The worst Marvel film is getting a sequel, according to a new Marvel Studios leak.
Eternals, the lowest ranked Marvel movie among fans and critics, may get a follow-up, according to the moderators on the Marvel Studios Spoilers Reddit page. As teased in a new Tales From the Mod Queue thread, Eternals 2 "is on track" at Marvel Studios, though there's no indication how long far along the production line it might be.
The leak also suggests that Chloé Zhao, who directed the first Eternals movie, may not return for the sequel. However, if Zhao signs on to Eternals 2, she could be "heavily restricted" by Marvel's brain trust, which comprises individuals including Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and co-president Louis D'Esposito.
Meanwhile, the post contains unverified information that production issues hampered the superhero flick's development. Marvel employees are said to be concerned about a similar scenario playing out again if Eternals 2 is officially greenlit but, again, this could merely be conjecture.
In fact, Marvel Studios Spoilers' moderation team says Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans should take all Eternals 2 information with a giant pinch of salt. However, the Reddit page's mods also state that these details come from reliable and trusted sources. Basically, readers can make their own minds up about whether any (or all) of this is true or not. We've reached out to Disney for an official comment on the rumor and we'll update this article if we receive a response.
Eternals was released in theaters in November 2021, but has gone on to become the worst-rated MCU movie so far. Currently, the Marvel Phase 4 project holds a 47% "rotten" rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, putting it dead last in Rotten Tomatoes' own MCU film ranking list. Meanwhile, Eternals has an audience rating of 6.3 out of 10 on IMDb.com – only Ms Marvel, the latest Marvel Disney Plus show, has a poorer IMDB rating (6.2) then Eternals among the MCU's various movie and TV offerings. That's discounting Sony's Marvel productions, too, such as Morbius and Venom.
In our review, we said Eternals was a "better film than some critics have suggested", adding "worthy MCU entry that provides a thought-provoking meditation on what it means to be human, albeit one wrapped up in superhero clothing". Most fans didn't agree with us, but we consider a some other Marvel films to be worse entries in the MCU than Eternals. Read our Marvel movies ranked article to find out which ones we rated less than Eternals.
Analysis: does Eternals deserve another chance?
Full spoilers follow for Eternals. You have been warned.
We think so. Sure, as we noted in our review, there are some big problems with Eternals – its overarching narrative once the film's big twist is revealed, plus its jarring jump cuts, to name two – made for a disjointed watch.
Those criticisms have only become more evident with each passing MCU film and TV show, too, with other projects failing to mention events surrounding the potential emergence of a new Celestial – Tiamut – from the Earth's core. Or the fact that the dead, marble-colored, and gigantic Tiamut is now visible in the Indian Ocean. Or the revelation that some of the Eternals were kidnapped by another Celestial in Arishem, who would have been visible to every human on Earth – due to his size – before he departed with his abductees.
However, for a film based on some of the most unwieldy Marvel comics content in history, it did as good a job as it could in bring the Eternals' convoluted comic book book history to cinephiles and MCU fans alike.
Its brief exploration of the Celestials' MCU history teased more about these mysterious and cosmic entities' role in creating the universe – and their nefarious plan for doing so. Its introduction of the first openly gay and deaf superheroes in the MCU did a lot for representation and diversity in the world's biggest cinematic franchise. Zhao's cinematography and keen directorial eye made it one of the most visually striking Marvel movies ever made. And, while its post-credits scenes were disappointingly leaked ahead of the film's release, they were no less crowd pleasing than similar end credits sequences we've seen before in the MCU.
So there was a lot to like about Eternals. Based on those post-credits scenes, Marvel isn't done with the characters who starred – whether in lead or bit-part roles – in it. Maybe the studio even feels it owes it to the Eternals to make a sequel and show just how integral they can be to the MCU. It would be a redemption story worthy of Tony Stark/Iron Man, The Winter Soldier, or Loki if it did happen.
If an Eternals sequels is in pre-production, it could be announced at Marvel Studios' San Diego Comic Con panel on Saturday, July 23 at 10:30 AM PT / 1:30 PM ET / 6:30PM BST / 11:00 PM IST. We suspect that it would form part of Marvel's Phase 5 plans, too, rather than be another Phase 4 entry.
Still, there are plenty of MCU productions set to arrive before a potential Eternals 2. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the next Marvel movie to arrive in theaters this November. Before that, though, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law lands on Disney Plus in August.
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