After years in development and numerous delays due to COVID-19 worries, we’re now less than a month out from Marvel’s latest — and perhaps most unique — undertaking: Eternals. Leading up to the film’s theatrical premiere on November 5, Marvel has been going all-in promoting Eternals, with new trailers and sneak peeks dropping just about hourly as of today. One such clip is a two-minute-long featurette shared by Marvel Entertainment titled “In The Beginning,” which features commentary from the film’s cast regarding Eternals undertaking of telling a Marvel Universe creation story, as well as how the movie shows a concentrated effort by Marvel to make their films more diverse.
The video begins with us hearing someone ask the question oh-so-many of us had when we first heard the Eternals were going to be involved in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: why didn’t the god-like superheroes get involved during the Avengers battle with Thanos? Based on previous trailers and as shown once again in this clip, it would seem orders from “The Watcher” prevented the team from taking action against any enemies that are not considered deviants. However, when it comes to why that rule is set in place, Marvel Studios president seems to imply more news is coming, stating, “Eternals explores the very creation of the Marvel Universe itself.”
Actress Gemma Chan delved a bit deeper into the characters who comprise the Eternals, stating five of them are more of the “thinkers” while the other five are more physical “fighters.” However, regardless of their ability, the team ultimately forms a sort of “dysfunctional family,” keeping in line with director Chloe Zhao’s vision for the next entry in Marvel’s phase four. Salma Hayek then added the film is not set in “the typical place,” with “the typical shots” and “the typical cast,” before Kumail Nanjiani agreed that, compared to many blockbuster films, everyone in Eternals looks and sounds different. The video then showcased the talents of Lauren Ridloff, the MCU’s first deaf hero who uses American sign language in the film. According to Angelina Jolie, “a lot of people are going to see themselves as superheroes for the first time” in Eternals.
Eternals, with its jaw-dropping and diverse cast that features the likes of Chan, Ridloff, Jolie, Hayek, Nanjiani, Richard Madden, Don Lee, Barry Keoghan, Brian Tyree Henry, Kit Harrington, and many more, hits theaters exclusively on November 5.