Eternals, directed by Academy Award-winning Chloé Zhao, follows a group of powerful immortal beings known as the Eternals, who have secretly protected Earth for millennia. Despite being involved in many significant events, including the Thanos crisis, they have kept their identities hidden.
The film focuses on their reunion when an ancient enemy, the Deviants, resurfaces. Featuring a star-studded cast including Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, and others, the movie explores their complex history and relationships.
The Beginning of the Eternals
The story begins in 5,000 BC, when the Celestial Arishem sends the 10 Eternals to Earth to defeat the Deviants, monstrous creatures threatening humanity. After they complete their mission, the Eternals live separate lives, waiting for Arishem’s return. Thousands of years later, Sersi, a powerful Eternal, is living a quiet life with her human boyfriend, Dan.
However, the sudden return of the Deviants forces her to reconnect with other Eternals, including Sprite and Ikaris, and they discover that their leader, Ajak, has been murdered by the Deviant Kro.
Gemma Chan as Sersi and Richard Madden as Ikaris (Photo: Eternals/Marvel)The plot takes a dramatic turn when Arishem reveals that the Eternals were never sent to Earth to protect humanity. Instead, their true mission was to prepare the planet for the “Emergence,” the birth of a new Celestial named Tiamut, which would destroy all life on Earth.
Horrified by this revelation, Sersi and the rest of the Eternals decide to work together to stop the Emergence and save humanity. The conflict escalates when Ikaris, Sersi’s former lover, admits that he knew about the Emergence and sided with Arishem, even going as far as killing Ajak to protect the Celestial’s plan.
The Final Battle
In the film’s climax, Ikaris ultimately surrenders to Sersi, driven by his love for her, allowing her to prevent Tiamut’s birth and save Earth. Stricken with guilt over his actions, Ikaris flies into the sun to end his life. Sersi uses her powers to turn Sprite into a human, allowing her to age and experience life as an adult. The remaining Eternals—Thena, Druig, and Makkari—set off to locate other Eternals scattered across the galaxy, leaving Earth’s fate uncertain.
The film concludes on a cliffhanger, with Arishem taking Sersi, Phastos, and Kingo into space, threatening to judge humanity based on the Eternals’ memories and decide whether they deserve to exist. In the mid-credits scene, Thena, Druig, and Makkari meet Eros, the brother of Thanos, played by Harry Styles.
He, along with his assistant Pip the Troll, offers to help them in their search for the other Eternals. In the post-credits scene, Dan discovers a mysterious sword inside an ancient chest, with Blade (Mahershala Ali) voicing a warning to him, hinting at the exciting future expansions of the MCU.
