ETERNALS: Possible First Set Photos For The Marvel Movie Tease An Ancient Setting

ETERNALS: Possible First Set Photos For The Marvel Movie Tease An Ancient Setting

Some set photos initially thought to be for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker have been revealed which actually offer a first possible look at an ancient looking location for Marvel Studios' Eternals...

By JoshWilding - Jul 24, 2019 01:07 AM EST
Filed Under: Eternals
At Comic-Con, Marvel Studios finally confirmed that Eternals will be released next November, and with most of the cast now revealed, we can more than likely expect to see a lot more from the movie in the coming months. 

In the meantime, some set photos are doing the rounds which appear to offer a first look at one of the sets. While it was initially believed that these had been built for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, it's since been established that they're for Eternals, and, as you can see, it looks like an ancient Aztec temple is being built with a statue of some sort in front of it.

Jack Kirby's classic Eternals run kicks off in a similar setting, and there's a very good chance that statue is actually a Celestial. Either way, it looks very Kirby-esque in terms of design!

Eternals is going to be filmed in London's Pinewood Studios, and production should begin in the coming weeks.

What are you most excited to see from the movie?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Hit the "View List" button for a breakdown
of Eternals' cast members from Comic-Con!

THE ETERNALS

Angelina Jolie (Thena)

A


Angelina Jolie is a Hollywood great, and while she may be part of Disney's Maleficent franchise, it was still hard to ever imagine her joining a superhero franchise. The power of Marvel Studios, eh?

As for Thena, she's Thanos' cousin and one of the Eternals of Olympia. She's a powerful warrior who has your standard enhanced abilities but is also near invulnerable and immortal. She can fly and cast illusions to disguise her appearance, while she carries a bow that fires arrows made up of "cold energy" which bombards enemies either with a ring of fire or anti-gravitons.
 

Richard Madden (Ikaris)

B


Richard Madden found fame after playing Robb Stark in Game of Thrones but became a hot commodity after starring in his series The Bodyguard. He also recently appeared in Rocketman

Born over 20,000 years ago, Ikaris' powers are rooted in cosmic energy and he has psychic abilities and the ability to create illusions. He's often been portrayed as the team's leader and will probably be The Eternals' lead male character and someone key to the MCU moving forward. 
 

Kumail Nanjiani (Kingo)

C


Kumail Nanjiani is a Pakistani-American actor who is perhaps best known for his stand-up work as well as The Big Sick and Silicon Valley. He also recently starred in Stuber with Dave Bautista.

In the comics, Kingo was from a Japanese settlement of Eternals and a Samurai in 16th Century Japan. In the present day, he used his skills to become a movie star, but it's clear from Nanjiani's casting that the character is going to undergo some relatively major changes in the MCU. 
 

Salma Hayek (Ajak)

D


Salma Hayek has been acting for a long time now, but it definitely feels like The Eternals marks a comeback of sorts for the actress. In recent years, we've seen her in the likes of The Hitman's BodyguardSausage Party, and Grown Ups 2, so joining the MCU definitely feels like a smart move for Hayek.

A man in the comic books, Ajak fought in the Trojan War in the 13th Century and has many ties to Central America where he was worshipped as a God. He has a number of superpowers and is a gifted fighter, and Hayek's version of the character is actually expected to be the team's leader. 
 

Brian Tyree Henry (Phastos)

E


Brian Tyree Henry voiced Jefferson Davis in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and was recently seen in Child's Play. Atlanta and This Is Us have put him on the map and he's signed up to appear in upcoming blockbusters like Godzilla Vs. Kong, A Quiet Place 2, and even DC Comics movie Joker

Phastos is a weapon-smith and was mistaken for the Olympian god Hephaestus during the days of ancient Greece. Phastos is more reticent than the others, having a melancholy spirit and an ambivalence toward fighting, so we can probably expect him to be a character that it'll fun to spend time with.
 

Lauren Ridloff (Makkari)

F


Another character who has been gender swapped for the big screen, The Walking Dead's Lauren Ridloff will play Makkari in the movie and is now set to be the MCU's first deaf superhero. 

The Olympian hero is a member of the Eternals Technologist's Guild and skilled at dreaming up various high-speed vehicles. He boasts your standard set of superpowers but will likely be used in a tech support capacity to get this group of weird and wonderful individuals around the cosmos! 
 

Don Lee (Gilgamesh)

G


Don Lee came to many people's attention after his breakout role in Train to Busan and is actually one of the most popular actors in South Korea. This will be his biggest role to date, though. 

Also known as "The Forgotten One, " Gilgamesh became an outcast from his fellow Eternals when his meddling in the human world became too much for them.  As a result, he was banished to a sector of Olympus but later returned to their side. He's probably the most skilled hand-to-hand combatant in the entire group and uses an array of weapons, but might he be a villain in this movie? 
 

Lia McHugh (Sprite)

H


Sprite is portrayed as a young boy in the comics, but Marvel Studios clearly wanted to add some diversity to this team, hence why Lia McHugh is playing her here. The actress has a handful of acting credits to her name but might be best known for American Woman.

Unable to age, Sprite is considered a trickster and uses his illusions to fool both his fellow Eternals and humans. In fact, he used his abilities to prank people for centuries and his actions actually ended up inspiring Shakespeare's character of the same name. 
 

SHANG-CHI

Simu Liu (Shang-Chi)

I


Way back in 2014, Simi Liu called out Marvel Studios for its lack of Asian representation it movies. Last December, he campaigned for the role of Shang-Chi, and this past Tuesday he was cast as the character just days before Comic-Con. He's mostly a TV actor and has appeared in the likes of Blood and WaterHeroes Reborn, and Fresh off the Boat. This will be by far his biggest role to date, though.

For those of you unfamiliar with Shang-Chi, he's one of the Marvel Universe's most skilled fighters and a master martial artist. Rumour has it that we'll learn that The Mandarin is his father. 
 

Tony Leung (The Mandarin)

J


Talking of The Mandarin, the real version of the character is finally coming to the MCU and based on that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings title, it sounds like we're finally going to learn about the villainous organisation that took Iron Man hostage in 2008.

As for Tony Leung, he's a huge deal in Hong Kong and has a long list of acting credits to his name. However, this movie will mark his Hollywood debut and it will be very interesting to see how Marvel Studios avoids some of the cliched trappings with The Mandarin.
 

Awkwafina (Unknown)

K


An American actress and rapper, Awkwafina made her film breakthrough last year with her roles in the films Ocean's 8 and Crazy Rich Asians. Her role is being kept under wraps for some reason, so she could be playing a reimagined established character from the source material or someone brand new.
 

WHAT IF?

Jeffrey Wright (The Watcher)

L


What If? is an animated series coming to Disney+ and just like the comics, it's going to take us to a number of alternate timelines and universes as we see how differently things could have played out for certain characters in the MCU. Jeffrey Wright has been chosen to play Uatu, The Watcher, and fans are already anxious to see the Westworld and Casino Royale star in a live-action setting.
 

BLACK WIDOW 

David Harbour (Red Guardian) 

M


Stranger Things star David Harbour didn't find a lot of success with Hellboy, but things are looking up for him now that he's joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Red Guardian, someone who sounds like the Russian version of Captain America. Harbour has confirmed that he's a "super-soldier," and during the height of the Cold War, his comic book counterpart often battled The Avengers.
 

Rachel Weisz (Melina)

N


Rachel Weisz is another amazing grab for the MCU, but she's no stranger to big budget filmmaking after starring in the likes of The Bourne LegacyOz the Great and Powerful, and The Mummy.

Melina is another mysterious character, but we know that she's been through the Red Room a fair few times and is clearly tied to Natasha somehow. There's a very good chance Weisz is playing a new version of Melina Vostokoff/Iron Maiden, a rival of Black Widow's who was constantly overshadowed by her. She later became an assassin and actually attempted to assassinate her!
 

Florence Pugh (Yelena)

O


Yelena Belova is a villain in the comics who was named the new Black Widow after Natasha defected, and they've clashed a number of times in the years that have followed. In this movie, she's described as a sister-like figure to the hero, but it remains to be seen how long that will last. It would certainly be interesting if Yelena were to become a new, heroic Black Widow in her friend's place.

As for Florence Pugh, her star has been on the rise for a while as she recently starred in Fighting for My Family alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and received praise for Midsommer
 

O.T. Fagbenle (Mason)

P


O.T. Fagbenle is best known for The Handmaid's Tale and Black Widow marks his biggest role to date. 

As for who Mason is, we're not entirely sure. The actor has said that he's an old flame of Natasha's who may serve as an ally for her while wrestling with his feelings. Personally, my prediction is that this so-called ally ends up being revealed as Taskmaster, but time will tell on that front. 
 

BLADE

Mahershala Ali (Blade)

Q


Mahershala Ali won an Oscar for Moonlight and called Marvel Studios shortly after to ask if he could take on the role of Blade. Well, that's now happening, and it's impossible not to be excited about this - especially after the actor's amazing performances in the likes of True Detective and Luke Cage

Blade has appeared on the big screen three times in the past, and, in case you're not familiar with him, he is a human/vampire hybrid with all the strengths but none of the weaknesses of a traditional bloodsucker who has devoted his life to bringing down the vampires and anyone who protects them. 
 

HAWKEYE

Unknown (Kate Bishop)

R


As expected, a Hawkeye TV series is coming to Disney+ and it will revolve around Clint Barton dealing with both the aftermath of his time as Ronin and training a replacement in the form of Kate Bishop. 

We don't know who will play Kate yet, but comic book fans are bound to be excited to see her on screen. 
 

WANDAVISION

Teyonah Parris (Monica Rambeau)

S


We were introduced to Monica Rambeau in Captain Marvel, but the future Spectrum was just a child and a long way off from becoming a superhero. Well, we're going to be reunited with her in WandaVision on Disney+ and there are a lot of very intriguing possibilities for what that might mean.

Teyonah Parris found fame in Mad Men before landing her breakthrough role in 2014 Indie drama Dear White People. Since then, she's appeared in Empire and Spike Lee's Chi-Raq.
 
How do you guys feel about these new additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Which of these characters do you think will make the biggest impact moving forward? Sound off below. 
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rexlincoln
rexlincoln - 7/24/2019, 2:06 AM
Oooooooh
tmp3
tmp3 - 7/24/2019, 2:29 AM
This and Dune are both big science fiction epics out the same month, but one just wrapped and the other only started filming. Granted this is probably gonna be less VFX-heavy.
parkerray
parkerray - 7/24/2019, 2:34 AM
Outside of general trust in Marvel Studios, Kirby love, being excited for the unknown, or wanting to see Celestials, anybody have any more specific reasons why you're excited for this movie?

I was going to look into an Eternals book to read, but then these character descriptions seem pretty distant from what was in the comics. These characters seem unrelatable and a bit dull so far. I'm still looking for something to pull me in the way a talking tree, cyborg raccoon, most deadly assassin in the universe, or even the more common alien whose entire family was murdered.
tmp3
tmp3 - 7/24/2019, 2:37 AM
@parkerray - I don't know shit about The Eternals, but I really like Chloe Zhao as a film-maker. The Rider was great. This is like when they got Taika or Coogler; I was a big fan of their previous works too.
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 7/24/2019, 2:43 AM
@parkerray - I wrote a thing below that presents an angle of why this movie could be special. (The movie may not really go in that direction, though. It just struck me based on the Kirby run rattling around in my head and still mulling the Hall H presentation.)
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 7/24/2019, 2:49 AM
@tmp3 - Waititi's and Coogler's previous works have had some degree of father issues (in coming to understand their flaws and surpassing them, more or less) that I think directly applied to their Marvel movies (and effectively).

I don't think I've seen any of Zhao's work. Are there any particularly potent themes that seem similarly to mesh with Eternals? (Or at least my little rant below about community?) I know as little about her as you say you know about Eternals. :)
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 7/24/2019, 2:55 AM
And I've been meaning to say to you, @tmp3, that I feel like I've been too dismissive toward you lately. Something has been rubbing me the wrong way and for whatever reason, and for the past few weeks or months when I read you talking about more artsy kinds of movies or Oscar stuff, it's been a trigger for some kind of pressure valve and I feel like I've taken it out on you and I shouldn't.

I honestly don't know what it is that's been rubbing me the wrong way, but I sincerely apologize if you have felt personally insulted by it. I can be a dick sometimes.
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 7/24/2019, 2:56 AM
I still hate the Oscars and everything they represent, though.
tmp3
tmp3 - 7/24/2019, 3:05 AM
@Spock0Clock - Aww, thanks for saying that buddy :)
I've only seen The Rider from Zhao, but it's incredibly thematically potent. It deals with what it means to be a man, how much your identity defines who you are, and how to move on from having that stripped from you. There's a real sense of family there too - aided by the entire cast being a family of non-actors. I guess those sensibilities would make her a great fit for this property. It's also a beautiful looking movie:
parkerray
parkerray - 7/24/2019, 3:39 AM
@Spock0Clock - @tmp3 -

Glad to hear some input about their unique themes from the comics and the creators hired, thanks. I'm fading a bit, but after looking up Zhao and the Rider, and a little about Kirby's source material, the one thought I'm left with is that this is by far the biggest challenge any writers have been tasked with by Marvel. Will be interesting to see if/how they can take weighty themes and abstractions and make them concrete and pressing for the average MCU fan.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 7/24/2019, 4:29 AM
@parkerray -
Never had an interest in the Eternals. The movie does not interest me either. None of the characters seem interesting and it seems like they are trying to appeal via film stars and 'diversity' rather than making the characters sound interesting.

They want this to be another 'GotG' but that primarily worked because of the writing, directing and exploration of the MCU - whereas Eternals is unlikely to have an effect on the series as a whole other than backstory for the Deviants (Skrulls)

The attempts i have made to look into the source material makes me feel like this is another attempt to just create more female heroes for an eventual A-Force movie (Or an A-Force style Eternals spin-off) Three of the characters have been sex-swapped for the new movie and it feels forced.
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 7/24/2019, 2:42 AM
I really want to see some costumes.

Lately, as much as I love superheroes, I have been preoccupied with their thematic framework (both as expressions of capitalistic corporate values and potentially a very narrow conception of antisocial individualism implied by vigilantism).

And it struck me that in Kirby's messy way, the Eternals are a pretty broad rejection of both (the former only to the extent that you can reject the corporate framework from within it).

The Eternals are not individualists. They are decidedly communal, either in their conflict against Deviants or their efforts to serve (and sometimes resist) the Celestials who created them. The ultimate expression of that communal nature is the Uni-Mind: literally all Eternals combining together into a single consciousness that is far more powerful than any individual Eternal.

And I think this is part of why I didn't care for Gaiman's revamp. He tried to emphasize the individual Eternal through their own desires and drives (and amnesia), but what makes them special is that (near) unity of purpose. The X-Men sort of have that as they pursue the MLX Dream, but they are always balancing their individuality against that team spirit. The Eternals were built for this. And Feige's / Zhao's take on them (in being so aggressively diverse) suggests that there may be some kernal of that in the movie adaptation. Having them reflect as wide a swathe of humanity as possible to send the direct message that they (and we) are all one people and we're stronger together than apart. I think we kind of need that message hammered home right now.
Kumkani
Kumkani - 7/24/2019, 2:50 AM
@Spock0Clock - I'm not sure I understood what you wrote here but it sounds smart so I'm gonna like it.
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 7/24/2019, 2:57 AM
@DnA - It's kind of nebulous in my head right now. Give me a few more drafts and maybe it will be clearer.
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 7/24/2019, 3:05 AM
It was that Punisher/Police Union story a few days ago (and maybe a YouTube video essay, I can't remember) that got under my skin. The idea of brand-labeled expressions of anti-social behavior. It's not new, Guy Fawkes masks and anarchy A's and whatnot, but having it be a manufactured product by a corporate entity bugs me. (Similar to the Joker/Taxi Driver movie may deeply concern me.)

Superheroes tend to be prosocial, but they are prosocial as individuals. We don't have a lot of fiction organizations that are worthy and good, where the protagonists make their moral choices within that worthy and good structure. Starfleet is one of them, most of the time. But superheroes in particular tend to reject or be skeptical of institutions (at least institutions beyond Fast and Furious-style "Family"). Just a nagging thing.
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