The game-changing events of Avengers: Endgame may have drawn the Infinity Saga to a definitive close, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe may not be done with the Infinity Stones just yet. The twenty-fifth installment in the long-running franchise, Chloe Zao’s The Eternals, is currently shooting and is set to be released in November 2020, and despite plot specifics being kept under wraps, what we know about the movie so far could indicate that the Stones will play a role in the story.
The Eternals focuses on a group of immortal aliens sent to protect Earth from an evil race known as the Deviants, which already makes it sound like the most out-there cosmic entry in the MCU to date. While the characters may be unfamiliar to some audiences, their comic book origins are closely tied to the backstory established for the Infinity Stones within the MCU.
Both the Eternals and the Deviants were created by the Celestials, who have a history of wielding the Infinity Stones as seen in Guardians of the Galaxy. Given that Kevin Feige has confirmed that the movie will take place over thousands of years, and the plot will eventually make its way to Earth, we could see an explanation for how our planet ended up possessing so many of the shiny trinkets.
The Stones spent most of their existence scattered throughout the galaxy, but the history of the MCU establishes that the Space Stone had been on Earth since at least World War II, with the Red Skull even ending up in possession of the Soul Stone on Vormir. Doctor Strange revealed that the Mind Stone had been under human protection for centuries, while Avengers: Endgame’s time heist was based around three Stones being in the same city at the same time in 2012.
The constant presence of Infinity Stones on Earth could act as the catalyst to bring both the Eternals and the Deviants to the planet, especially when you consider that Thanos, who in the comic books is the son of two Eternals, is reportedly returning for the movie.
It all sounds a little complicated, but introducing an entirely new mythology and roster of characters into the MCU will be no easy task, despite the franchise being bulletproof at the box office. Every fan of the MCU is aware of the Infinity Stones and their power, and tying that into the origins of The Eternals gives the studio an easy way to bring these more obscure superheroes into the mix.