The interconnectivity between the Marvel films has kept fans coming back for more for over a decade. Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings already got the ball rolling for Phase Four, and Eternals and Spider-Man: No Way Home look to be following suit. Given that Eternals is poised to be a monumental success, there may be some connection between the title protagonists and other MCU characters. Eternals’ Kumail Nanjiani has hinted at that being a possibility.
Given Marvel’s infamous veil of secrecy, Kumail Nanjiani wasn’t trying to ruin Eternals for fans. Nanjiani’s Kingo and the other Eternals have been hiding in plain sight as humans. Kingo’s Bollywood status would place him in close vicinity to some prominent figures. The Eternals star gave Comicbook.com possible hints that Kingo might’ve come across other characters within the MCU.
Chloe [Zhao] had it all mapped out, and she had a very specific sense of... Because the thing is, Eternals have sort of been in hiding, right? So, they haven't been going around talking to Iron-Man and Captain America and all those people. They've been pretending to be normal human beings. But it makes sense that my character would have met another character who's not from Earth either. I'm trying to be vague.
With the Eternals masquerading as normal humans, it is more than plausible that the god-like beings could’ve encountered various MCU characters. Kumail Nanjiani seemed to be wary about spilling too much information about Eternals and Phase Four, but he revealed it had more to do with Eternals director Chloe Zhao’s endless Marvel knowledge. The Obi-Wan Kenobi star spoke on how connected the Oscar-winning director wanted the film to be to the rest of the MCU, saying:
I don't know what I'm allowed to say or not. So, I think that was all part of the stuff, so that even though Eternals really is a standalone movie, you want to feel the presence, and the reality of, the rest of the MCU around it. And Chloe is such a nerd with an encyclopedic knowledge of Marvel and the MCU. So, she was really excited about dropping these references in.
As the Avengers and other MCU characters went globetrotting, the Eternals were moving around incognito. So amongst the billions saved within the MCU, Marvel’s newest additions could’ve been some of them. Given his status as a muscle-bound movie star, Kumail Nanjiani’s Kingo could’ve crossed paths with someone like Tony Stark at any point. Chloe Zhao appeared to be carrying on the traditions set by previous Marvel directors like the Russo Brothers and James Gunn. So her knowledge will be pivotal in finding those Marvel easter eggs.
Will the Eternals redeem themselves to the human population and save Earth once more? Check out the Marvel ensemble film when it arrives in theaters on November 5 to see if the question gets answered.
