It may have the unwanted distinction of being the worst-reviewed entry in Marvel Cinematic Universe history, but one huge advantage that Eternals holds over sci-fi superhero bedfellow Inhumans is that it actually managed to get made.
There are definitely similarities between the two projects, in that both are ensemble-based efforts drawn from relatively obscure comic books, which would introduce a full set of brand new characters that audiences may never have heard off. As a movie, Inhumans came apart at the seams, but as a TV show; it was nothing short of awful.
Critics panned the eight-episode series right from the off, and it was ignominiously canceled before it even had the chance to wrap up when ratings followed the reviews in plummeting downwards. In an interview with Inverse, Eternals writers Kaz and Ryan Firpo revealed the one thing Inhumans had ruined when they penned their screenplay.
“…For us, Inhumans was part of that conversation only insofar as — this is a true story — they said, “You can’t go to Hawaii.” Nobody gets to go to Hawaii because Inhumans totally burned that bridge. Beyond that, there wasn’t someone saying like, “We can’t do this, can’t do that.” The door really was open for us.”
Eternals was expressly forbidden from venturing into Hawaii thanks to Inhumans, which is pretty funny when you think about it. Maybe another MCU project will head there eventually, but it may not be for a while until the stench of failure has been washed away from the island in the eyes of the Marvel boardroom.
Published: Nov 13, 2021 04:41 am