As the Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes to a close, it’s time to think about Phase Four. Rumors have started about what new concepts will be include in this next phase, and the latest candidate is The Eternals.
Rich Johnston over at Bleeding Cool has said his sources tell him that Marvel Studios is close to officially announcing the Jack Kirby-created super team. At this point, it is just a rumor, but Johnston hints that his source’s rumors have come true in the past.
This is what I said back in December about the characters when looking at the MCU’s future:
Marvel Studios once had an Inhumans movie planned, but then the TV branch stole it, made a critically lambasted series out of it, and killed the concept dead, dead, dead. Part of this list is offering alternatives to concepts the studio can’t use anymore. As a replacement for the Inhumans, I offer the Eternals.
This is the first Jack Kirby solo creation on the list from his brief return to Marvel in the 1970s. Like the Inhumans, the Eternals are group of superpowered individuals descended from humans who were experimented on by aliens. Also like the Inhumans, they live their lives in exile. The main difference is that the Eternals were created at the same time as a race that would become their enemies–the Deviants–and many of the earth Eternals could be confused with the Greek Gods.
Not only do the characters have a Jack Kirby pedigree, they were also once written legendary author Neil Gaiman. With those two media friendly writers in the Eternals history, them getting a film should be a no-brainer.
Yes, there are so many similarities between this concept and the Inhumans that Marvel can just do a “find and replace” on the Inhumans film scripts they have lying around and run with those.
The Eternals were created by Jack Kirby in 1976, when he returned to Marvel after a stint at DC Comics. Warners has recently announced that it is developing a film based on a cosmic team Kirby created while at DC, The New Gods. We might have two of Jack Kirby’s legendary cosmic creations on the big screen at the same time people! Mind=blown!
Johnston say that the announcement will be coming “imminently.” Typically, this type of reveal would be perfect for Disney’s D23 Expo, but the next one of them won’t be coming until August 2019, which isn’t very imminent. Perhaps it will be coming at San Diego Comic Con in July? Maybe sooner? And what other projects will be announce along with it?
More on this as it develops.
Read yesterday that Noah Hawley is writing Doctor Doom. Can’t wait