Eternals was released to mixed reviews earlier this year, and by the time the credits rolled, the stage had been set for the characters to return in a big way down the line. Sprite remained on Earth, Thena, Druig, and Makkari departed on the Domo to find other Eternals, and Sersi, Phastos, and Kingo were taken by Arishem to be judged for their role in stopping the Emergence.
It was a major cliffhanger, and one that set the stage for a number of future stories featuring the immortal heroes. However, director Chloé Zhao has now revealed that she originally had a far bleaker conclusion in mind.
"I have never made a film where the ending is what I wrote! You find it in the edit. Editing is a third of the filmmaking process, and when you show it to people, that's when you find the ending," the filmmaker recently explained to Empire Online. "I don't think I've made a single film where the opening and ending stay the same as the script, just because the scenes are fluid as we shoot. And we actually had another ending that is really bleak. Bleak. I didn't hate it, because I'm used to films that are more melancholy. But I don't think it went down well with audiences."
"It used to end with everybody back on the ship, minds erased and just going on to another planet, like The Twilight Zone," she continued. "I remember when it goes to black, everyone was like, 'I don't know what to do.' And also, it's the MCU, and you want to be excited for what's next."
Had Eternals been a one-off, then this could have worked, but it's hard to imagine this ending getting fans excited about the future in any way, shape, or form. The door would be open to seeing the characters again, of course, but probably not in any sort of meaningful way based on what's outlined here.
The filmmaker doesn't reveal whether this was ever actually shot, but we know an alternate ending isn't going to be included as a "deleted scene" on the Blu-ray when it's released this February.
Do you think this was the better ending for Eternals?