Summary

Marvel Studios does not have immediate plans for an Eternals 2 sequel, focusing on other priorities for now.
Plot points from Eternals will surface in future Marvel movies, with Captain America: Brave New World addressing some.
Eternals characters may return in supporting roles in other MCU projects like Thor 5 or a new Guardians of the Galaxy film.

Fans hoping for Marvel Studios to make an Eternals 2 announcement at San Diego Comic-Con this year might not want to hold out too much hope. Eternals was one of the first films in Marvel Studios’ Phase 4 lineup and looked to offer a very different movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, pushing for a potential Oscar play with the appointment of Chloé Zhao as director. Yet despite a healthy box office return for a movie during the COVID-19 pandemic, the reactions of both audiences and critics were extremely mixed.

Eternals Release Date November 5, 2021 Runtime 2hr 36min Writers Matthew K. Firpo , Ryan Firpo , Jack Kirby Studio Marvel Studios Tagline In the beginning… Expand

It has been three years since Eternals debuted, and fans of the film hoped that Marvel Studios might still move forward with a sequel, especially considering both the cliffhanger ending and two post-credits scenes that beg continuation. While speaking with Inverse, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said there are no immediate plans for Eternals 2. That doesn’t rule out one day there being one, but at the moment, the studio has other priorities. Plot points from Eternals, however, will play a role in future Marvel Studios movies, like the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World,as per Feige’s full quote below:

“There are no immediate plans for
Eternals 2.
There are, and I think you’ve seen maybe in a trailer we’ve released recently, an acknowledgment of some of those events. Certain giant things came out of the ocean.”

How Will the Eternals Return?

Captain America: Brave New World is set to finally show audiences what is happening with the giant Celestial head sticking out of the ocean at the end of Eternals. This lingering plot point has been on fans’ lists of unanswered MCU questions since Eternals hit theaters in November 2021. Another central plot point from Eternals was the status of Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman, and the film’s post-credit scene teased him becoming the character Black Knight and teaming up with Blade. Rumors had circulated that Black Knight would be part of Blade but this has since been dropped from the script following the various behind-the-scenes shake-ups regarding that film.

As for the Eternals themselves, there is a good chance these characters might be on ice for a bit. Kevin Feige recently revealed that not every Phase 4 MCU character will appear in Avengers 5, so it might be safe to assume the Eternals are off the board for now. That does not mean they can’t return. Marvel Studios has a way of bringing characters back years later. It seemed like The Incredible Hulk would be a forgotten piece of the larger MCU lore, but now, characters like The Leader and Betty Ross are confirmed to make upcoming MCU appearances.

Related Where The Eternals Could Show Up Again in Marvel’s Multiverse Saga There has been no word on the Eternals next appearance in the MCU, but here are a few projects the characters could show up in the Multiverse Saga.

There is also the chance that characters in Eternals are brought in as supporting characters in other MCU films, similar to how the Hulk has been a major MCU character despite only having one solo film. The Hulk might be the best point of comparison as Captain America: Brave New World is filled with characters associated with the not-so jolly green giant, so various elements from Eternals could be refitted into another cosmic hero project like Thor 5, a new Guardians of the Galaxy film, or the upcoming Nova series. Perhaps then fans will also get to see the return of Harry Styles, after his otherwise wasted cameo as Starfox in one of the film’s post-credits scenes.

Eternals
is available to stream on Disney+, along with the rest of the MCU’s back catalog of content.