2021's Eternals ended up being Marvel Studios' first "Rotten" movie and, after it was released in the final months of the pandemic, it also struggled to make an impact at the box office.
While there's no denying it was a little overstuffed (and that it boasted one of the MCU's worst villains in Kro), there was a lot about Eternals which did work. 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 has shared no news on plans to release a follow-up to that big cliffhanger. As a result, it's still unclear when we'll learn what became of the Eternals taken from Earth by Arishem for judgment 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 is thought to have been cut from Blade several drafts ago (for a time, he was going to be a supporting character in the story).
Over the past year or so, there have been a few different rumours claiming Eternals 2 is in the works and Ikaris is expected to factor into the Marvel Zombies animated series coming to Disney+ in the not-too-distant future.
Today, scooper @CanWeGetToast is reporting (via Toonado.com) that What If...? season 3 will include an episode devoted to these characters. The premise is said to be, "What If... The Eternals Never Stopped The Emergence?"
That's easy: Earth would have been destroyed!
Before writing this off as a pointless idea, though, bear in mind the story can delve into bigger consequences than just the world's heroes being caught up in the blast. Some heroes would have likely escaped Earth, while others - the Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel, for example - were likely off-planet.
Plus, with their mission on Earth completed, what would have come next for these immortals? We'll have to wait and see.
Shortly before the 2022 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 an eventual sequel 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.
Keep checking back here for updates as we have them.