The 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Eternals struggled to find its footing within the franchise, marking a significant departure from the established character-driven formula. According to the report, the film's cosmic scale and lack of a central hero contributed to its status as one of the lowest-rated entries in the MCU's history.
The 2018 Avengers: Infinity War Standard vs. Phase 4's Cosmic Shift
The 2018 Avengers: Infinity War era established a specific rhythm and tone that allowed Marvel to turn disparate characters like Ant-Man, Thor, and the Guardians of the Galaxy into household names . This era relied on a sense of continuity and connection that made the sprawling Marvel multiverse feel cohesive and grounded in human emotion.
As the source notes, this success created a set of expectations that the Phase 4 era eventually challenged. While the franchise previously found success by pushing boundaries through character development, the shift toward the more ambitious, sprawling narratives seen in recent years has tested the limits of what the core audience is willing to accept.
A 47% Rotten Tomatoes Score and the Problem of 10 Protagonists
The 2021 film Eternals struggled with its internal structure, opting to introduce a team of 10 primary characters rather than centering the narrative on a single, compelling hero. This lack of a central figure, combined with a slow-burn pacing and the absence of a traditional villain, contributed to the film's critical reception.
The film ultimately earned a 47% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, marking one of the lowest critical marks in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This reception suggests that the decision to move away from the established MCU rhythm—where even cosmic characters feel tethered to human stakes—created a disconnect with the franchise's dedicated fanbase.
Trading Human Relatability for Godlike Cosmic Beings
The narrative direction of Eternals moved away from the "everyday person in extraordinary circumstances" archetype that has defined much of the MCU's success. Instead, the film introduced immortal, godlike beings who exist largely apart from the human conflicts they observe, a stylistic choice that mirrors the tone of many DC Comics properties.
By focusing on cosmic beings who are instructed not to interfere in human history, the film shifted the moral center of the story. While this allowed for a grander scale, it arguably sacrificed the relatability that fans have come to expect from Marvel's storytelling, making the characters feel more distant and less invested in the world they inhabit.
The Uncertain Fate of Harry Styles and Kit Harington's Teases
The future of the characters introduced in Eternals remains highly speculative despite several significant post-credits teases. The film ended with a cliffhanger involving the Celestial Arishem, and the post-credits scenes introduced Eros (played by Harry Styles) and Pip the Troll (voiced by Patton Oswalt), while also teasing Kit Harington's evolution into the Black Knight and the arrival of Mahershala Ali.
However,several questions remain regarding how these threads will be integrated into the broader MCU. While the character of Ikaris received a brief follow-up in the What If...? series (Season 2, Episode 5), the likelihood of a major Eternals revival seems low. One possibility is the use of Multiverse variants in upcoming Avengers films, though this would agruably diminish the impact of the original 2021 film.
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