what they’ll look like as the characters were presented in concept art with (most of) their actors standing in front of them. From right to left, there’s Richard Madden (Ikaris), Kumail Nanjiani (Kingo), Brian Tyree Henry (Phastos), Selma Hayek (Ajak), Lia McHugh (Sprite), Don Lee (Gilgamesh), Angelina Jolie (Thena) and Barry Keoghan (Driug).
The Eternals were created by the King himself, Jack Kirby, and it seems as if these costumes have taken direct inspiration from his designs. They’re covered in mysterious-looking glyphs and patterns, which almost resemble what we’ve already seen in Doctor Strange. The MCU has returned to the Kirby well many times, of course, most obviously in the fantastic Thor: Ragnarok which aped his style so closely they even put a giant piece of his artwork on the Grandmaster’s wall as decoration.
As you surely know, the other big Eternals news today is that Game of Thrones‘ Kit Harington has been confirmed to be joining the cast as Black Knight/Dane Whitman. That character’s not an Eternal, but my theory is that there’ve been heroes throughout the history of the MCU and he might be one from the distant past. It’d certainly fit in with Harington’s body of work wielding a sword and riding a horse.
In any case, though there’s still a long way to go before the film’s release, I think there’s a good chance we’ll get at least a teaser trailer sometime around Christmas. Here’s hoping.