No matter how you feel about Eternals (it certainly divided opinions), there's no denying that it was one of the most visually impressive Marvel Studios movies to date. The Celestials, in particular, were truly awe-inspiring, with Arishem cutting an imposing figure as he towered over the likes of Ajak and Sersi, and even Earth itself.
However, during a recent interview with befores & afters, Scanline VFX Supervisor Jelmer Boskma revealed that there were once early plans to portray Arishem in a completely different light.
"There was a version where Arishem shrunk himself down and essentially was like Willy Wonka walking through the World Forge," she revealed. "That got lost, but the wall of memories and all of that stuck. Even though it was something that was conceived much later. The entirety of the World Forge was photographed during a separate pickup shoot, long after principal."
Boskma also talked about creating the World Forge in Eternals and revealed that director Chloé Zhao had a very specific source of inspiration for the visuals in this movie.
"[Chloe] was very adamant about, ‘We want to instil the spirit of Jack Kirby into this. Look at the comics, and look at the way he draws things, which is this visual language of hard graphic shapes mixed with alien forms.’ You know, it’s not messy, but it’s not sleek either. There’s a lot of texture and grit to the way he designs, and of course, he has incredible bold color choices."
Arguably one of the most exciting and intriguing aspects of Eternals was learning more about the Celestials and the role they've played in the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The sequel is likely to continue to expand on that, deepening the mythology of this shared world in the process.
Check out our interview with Arishem actor David Kaye in the player below: