MCU fans can probably pinpoint where the franchise started to fall off the tracks: its first woefully received post-Endgame film, Eternals. All the pieces were there to make this film work and introduce a new team of heroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe after its most beloved bunch had just finished saving the universe. It had Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao at the helm with a host of stars, including Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, leading the charge. Unfortunately, things didn’t go too well for the film, which still stands at 47% on Rotten Tomatoes (even though we didn’t mind it). It turns out, though, that things might’ve been different had Zhao gone for the film she was initially offered — 2021 prequel, Black Widow.
During an appearance on The Ringer, Zhao discussed her time in the billion-dollar franchise and revealed that Eternals wasn’t the first film on the table when the studio approached her. "I went in at first for Black Widow, and then there was a scheduling conflict,” Zhao revealed. “And then when Nate Moore, my producer for Eternals, showed me the treatment, I went, ‘Oh, wow. I get to have all these immortals, like a Greek play, to discuss humanity. And then I get to create monsters and space gods, right?’” Looking back, Zhao believed that the job should’ve been daunting at first glance, but her approach was very much the opposite. “It probably should have scared me. I don’t know. I tend to jump before I know how to swim.”
Zhao explained that this world of immortals and monsters spoke to her a lot more than the backstory of Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff. "For those 10 years when I was going around America and learning new ways of life and having a relationship with nature, there was something bubbling inside really intensely," the director added. "The volcano reference erupted, and that was in the form of Eternals. Because Eternals, at its heart, is a story about a pantheon of gods having discussions about the nature of humanity.”
Even with all that to pick apart, Eternals didn’t land as well as it could’ve, which is a huge shame. Since the film’s release, we’ve seen very little of the gods living among us, with the only returning character being Kumail Nanjiani’s Kingo. The actor has also spoken out about initial plans to sign on for six movies and a video game, none of which came to pass. Perhaps there might be some life left in the Eternals further down the line, but when you consider the eventual arrival of Doctor Doom and a new band of X-Men eventually making an appearance, it doesn’t seem likely. For now, check out our list of every upcoming movie and show heading our way here.
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