2021's Eternals was Marvel Studios' first critical failure and, after it was released in the final months of the pandemic, the movie also struggled to make an impact financially.
While there's no denying it was a little overstuffed (and that it boasted an abysmal villain in Kro), there was a lot about Eternals which worked well. The movie arguably has something of an undeserved bad rap, particularly as it showed a different side of the MCU and set the stage for some exciting future stories.
Unfortunately, Marvel Studios hasn't announced plans to release a follow-up to that big cliffhanger and it's unclear when we'll learn what became of the Eternals taken from Earth by Arishem for judgement after their role in stopping Tiamut's emergence.
The Celestial's remains are expected to factor into Captain America: Brave New World as the source of Adamantium in the MCU, though Kit Harington's Dane Whitman/Black Knight was reportedly dropped from Blade several drafts ago.
Well, we may have some long-overdue good news today because scooper Daniel Richtman is reporting that Eternals 2 is currently in development at Marvel Studios.
Here's the biggest talking point, though: he claims Richard Madden will return as Ikaris! As you'll likely recall, the group's leader was revealed as Eternals' true villain before coming to the realisation he couldn't kill more of his fellow immortals. Instead, Ikaris left Earth and appeared to end his life by flying into the sun (though we were never able to say for sure whether he died or not).
The fact he's returning raises a lot of big questions. Remember, the Eternals were revealed as robot-like beings created by the Celestials to watch over the planets they emerge from; with that in mind, there may be countless versions of "Ikaris" being stored in Arishem's home!
Shortly before last year's San Diego Comic-Con, several trademark filings by Marvel Studios leaked online (with most announced to be on the way during the event). Among them was Celestials: End of Time, suggesting it could be tied to the wider Multiverse Saga and time travel.
If an Eternals sequel materialises, we're expecting some big changes to have been made and for it to boast a potentially much smaller cast. After all, Marvel Studios will know a follow-up is far from a guaranteed box office hit, so reigning in the budget will likely be their first move.
What are you hoping to see from Ikaris in a possible Eternals sequel?