The first trailer for Eternals, Marvel’s latest cosmic epic, emphasized scale and time — this is able to be a movie that spanned before, during, after the known MCU timeline. the ultimate trailer in anticipation of the movie’s Nov. 5 release date places the action during a clearer spot on the timeline while setting a ticking clock. The Eternals arrived on Earth 7,000 years to combat an alien entity referred to as the Deviants, but now, within the wake of the Blip that returned half the world’s population back to the earth (i.e., after Avengers: Endgame), they only have seven days to prevent “the emergence.” Sounds bad!
Eternals may be a star-studded affair as far as Marvel movies, which have often been wont to turn unknowns into superheroes, are concerned. Seen within the trailer is Salma Hayek as Ajak, the Eternals’ leader; Lia McHugh because the young-but-actually-super-old Sprite; Richard Madden as Ikaris, who’s a true Superman type; Brian Tyree Henry as Phaistos, who can invent things; Ma Dong-Seok as Gilgamesh (yes that Gilgamesh); Angelina Jolie as Thena, who shows up to slay; plus Gemma Chan as Sersi, Barry Keoghan as Drug, and Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo. Kit Harington of Game of Thrones also appears together with the human character, Dane Whitman, who has gone on to become the hero referred to as the Black Knight within the comics. But during this trailer, he spends most of his screentime wondering why the heck none of those guys showed up to kick Thanos’ ass. Fair question.
If Eternals has an earthier feel than previous MCU installments, that’s because it’s the brainchild of writer-director Chloé Zhao, who recently picked up Best Director and Best Film Oscars earlier this year for her work on Nomadland. But consistent with a replacement profile with Entertainment Weekly, those cinematic bona fides accompany a life lived within the pages of comics and fantasy.
“The truth is, we might not have even attempted this if it weren’t for Chloé,” Feige said. “We thought, here’s a filmmaker who is equal parts cinematic visionary and genre nerd. she will outtalk any folks when it involves manga and Star Wars and Marvel comics. It’s a quite an astounding combination. And this movie, I think, represents all of the immense multitudes of Chloé.”
Eternals releases in theaters — and only theaters, for now — on Nov. 5. For more on the present MCU schedule, head to our full breakdown of Marvel movie release dates. For a clearer sense of what the Eternals are all about, read our recent deep dive into the group’s strange comics history.
