Although plot details are still thin on the ground for The Eternals, a new report is claiming that Marvel are very happy with Richard Madden’s performance in the movie.
The Eternals promises to be a major landmark in Phase 4 of the MCU, and will introduce a whole new set of characters to the franchise, including Madden’s Ikaris. KC Walsh, who tweets under the handle @TheComixKid, took part in a Twitter AMA yesterday, and when responding to a now-deleted post, shared his thoughts on The Eternals.
While ostensibly answering a question about Paramount’s plans for the Transformers series, Walsh let slip some of the feedback he’s heard from Marvel, specifically saying:
No idea what Paramount is planning with Transformers
All I’ve hear about Eternals is Marvel loves Richard Madden https://t.co/sWGCCXlCaN
— KC Walsh (@TheComixKid) May 17, 2020
If true, then Madden must have done something special to be singled out in a cast that includes his Game of Thrones co-star Kit Harington, Angelina Jolie and Kumail Nanjiani, to name a few. Madden’s character of Ikaris is a powerful Eternal whose abilities include complete mental mastery of his form, making him pretty much invulnerable. These powers include a wide range of different benefits, including cosmic energy beams and some psychic ability.
The news that Madden would be joining the star-studded Eternals cast was met with particular enthusiasm from Game of Thrones fans last summer, due to his pairing up with former co-star Harington. Since then, Madden has also praised the Chloé Zhao-directed movie for its approach to LGBT representation. Indeed, while Ikaris was believed to be the choice for the first openly gay lead character in the MCU, it’s now been revealed that Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos will have this role in the movie.
We’re not surprised that Madden has apparently made an impact with Marvel executives though, having built up a solid career outside of Game of Thrones with turns in The Bodyguard, as well as Rocketman, 1917 and the live-action Cinderella. If The Eternals is a hit, and there’s no reason it shouldn’t be, then we could be seeing a lot more of Madden as Ikaris in other parts of the MCU.
The Eternals should be in theaters on February 12th, 2021, and we’d hope to get some more details on the plot soon, so stay tuned.