Marvel’s Eternals is poised to become the next big thing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie will bring the relatively obscure group of cosmic characters to the forefront with director Chloe Zhao’s film, which is set to arrive later this year. Given that the group is relatively unknown in the mainstream, now might be a good time to get familiar with some of the comics that will inspire the movie.
Here is the synopsis for Marvel’s Eternals.
“Marvel Studios’ Eternals features an exciting new team of Super Heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, an unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, the Deviants.”
The film’s massive cast includes Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh, Don Lee and Kit Harrington. The movie is part of Phase 4 of the MCU, which will be picking up in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame. Here are five comics to ready before Eternals arrives.
The Eternals
This is where it all started. This is where the legendary Jack Kirby introduced the group to the world of Marvel Comics. What started as a series that was meant to exist outside the confines of the main Marvel universe is now set to become the next major franchise in the MCU. So there is no better place to begin reading about these characters before the film arrives.
Synopsis – “Jack Kirby reveals a secret history of heroes and horrors as humanity’s cousins, the Eternals and the Deviants, vie to inherit the Earth! It’s a time of Titans, Terror and Time Travel – as only the King could conceive! “
The Avengers #47 and #48
We’ve heard rumors for years that the Black Knight is going to make his debut in the MCU. Eternals is going to make it so. Former Game of Thrones star Kit Harrington is set to play the character, who debuted in the pages of The Avengers #47 back in 1967. The storyline continued in issue #48, which features Black Knight on the cover. As he’s expected to be a major factor in the movie, it might be good to get acquainted with his comic book origins.
Synopsis – “After finding Olympus completely deserted, Hercules starts searching for clues. Dane Whitman vows to use his uncle’s invention for good, and becomes the new Black Knight. Meanwhile, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are held captive by Magneto.”
Strange Tales #109
Gemma Chan will make history by playing two different live-action characters in the MCU. The actress previously starred in Captain Marvel as Minn-Erva. Now, she’s set to play Sersi in Eternals. The character debuted in the pages of Strange Tales #109 as “Circe”, just before the Sorcerer Supreme was introduced in the following issue. Marvel later retconned the appearance as the first of Sersi, who appeared in Jack Kirby’s original series.
Synopsis – “The man known only as ‘The Sorcerer’, unleashes Pandora’s Box on Johnny Storm! The Human Torch must make his escape…and fast! “
Red Raven Comics #1
Angelina Jolie is arguably one of the biggest stars to make her way into the MCU as Thena in Eternals. As such, it would be worth looking into the character that was capable of luring Jolie to the world of superhero movies. Thena debuted in Red Raven Comics #1 way back in 1940 as “Minerva.” Like Sersi, Marvel later retconned this appearance to suit the continuity of the character. Thena first appeared as Thena in Kirby’s original series as well.
Synopsis – “Discover the origin of Red Raven, find out how Bruce Bravelle became the Human Top, learn why Mercury came to Earth, plus other historic stories in this issue!”
Eternals (2021)
In anticipation of the film, Marvel Comics recently launched a brand new Eternals comic book series. As such, it would seem like a good one to keep up with in the lead up to the Phase 4 MCU entry. Plus, the book pits the group of heroes against the Mad Titan himself, Thanos.
Synopsis – “What’s the point of an eternal battle? For millions of years, one hundred Eternals have roamed the Earth, secret protectors of humanity. Without them, we’d be smears between the teeth of the demon-like Deviants. Their war has waged for all time, echoing in our myths and nightmares. But today, Eternals face something new: change. Can they – or anyone on Earth – survive their discovery? “
Marvel’s Eternals hits theaters on November 5, 2021
So what do you think? Are you excited for Eternals? Will you be reading any of these books before the movie arrives? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!
