Heading into Eternals, we were primed for some kind of love triangle between Sersi (Gemma Chan), fellow immortal Ikaris (Richard Madden) and human boyfriend Dane Whitman (Kit Harington) to be at the center of the film. And while that’s somewhat true, now that we’ve seen the movie, many Marvel fans are claiming that another couple steal the show away from its main romantic story arc. Namely, Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) and Druig (Barry Keoghan).
With 10 Eternals to showcase, the speedster and the telepath don’t have a whole lot of shared screentime, but the duo made a big impact on audiences nonetheless. Ridloff’s Makkari – the MCU’s very first deaf superhero – was already destined to be a fan-favorite, but her unlikely and adorable connection with Keoghan’s otherwise gloomy Druig is proving to be an unexpected highlight of the movie for many.
Fans can’t get enough of how Druig hates everyone but Makkari.
Let’s not forget another underrated couple: Gilgamesh and Thena.
It’s not how much screentime you have that matters, it’s how you use it.
It’s worth noting that it wasn’t the originally part of plan to have these two characters romantically involved. Director Chloe Zhao was impressed with the chemistry between Ridloff and Keoghan during the casting phase and altered the script in a bid to give them a chance to show this off in the film itself. That explains why their dynamic is not a huge part of the story.
The good news is that their bond could be given a greater importance moving forward, given the way the movie ends – not to mention its much-discussed post-credits scene. So the chances are high that we’ll be getting more of Makkari and Druig together in the future of the MCU. In the meantime, Eternals is playing in theaters now.