The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is largely a mystery, as Phase Three will conclude after the next two highly anticipated blockbuster. Marvel Studios changed it up by not revealing its future schedule, fearing that the movies and titles might spoil the events of the upcoming Avengers 4 movie. But one project that seems to be actively developing is the Eternals movie, focusing a set of Marvel characters that aren't exactly household names.
But it turns out that The Eternals' somewhat anonymity among casual fans is exactly what excited Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige. Since moviegoers didn't grow up with that team of Earth's defenders, the MCU can have a fresh perspective, and form them into fan favorites. As Feige tells it,
Your reaction about not being familiar with the Eternals is perfect, because most people weren't familiar with Guardians [of the Galaxy] and believe it or not there were people that were not familiar with Avengers or with Iron Man. So for us, its finding great stories, whether people have heard of them or not, and bring them to the big screen in as amazing a way as we can.
The man has a point. Moviegoers had no idea who the Guardians of the Galaxy were before James Gunn's 2014 movie arrived in theaters. That blockbuster still ended up breaking records at the box office, and the motley crew of superheroes quickly became fan favorites who were welcomed into the greater MCU with Avengers: Infinity War.
Kevin Feige's comments to Bionic Buzz show how aware of the fans and general moviegoers' perspective Marvel Studios is. The MCU has become larger than anyone could have anticipated, and the massive number of fans are wont to make their opinions known. So when the Eternals movie was announced, there were plenty of moviegoers who were confused. Who exactly are these guys, and do we need another team of heroes?
The Eternals have an interesting inception in the comics, created by the late Stan Lee's frequent collaborator Jack Kirby. They're a fictional race that go all the way back to Earth's creation, with The Celestials creating the group in order to protect the planet. It's unclear if the same backstory will be used, especially as The Celestials were briefly introduced by Kurt Russel's Ego The Living Planet in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Marvel's inclusion of The Eternals just shows how the shared universe as a whole is headed into space, and focusing on more cosmic stories. Guardians of the Galaxy helped to break that ground, with Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War further expanding the galaxy. Unfortunately, we'll probably have to wait at least until Avengers 4 arrives in May to get any real information about the MCU's future.
The next installment in the MCU will also take to the skies with Captain Marvel on March 8th, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
