Highlights
- Eternals ended with major cliffhangers that haven't been addressed, leaving fans wondering if they will ever be paid off.
- The celestial known as Arishem kidnaps Sersei, Phastos, and Kingo, but no other characters in the MCU seem to be talking about it.
- The presence of Harry Styles as Starfox and the introduction of Blade in the Black Knight's story are potential future storylines that fans are excited about, but other cliffhangers from Eternals have been ignored.
Eternals ended on a high note with multiple cliffhangers that still haven’t paid off, and now fans are wondering if they ever will. Typically, the last scenes of an MCU movie let fans know who’s coming back (or not) and set up the story for follow-up projects. Like how one of the post-credits scenes in GOTG Vol. 3 confirmed the eventual return of Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt). However, the cliffhangers at the end of Eternals haven’t had any impact at all. The movie follows Ajak (Salma Hayek) as she welcomes a team of ancient aliens called the Eternals onto Earth in 5,000 BC.
The celestial being Arishem (David Kaye) has given them the task of protecting humans from dog-like space creatures called Deviants. They go their separate ways in 1521 only to come back together 500 years and learn a terrible truth. Arishem was actually using them to destroy planets with the emergence of new celestials and Earth was next. The Eternals tear themselves apart until some of them emerge victorious on Earth’s behalf. Eternals ends with some pretty major cliffhangers, it’s just a matter of time before any of them pay off. . . right?
Arishem's Final Judgement
At this point, the MCU has a reputation for having wild things happen in one project that doesn’t affect others. But celestial kidnap in one of the cliffhangers for Eternals should be way too noticeable. Arishem just straight up takes Sersei, Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), and Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) into space. Why he grabs Kingo is anyone’s guess. The actor had nothing to do with the fight that stopped a celestial from being born. Sersei and Phastos, however, were instrumental in ruining Ashirem’s plans.
He probably would’ve grabbed them all if he could’ve. But Ikaris (Richard Madden) flew into the sun and Sprite (Lia McHugh) allowed Sersei to turn her into a Human. Meanwhile, Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), Druig (Barry Keoghan), and Thena (Angelina Jolie) had bopped off in the starship Domo to stop more celestial births. So, Arishem grabbed whoever he could to warn them of the consequences should he find humanity unworthy of the celestial they sacrificed to save them. It’s just really weird how something so epic happened, and no other character has talked about it.
The Celestial in the Ocean
A giant being with six red glowing eyes snatched up some people at the end of Eternals and nobody noticed. In a post-snap world, it’s possible that everyone nearby just moved on once it was clear they weren’t personally in danger. But what about the humongous celestial statue just hanging out in the ocean? Sure, it’s not as mindblowing as potentially having Sam Wilson/Captain America (Anthony Mackie) appear in an Eternals post-credits scene.
In comparison, this is tame as far as cliffhangers go. It just seems like more MCU characters should be talking about this situation. Sersei used the powers bestowed on her as leader of the Eternals after the death of Ajak to essentially freeze the emerging celestial. Now, half of its body is just sticking out of the Indian Ocean and big enough to extend beyond the clouds. If Namor (Tenoch Huerta) doesn't show up to investigate, James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) should at least send in air support to make sure it's not a terrorist threat.
Starfox and Pip
Of all the cliffhangers at the end of Eternals, there’s one that takes the cake as the weirdest and the most heavily discussed. Makkari, Druig, and Thena have been gone for weeks when they realize they haven’t heard from Phastos, Sersei, or Kingo. Thena quickly reaches the conclusion that Arishem has something to do with their disappearance. They’re in the midst of planning a return to Earth when Pip the Troll (Patton Oswalt) makes his drunken appearance.
The only thing more off-putting than his wonky CGI is Harry Styles playing Thanos’ brother Starfox. Yes, the guy from One Direction and one-half of the Larry ship is doing MCU movies now. Even more bonkers? His time in Eternals won’t be his last. Fans will just have to accept his presence the same way Star Wars fans were put in the same position with Lizzo. However, at least they knew that role was silly and it was only meant for one episode of The Mandalorian. Starfox and Pip the Troll, on the other hand, will be coming back for more.
Black Knight and Blade
Eternals dropped multiple hints that there was more to Sersei’s new boyfriend Dane Whitman (Kit Harrington) than meets the eye. When she’s still under the impression that the Eternals have to let the world end, she ominously tells him to reconcile with his uncle. One of the most exciting cliffhangers in Eternals has him finding out about his true heritage. Dane is pushed by Sersei’s disappearance to finally open the box that holds the Ebony Blade.
It was forged by Merlin himself and has been passed down between those who hold the title of Black Knight. Dane is reaching out to touch the blade when a voice from behind him suddenly asks, “Sure you're ready for that, Mr. Whitman?” The mysterious voice was later confirmed as belonging to none other than Eric Brooks/Blade (Mahershala Ali). Of all the Eternals cliffhangers not being talked about, this one feels almost criminal. Blade is one of the most highly anticipated MCU movies on the docket. It makes sense that other characters aren’t talking about this moment, but the silence from fandom is strange.
Okay so the MCU is most likely going to make a big deal out of those last two Eternals cliffhangers. Harry Styles is definitely returning in more projects, which pretty much guarantees the return of Pip the Troll. MCU fans are too hyped for the Blade implications in Black Knight’s story for Dane to be dropped. The other cliffhangers, however, seemed to have such a huge impact only to never be mentioned again. New MCU projects don’t reference anything that happened in Eternals.
Fans don’t seem very interested in speculating over what the movie’s cliffhangers might mean for other projects. There were post-credits scenes allegedly spoiled on purpose and they still couldn’t catch any hype. The only other MCU project as shunned by fans was Morbius even though some would argue that both were fun movie experiences. Eternals left viewers with plenty of cliffhangers. Maybe one day they’ll do something other than just take up space in the credits.