Warning: This article contains spoilers for Marvel’s Eternals! Be sure to check out IGN's review of Eternals for more about the movie.
Marvel’s Eternals could have concluded very differently, as an early version of the film's story had a “really bleak” ending.
During an interview with Empire Magazine, the Eternals director Chloé Zhao revealed what was originally in store for the ancient heroes.
“We actually had another ending that is really bleak,” she revealed. “Bleak. I didn't hate it, because I'm used to films that are more melancholy. But I don't think it went down well with audiences.”
“It used to end with everybody back on the ship, minds erased and just going on to another planet, like The Twilight Zone,” she explained. “I remember when it goes to black, everyone was like, ‘I don't know what to do.’ And also, it's the MCU, and you want to be excited for what's next.”
This ending was eventually replaced in favour of the theatrical one, which sees Druig, Makkari, and Thena leave aboard the Domo to find more Eternals. Sersi, Phastos and Kingo are then dragged into space by the return of Arishem – allowing Earth to remain as long as the memories of the three Eternals prove that the planet is worthy.
Disappearing in the blink of an eye, the three Eternals depart with Arishem. Although the Eternals are scattered, this ending leaves the door open for them to return. It’s easy to see why Marvel would be more inclined to go with that.
But it looks as though that cameo, with Harry Styles appearing as Eros, would have tied into the film’s original, bleak ending.
“Long story short, with that depressing ending, at some point he was going to be one of the Eternals on that ship,” said Zhao. “And that didn't quite work out. But I had been wanting to bring Eros into the MCU. So, I kept mentioning it to Kevin [Feige] at every chance I had in the hallway because I love the idea of Eros being another Eternal, another Ajak.”
In the comic books, Eros is Thanos’ brother – an eternal who grew up on Titan. But Zhao explains how the MCU version differs.
“He's an Eternal, and he was stationed on Titan – 10 of them were, just like the 10 Eternals on Earth, assuming Titan is also a host planet at some point. Now, if you think about that, what influence could Eros have had on the inhabitants of Titan, the way Ajak has influenced people on Earth? And how that has affected Thanos?”
“If you go to the comics, there's some quite beautiful, heartbreaking influence Eros has had on Thanos,” she added. “How much does Thanos know? I love him as a character. It makes my imagination go crazy thinking, 'Why does Thanos think this way? Why is he worried about overpopulation and destroying his planet?' Think about the emergence – does Eros know about it? Maybe if he's an advisor, the way Ajak advised kings and queens on Earth? It gets my imagination going.”
Additionally, Zhao offered up some insight into Eros’ backstory:
“For me, the backstory of Eros is that he deserted, he said, ‘I'm not doing this anymore.’ So, he somehow got that sphere, which you saw in his hand, and he ran off and made Pip the troll. They're like Han Solo and Chewie. Arishem's been looking for him, and he's just been a space outlaw. That's the character I had in my mind. But I never said once to Kevin, ‘Here's the character. Let's find an actor.’ For me, it was a package deal. It's got to be Harry. That's how I pitched it to Kevin.”
Eternals opened in theaters on November 5, 2021, and is heading to Disney+ in January.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Blogroll Image Credit: Chris Pizzello-Pool/Getty Images
Continue reading...
Marvel’s Eternals could have concluded very differently, as an early version of the film's story had a “really bleak” ending.
During an interview with Empire Magazine, the Eternals director Chloé Zhao revealed what was originally in store for the ancient heroes.
“We actually had another ending that is really bleak,” she revealed. “Bleak. I didn't hate it, because I'm used to films that are more melancholy. But I don't think it went down well with audiences.”
“It used to end with everybody back on the ship, minds erased and just going on to another planet, like The Twilight Zone,” she explained. “I remember when it goes to black, everyone was like, ‘I don't know what to do.’ And also, it's the MCU, and you want to be excited for what's next.”
This ending was eventually replaced in favour of the theatrical one, which sees Druig, Makkari, and Thena leave aboard the Domo to find more Eternals. Sersi, Phastos and Kingo are then dragged into space by the return of Arishem – allowing Earth to remain as long as the memories of the three Eternals prove that the planet is worthy.
Disappearing in the blink of an eye, the three Eternals depart with Arishem. Although the Eternals are scattered, this ending leaves the door open for them to return. It’s easy to see why Marvel would be more inclined to go with that.
But it looks as though that cameo, with Harry Styles appearing as Eros, would have tied into the film’s original, bleak ending.
“Long story short, with that depressing ending, at some point he was going to be one of the Eternals on that ship,” said Zhao. “And that didn't quite work out. But I had been wanting to bring Eros into the MCU. So, I kept mentioning it to Kevin [Feige] at every chance I had in the hallway because I love the idea of Eros being another Eternal, another Ajak.”
In the comic books, Eros is Thanos’ brother – an eternal who grew up on Titan. But Zhao explains how the MCU version differs.
“He's an Eternal, and he was stationed on Titan – 10 of them were, just like the 10 Eternals on Earth, assuming Titan is also a host planet at some point. Now, if you think about that, what influence could Eros have had on the inhabitants of Titan, the way Ajak has influenced people on Earth? And how that has affected Thanos?”
“If you go to the comics, there's some quite beautiful, heartbreaking influence Eros has had on Thanos,” she added. “How much does Thanos know? I love him as a character. It makes my imagination go crazy thinking, 'Why does Thanos think this way? Why is he worried about overpopulation and destroying his planet?' Think about the emergence – does Eros know about it? Maybe if he's an advisor, the way Ajak advised kings and queens on Earth? It gets my imagination going.”
Additionally, Zhao offered up some insight into Eros’ backstory:
“For me, the backstory of Eros is that he deserted, he said, ‘I'm not doing this anymore.’ So, he somehow got that sphere, which you saw in his hand, and he ran off and made Pip the troll. They're like Han Solo and Chewie. Arishem's been looking for him, and he's just been a space outlaw. That's the character I had in my mind. But I never said once to Kevin, ‘Here's the character. Let's find an actor.’ For me, it was a package deal. It's got to be Harry. That's how I pitched it to Kevin.”
Eternals opened in theaters on November 5, 2021, and is heading to Disney+ in January.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Blogroll Image Credit: Chris Pizzello-Pool/Getty Images
Continue reading...