With Avengers: Endgame drawing a definitive line under the first three phases of the MCU, the future of the most lucrative franchise in history is shaping up to be an eclectic mix of returning favorites, new heroes and a huge influx of Disney Plus shows. After Black Widow finally gets released, next out of the gate will be The Eternals, which looks set to open up a whole new avenue for the franchise’s cosmic adventures.
We still don’t know a lot about plot specifics yet, although Kevin Feige confirmed that the story will take place over thousands of years, and many people have been wondering how the team will be introduced into the established mythology of the MCU. It’s been confirmed that the race of all-powerful immortal aliens are aware of the existence of the Avengers, but nobody in the shared universe seems to have the faintest idea that the Eternals exist, even though everything that happens in the franchise is mapped out years in advance and nothing occurs by chance.
However, a new theory could explain why the Eternals have flown under everybody’s radar for so long, and it makes a lot of sense. Per their comic book history, the group are forbidden from interfering in human affairs, which could explain why they didn’t lend a hand when Thanos was laying waste to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for years. The Mad Titan could even serve as the catalyst for their appearance, as he’s the son of two Eternals.
Not only that, but the flashbacks in the movie could show how the Eternals have meddled in human history before with disastrous results, which is why they’ve maintained a safe distance from our planet until now. The official synopsis released by Marvel Studios also indicates that their arch-nemeses the Deviants will wreak havoc on Earth, causing them to reveal themselves to the world in order to battle the threat.
It marks quite a shakeup for the MCU to suddenly announce that immortal super-powered aliens have been living among us for millennia without anyone realizing, so hopefully the script finds a way to satisfactorily explain it and make it fit organically into both The Eternals as a standalone movie and the franchise as a whole.
