Long awaited movies like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Captain America: New World Order are on the horizon, and shows like Agatha: Coven of Chaos will bring side characters center stage as the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe quickly approaches. Earlier this year at San Diego Comic-Con, the lineup for Phase 5 was announced and got fans excited for what the MCU has in store.
The roster is packed with tons of incredible projects, and a special announcement for two separate Avengers movies in Phase 6 was made at the Comic-Con, as well. But excluded from all the other exciting news was information about there being an Eternals 2 movie. A lot of fans were expecting there to be an update on the eclectic group of immortals they met in 2021, but there’s still been no news from Disney or Marvel about a potential sequel.
It’s been just over a year since the first Eternals hit the big screen, and almost nothing has been said about plans to follow through on the storylines established by the film. As of this moment, the only character guaranteed to return from the film is Kit Harrington's Dane Whitman, who will be making an appearance in the MCU’s Blade.
Harrington had a smaller role in Eternals, but the movie’s post-credit scene showed his character picking up a sword, known as the Ebony Blade, from a box with Latin inscriptions on it. The post-credit scene introduces Harrington's character as the Black Knight and also features a voice cameo from Mahershala Ali, who will be playing Blade.
But aside from that, many of the other Eternals storylines are currently being swept under the rug. The film’s other post-credit scene, for example, introduces Harry Styles to the MCU as Thanos’ brother Eros. One of the Eternals, Sersei, was kidnaped by a Celestial at the end of the movie and the fate of Ikaris still seems to be up in the air.
Although the end of the film stated that the Eternals will return, whether they’ll be back in a sequel film is still up in the air. Eternals wasn’t one of the MCU’s biggest hits, and although it was written in a way that suggests there will be a sequel, it’s still entirely possible that there won’t be another movie created for the franchise.
That’s not to say the characters won’t ever be back, but with no news of a movie, it seems more likely that they will be popping up in other projects alongside the titular heroes, much like how Kit Harrington will be returning as the Black Knight is Mahershala Ali’s Blade.
The Phase 5 lineup is already full, and it doesn't seem like the rest of the Eternals cast will fit anywhere in the next batch of projects. However, with the multiverse running rampant and Johnathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror variants on the loose, there might be room for an Eternals' reunion somewhere during Phase 6.
For example, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will obviously continue to deal with the ramifications Loki created when Kang was killed and the multiverse was sent flying off the rails. The film has plenty of room for time timeline hopping and outer space exploring, which could create a place for the Eternals to reappear.
The Avengers: Secret Wars project also on the horizon will supposedly be based on the series of Marvel Comics of the same name, which pit the heroes against a cosmic enemy. The Eternals are well-versed in extraterrestrial threats and could prove to be great allies to the Earthly heroes.
Not to mention, Eternals demonstrated that Celestials are a huge threat to everyone on Earth and could very well be coming back to finish their failed job in the Secret Wars movie. If the Celestials reemerge, it’s incredibly likely that the Eternals won’t be far behind.
Plus, if the first four films have taught fans anything, it’s that there’s going to be an epic team-up anytime an Avengers movie hits theaters. So there’s a pretty big possibility Marvel will be bringing every Phase 4 and Phase 5 hero together for a massive battle against whatever threats The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars may bring.
In recent years, the MCU very rarely introduces a character without the intention of integrating them into the larger, multiverse storyline at play in the franchise. So it’s almost a guarantee that the Eternals will return at some point to finish what the movie started, even if their story is currently getting pushed to the wayside in favor of focusing on other characters.
Whether they return in an Eternals 2 film, as part of a greater ensemble movie, or perhaps in their own Disney Plus original series is the only real question. And that’s an answer fans likely won’t receive until Marvel Studios makes an official announcement.
