The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s upcoming cosmic epic Eternals is one of the franchise’s most ambitious projects to date; a sprawling saga spanning several thousand millennia that needs to introduce a dozen new characters, establish their motivations, explain why they’ve spent so long hiding in the shadows and set them up as the newest super team on the block.
All of the promotional materials we’ve seen so far have been light on specifics, but they’ve shed more light on how the disparate plot threads come together. Picking up in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, the Eternals will be forced to reconcile their differences with each other and battle the Deviants, their arch-nemeses who look to cause havoc on a planet mourning the loss of several of its most high-profile defenders.
An intriguing new caveat has been added after Marvel issued a press release via ComicBook confirming that the narrative will be split across two distinct time periods, which you can read below.
“The story takes place across two time periods. One storyline is set in the past when they operated as a formidable team and a close family unit. The second storyline is in the present, when the group has fractured and split apart, content to live among humans, hiding in plain sight. The prevailing threat of the Deviants, which once again threatens the existence of mankind, means the Eternals need to put their differences aside and regroup.”
No wonder Eternals has been rumored as the second-longest movie in MCU history behind Endgame, when it’s got so many plates spinning in the air at once. Kevin Feige said he wouldn’t have even dreamed of making the film without writer and director Chloé Zhao’s involvement, so we’ve got plenty of reasons to be confident that the two-time Academy Award winner is going to knock it out of the park.