"Eternals" arrives, a very audacious bet from Marvel 0:53
(CNN) -
In the past year, Marvel introduced viewers to Agatha Harkness and Monica Rambeau, Sylvie and Mobius, Yelena, Shang-Chi, and a new Captain America, to name a few.
Uff.
Brace yourselves, weary fans, because the Marvel Cinematic Universe is adding at least 10 new superheroes and villains this month in "Eternals," the new film from Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao.
You'll have a little over a month to memorize their names and stories before Marvel releases "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (and a few weeks after that, yet another hero will have his own series on Disney +, rest while you can).
Luckily for you, we created a sort of "Eternals" cheat sheet so both die-hard and casual fans can keep things straight.
Here's what you need to know about the "Eternals" before the film opens on November 5.
(This writer has yet to see the movie, but there are slight
spoilers
from the comics.)
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Meet the Eternals, Marvel's new heroes (DI): Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), Gilgamesh (Don Lee), Thena (Angelina Jolie), Ikaris (Richard Madden), Ajak (Salma Hayek), Sersi (Gemma Chan), Sprite (Lia McHugh), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), and Druig (Barry).
Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
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Ikaris: the original Eternal.
Powers: laser beam eyes and fly at full speed.
Courtesy of Marvel Studios 2021.
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Sersi: She dates a human but has a romantic history with Ikaris.
It is capable of transmuting matter, as we saw in one of the advances.
Courtesy of Marvel Studios 2021.
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Sprite (Lia McHugh) will always seem like a young person.
It is not always fun.
It has the power to create illusions.
Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
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Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) is not interested in violence.
He is an inventor and pacifist.
Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) Courtesy of Marvel Studios 2021.
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Ajak (Salma Hayek) is that friend who acts like a mother to the rest of her group.
It has the power to heal both Eternals and humans.
Ajak (Salma Hayek) Courtesy of Marvel Studios.
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Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) is one of the fastest sprinters in Marvel comics.
Credits: Sophie Mutevelian.
Marvel Studios 2021.
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Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) prefers to steal the limelight and therefore his superpower is to fight with style.
Credits: Sophie Mutevelian.
Marvel Studios 2021.
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Gilgamesh (Don Lee, center) is the strongest Eternal, but also the most realistic.
He bears the nickname "the forgotten one" because for a long time he did not know who he was.Credits: Sophie Mutevelian.
Marvel Studios 2021.
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Druig (Barry Keoghan) is the darkest Eternal.
His power is mind control and he has a different view of humans from the other Eternals.
Credits: Sophie Mutevelian.
Marvel Studios 2021.
So ... who / what are the Eternals?
The Eternals, or "Eternals" are neither people nor gods (although humans often mistake them for gods, which annoys the space deities who created them and the Greek gods who give their names to some of them).
Although each of them has unique powers, they are all skilled warriors with super strength, speed, and agility.
Most heroes are immortal: even if their bodies are destroyed, they can continue to live in other ways.
But they keep their powers a secret, since they live among humans.
They were sent to Earth by the Celestials, an ancient group of divine beings, some 7,000 years before the events of the film, to defend humanity from the Deviants or Deviants, mutant monsters also created by the Celestials when some tests with the Earth's first inhabitants went wrong.
The Eternals must not interfere in human affairs, acting as mere bystanders, unless deviants are involved.
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Although the Eternals have obeyed the Celestials until now, they finally begin to question their mission and the beings who created them.
Like most of the protagonists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe who have gotten their own origin stories, the Eternals probably don't feel like superheroes.
But at the end of the movie, after they've undergone several transformations and defeated various enemies, they are likely to be among the most powerful heroes in the MCU, and perhaps, the MCM: the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse.
Meet the 10 "Eternals" of Marvel
Ikaris
Ikaris (Richard Madden) ignores the farmers.
Played By:
Richard Madden
In the comics, the Eternals are usually led by Ikaris, usually depicted as a muscular man with blond hair and blue eyes reminiscent of He-Man but with laser eyes.
In some appearances in the comics, they call him the "Eternal Original", or the "Eternal who rules the rest".
Powers:
Laser beam eyes.
If you name him, Ikaris can probably do it.
It can fly at speeds of up to 1370 kilometers per hour, create compelling illusions, and shoot lasers through the eyes, among many other abilities.
Fun fact:
in the comics, when he disguises himself as a human, he calls himself "Ike Harris."
Definitely, Ikaris is one of the bravest Eternals, but creative, he is not.
Sersi
Sersi (Gemma Chan) is dating a human but has a romantic history with Ikaris.
Played by:
Gemma Chan
If it is Ikaris who usually leads the Eternals in the realm of comics, Sersi is their heart.
She is a kind of historian of humanity, who has witnessed events such as the fall of Rome and the French Revolution in the forefront, according to Marvel.
Sersi is often dressed in green, a nod, perhaps, to her deep love and appreciation for the Earth and its inhabitants.
He has also had an on-and-off relationship for centuries with his partner, Ikaris.
Powers:
transmutation of matter.
You can basically alter matter any way you want (remember in the trailer for "Eternals", when it seems to dissolve a double-decker bus in a parade of petals?)
Fun fact:
In the comics, Sersi joined the Avengers for a time.
Although he later left the group, he sometimes continues to help them when they need a divine hero.
Sprite
Sprite (Lia McHugh) will always seem like a young person.
It is not always fun.
Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Played By:
Lia McHugh
Sprite is as mischievous as a goblin.
Although she is as old as her counterparts, she has the appearance of a perpetual preteen, which she leverages to her advantage: In a comic series she starred in her own teen comedy.
However, his naivety can also be disastrous: In one series, Sprite "altered reality on a cosmic scale," according to Marvel.
In the comics, Sprite has also been written as a man for much of his career.
Powers:
Illusions.
The "great storyteller" of the group, Sprite casts mirages that seem real and can teleport if necessary.
Fun fact:
According to Marvel, he was once a nuisance to William Shakespeare, inspiring the Bard character "Puck" in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Phastos
Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) is not interested in violence.
Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) Courtesy of Marvel Studios 2021.
Played By:
Brian Tyree Henry
Inventor of the group and declared pacifist, Phastos is also the first declared gay superhero in the MCU.
(While the Marvel comics feature various queer characters, it has only been suggested, though not confirmed, that a few other characters like Valkyrie and Loki are queer on screen.)
According to trailers for the film, he is also a frugal home decorator with a penchant for Ikea and sarcasm.
Powers:
Invention and "technopathy".
If Phastos can see something in his mind's eye, he can make it happen - he has the ability to conjure weapons and other inventions with little more than a thought.
Fun fact:
At one point in the comics, he adopted the codename "Ceasefire," a nod to his anti-war stance.
(Don't let anyone tell you that you are a superhero created to wage war on monsters!)
Thena
The fierce warrior.
Learn about Thena and her fellow Eternals in this # Marvel101.
Experience Marvel Studios' #Eternals in theaters on November 5th!
pic.twitter.com/E2OgqctLWK
- Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) November 1, 2021
Played by:
Angelina Jolie
It is no coincidence that Thena's name is so similar to that of the Greek goddess of war - according to Marvel, Thena is "more comfortable in battle than anywhere else."
Like Phastos, he can conjure weapons with his mind, though he takes pleasure in wielding them and unleashing cosmic carnage for those over 13.
Powers:
superhuman ability to fight.
She is incredibly fast, strong and thoughtful, an almost unbeatable warrior.
Fun fact:
In the comics, she once had a flirtation with a Deviants leader named Kro, and their tumultuous relationship has hampered both the Eternals and their enemies.
Ajak
Ajak (Salma Hayek) is that friend who acts like a mother to the rest of her group.
Ajak (Salma Hayek) Courtesy of Marvel Studios.
Played by:
Salma Hayek
Although in the comics, Ajak is depicted as a man, Hayek said that he views his character as a mother figure, a kind of "spiritual leader" who connects with each of them even when they disagree and keeps the group on track. .
Powers:
healing.
Ajak heals both humans and Eternals, and is one of the few who has direct contact with the Celestials to receive information about their mission.
Fun fact:
In the comics, Ajak is a "brilliant archaeologist and skilled fighter," says Marvel.
Even divine heroes need hobbies.
Makkari
Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) is one of the fastest sprinters in Marvel comics.
Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) Credits: Sophie Mutevelian.
Marvel Studios 2021.
Played By:
Lauren Ridloff
Sprinter Makkari has raced all over the planet and frankly she is bored with what she has found.
In the movie, the Eternals ask her to put her boredom aside for a few days to help them defeat the Deviants and save the world so she can travel to other planets.
Powers:
super speed.
What Quicksilver?
Makkari is the "fastest woman in the universe," says Marvel.
Fun fact:
Ridloff is deaf, and Makkari is the MCU's first deaf superhero, so the Eternals communicate with Makkari through sign language.
Kingo
Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) prefers to steal the limelight.
Credits: Sophie Mutevelian
.
Marvel Studios 2021.
Played By:
Kumail Nanjiani
While many of the other Eternals chose to live in anonymity among humanity, Kingo became a movie star (in the comics, he is an actor known from Japanese samurai movies; in the movie, he is a Bollywood performer). .
Powers:
Fight in style.
Kingo can do what virtually all Eternals can do: kick butt with little effort, though he prefers to defend himself against enemies with the attitude of a star.
He also has the ego of one.
Fun fact:
Apparently, Kingo considers himself the star of the Eternals.
Thena and Ikaris have something to say about that.
Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh (Don Lee, center) is the strongest Eternal, but also the most realistic.
Credits: Sophie Mutevelian.
Marvel Studios 2021.
Played By:
Don Lee
Thena's strongest Eternal and companion, Gilgamesh is a fearsome warrior but also quite a nice guy, according to Marvel.
Powers:
indomitable strength.
In battle, Gilgamesh wields a golden "exoskeleton" that protects his arms and fists and deals devastating blows to enemies.
Fun fact:
In the comics, he was known as "the forgotten one" because he was unaware that he was an Eternal for many years.
Druig
Druig (Barry Keoghan) is perhaps the murkiest Eternal.
Credits: Sophie Mutevelian.
Marvel Studios 2021.
Played By:
Barry Keoghan
Druig possesses a darkness that the other Eternals lack.
In the comics, he has often placed more importance on his own success than that of the Eternals and his mission to protect humans, which has made him dangerous.
(Also in the comics they have drawn him as a kind of vampire).
Powers:
mind control.
Druig can see into the minds of humans and exploit their vulnerabilities.
Fun fact:
Druig isolates himself from the other Eternals due to his opposing vision of how to live with humans, according to Marvel.
Extra hero: Dane Whitman
Dane Whitman (Kit Harington, left) is in a relationship with Sersi (Gemma Chan) when we meet him on "Eternals."
Played By:
Kit Harington
Granted, Whitman isn't a member of the Eternals, but he's Sersi's regular human boyfriend in the movie.
He may have a bigger and more heroic role in upcoming Marvel projects, though nothing has been confirmed.
We're not going to go into the details of his story in the comics, but for readers who don't mind
spoilers
, Marvel has an extensive bio.
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