- Marvel’s Eternals underperformed at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics and audiences.
- John Ridley’s scrapped TV series on the Eternals had a darker, weirder concept than the movie
- The future of the Eternals in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been hinted at, but fans are eager for more development
In 2021, Marvel’s Eternals was released in theaters amid the reopening of the cinema industry due to the Covid pandemic. The box office performance was not up to Marvel Studios’ expectations, and while audience reactions were mostly positive, critics were less impressed. An interesting turning point could have been the shelved Eternals TV series in development by John Ridley back in 2015.
Ridley was working on the Eternals TV series at the time when Marvel Television was producing shows like Netflix’s Defenders, Agent Carter, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. However, it was eventually scrapped, along with other non-MCU shows, when Marvel Studios took over the division. In an appearance on the Comic Book Club podcast, Ridley revealed some details about his version of the series:
“My version was the good version. It was so f–king weird…I’ll be honest. My version started with, the first thing you see is a young man, probably about 18 years old…He has a drill in it. And he turns the drill on. And he puts the drill to his ear. And he starts pushing it in. And then it goes from there. That’s how it starts. And then I think you see… another kid… He sleeps in the bathtub, covers himself with foil. It’s just a really weird story about these people who are, I mean, it’s just weird.”
Despite boasting an all-star cast and being a part of the Marvel Studios franchise, Eternals faced a bumpy ride. The film introduced multiple new characters and set up future storylines, which some critics felt bogged down the film, suggesting it might have worked better as a long-form Disney+ series.
Some elements teased in Eternals have yet to be resolved, causing fans to be impatient, particularly on social media. Kevin Feige, however, has mentioned that the characters from Eternals will return when the story allows. Eros, played by Harry Styles, is expected to return, although not confirmed, Blade will debut fully in late 2025, and the Celestial Tiamut’s corpse, possibly tied to the introduction of Adamantium in the MCU, could play a role in 2023’s Captain America: Brave New World.