With 'The Eternals', Marvel firmly establishes the focus in phase 4 will be cosmic superheroes
Marvel Cinematic Universe's (MCU) Infinity Saga spanned 23 movies and barring the 'Guardians of the Galaxy', 'Thor' and 'Captain Marvel', the other movies were origin stories of the Earth's mightiest heroes. With Marvel Studios announcing its lineup for the upcoming phase 4, it does look like the chunk of the focus is on cosmic superheroes.
To start with, there's 'The Eternals', 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3', 'Thor: Love and Thunder' and a yet to be titled sequel for 'Captain Marvel'. To begin with, let's look at the newest breed of cosmic heroes who will make their appearances in Eternals.
Eternals are a powerful race who look like humans but possess superhuman abilities granted to them by another cosmic entity called the Celestials (a passing reference was made in 'Guardians of the Galaxy). To better define Celestials, they are basically Space Gods who visited Earth millions of years ago and experimented on the first batch of humans who existed at that time.
In their experiments, they created two cosmic races - the Eternals and the Deviants. The Deviants, on the other hand, are genetically unstable mutants who have waged wars against the Eternals for centuries. Incidentally, Thanos is one of the Deviants. Now, that explains the crazed ideologies he has in 'Avengers: Infinity War' and 'Avengers: Endgame'.
That Thanos was established as the main villain in MCU's phase 3 meant that Marvel was preparing for 'The Eternals' and establishing key characters and the impact they would have right from the beginning. It also makes sense to bring the Eternals into a phase that has the Guardians and Thor as the trio have a bit of a history of fighting together in the comics.
This also means the Eternals have teamed up with the Avengers and that could mean we see an Eternals and Avengers alliance in the near future assuming they introduce a villain in the form of Galactus. Going by the comics, Tony Stark, Doctor Strange and Ant-Man are a few earthly beings who have met the Eternals.
Gamesradar said the cosmic heroes have battled alongside the Avengers. The mid-1980s saw The Forgotten One join Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Sersi has fought a few battles, but both departed due to physical and mental injuries sustained in battles against the Lava Men and the Watcher known as Proctor.
At this moment we can only speculate where the MCU goes with the Eternals. It is also possible that the aftermath of the battle in 'Avengers: Endgame' could have triggered some dormant memories within the Eternals like Ajak and Ikaris. In all probability, we can expect a Neil Gaman's Eternals adaptation.
Going by the comic, Ikaris would travel to the lost city of the Space Gods in disguise. The mission is to find a cosmic beacon that would alert Ikaris to the Celestials' arrival to earth. They engage in a battle with the Deviants who welcome the idea of the Celestials making their way.
For now, it does look like an Eternals vs Deviants showdown. What remains to be seen is the battleground they will choose to have their epic skirmishes.
'The Eternals,' in all probability, will see some appearances from the other cosmic heroes and that also explains how the movie release dates have been planned. 'The Eternals' will come in first, giving them enough time to set up future appearances and alliances. This is followed by 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' and 'Thor: Love and Thunder'.
It looks like Marvel plans to introduce a new breed of heroes to the world. What better way than introducing one of the most powerful cosmic beings called 'The Eternals'.
'The Eternals' will release on November 6, 2020.