It isn’t quite as drastic or hilarious as Alexander Skarsgard admitting nobody gave a s**t about him playing a geologist in Godzilla vs. Kong when the title was more than enough to sell the movie to audiences, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe has always needed to ensure that people care about the non-superhero stars of the franchise.
That’s part of the reason why so many big-name actors have been drafted in to fill those parts, but Eternals is taking things in an entirely different direction with the introduction of Harish Patel’s Karun, the personal assistant and valet to Kumail Nanjiani’s Kingo.
Karun has been spotted in the various trailers and TV spots following his employer around with a camera to document everything in the name of posterity, with producer Nate Moore revealing in a set visit interview via ScreenRant that he might be the most pivotal regular dude in the superpowered ensemble.
“Karun is a great character. He is Kingo’s valet, and so he is, again some Eternals have bonded very much with human counterparts and he is essentially Kingo’s valet and best friend, so he gets to spend part of the adventure with Kingo, and Harish is amazing.”
He’ll no doubt end up being used as comedy relief given that he’s about to get caught up in an intergalactic war that’s been brewing for millennia, but it’s not as though the MCU ever shies away from humor. Nanjiani is no slouch in the comedic department himself, so we’re excited to see the dynamic on display when Eternals comes to theaters on November 5th.