Marvel’s Eternals brought to light eternal superheroes who are indescribably powerful and wise, but they don’t get involved unless the Deviants are involved, so when they surface in the movie, it means trouble. Eternals follows that trouble and gives fans a deeper look into some heroes we know little about within the realm of the MCU.
This includes bringing Marvel’s first deaf superhero to the screen. Lauren Ridloff plays Makkari in Eternals, and thanks to Ridloff’s performance and her online activity around using sign language, she’s inspired more people to learn sign language.
A recent article from the Independent shared research revealing a massive increase in searches by people who want to learn sign language, coinciding with excitement around Eternals.
“According to research by Preply, there has been a 250 percent spike in searches for “learn sign language for beginners” as excitement surrounding Chloé Zhao’s film grew in the last year.”
Ridloff responded by saying that it would be even more wonderful to see courses offered up by deaf teachers who sign daily.
Fans are responding to the interaction with supportive messages for the cast and Ridloff, also acknowledging her roles in other film and television series. Ridloff is well known as Connie from The Walking Dead, and she’s also encouraged fans in that community to learn sign language and stand up for other deaf fans and actors/actresses everywhere.
You can see Marvel’s Eternals in theaters now.