Even with a blockbuster as big as Eternals, the upcoming Marvel Studios film likely won't follow in the footsteps of its predecessors, meaning it probably won't have any sequels.
Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore, who has worked on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier prior to his most recent hand in Eternals, revealed that the potential of an Eternals sequel isn't as likely as some may think. Dealing with 7,000 years of history and 10 characters, Eternals has a lot of content that Moore believes allows the film to stand well on its own.
Moore cites Eternals as Marvel's most ambitious origin film to date. In dealing with 10 brand new characters, one may expect that Marvel Studios would plan for additional films to focus on the new group of heroes going forward. On the topic of sequels, Moore insists to the Toronto Sun that "It's not something that is a must-have." He goes on to say, "Obviously we have ideas of where we could go, but there isn't a hard and fast rule where we have to have three of these things and this is the first." Of course, Eternals has already done a lot to shake up the standard Marvel formula, including the plot's focus on romance and the relationships the Celestials develop with one another as opposed to heavy action.
Covering 7,000 years of history between the 10 Celestials, their human counterparts, and the evil Deviants, Eternals has a lot of questions to answer and information to offer. For Moore, "We felt like there was enough story that it could be a contained universe." He went on to say that, "We definitely have ideas of how things can cross over later. But this movie with 10 characters and Dane Whitman and the Celestials and the Deviants, there was enough for us to play with."
This is not to say that the Eternals won't weave themselves into Marvel stories going forward. This is particularly true for Dane Whitman, who will be played by Game of Thrones' Kit Harington. In Marvel's comic history, Whitman becomes the Black Knight. This transformation won't begin to take form in Eternals, but Moore revealed that Harington's character has a lot of potential in the MCU going forward. "He's not going to be the Black Knight necessarily, but that is something we get to play with down the road," Moore said.
Eternals' release follows both Black Widow and Shang-Chi, as well as the four Marvel Studios series that were released on Disney Plus earlier this year. Given the reviews Eternals has received ahead of its release, Marvel Studios' plans not to have a sequel may be the right move. Given that Marvel Studios doesn't sign its actors to lengthy contracts anymore, the secrecy surrounding the future of the Celestials isn't a surprise. Either way, Eternals won't be the only time we see any of these heroes.
Eternals debuts in theaters on November 5, 2021.
Source: Toronto Sun