Following the arrival of the official new trailer for Marvel's Eternals, fans around the world have many questions on their mind about the MCU's upcoming Phase Four movie. The new trailer truly expands on the teaser we got in May, promising a somewhat bleak affair that will deal with one of the many aftermaths of the Blip - the world-changing event that saw half of earth's population return to being (as well as the universe). And a lot was teased, leaving fans excited not only for this film, but for the future of the MCU and where things could go even beyond Phase Four.
The film stars Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, Bryan Tyree Henry, Richard Madden, Lia McHugh, Barry Keoghan, Kumail Nanjiani and Kit Harington, and the plot revolves around cosmic beings called the Eternals, who have lived on earth for 7,000 years, and must face the Deviants and the upcoming 'Emergence'. But while the new trailer answers some questions, naturally there are still some lingering ones. And let's face it – it wouldn't be an MCU trailer unless it's peppered with a few mysteries for fans to solve...
What is the Emergence?
First of all, the question on many people's mind is, what exactly is the 'Emergence', which is referenced in the new trailer. We know that whatever is happening involves the Deviants, the dark counterparts to the Eternals, and that the world-changing event is a direct result of the Blip, which saw half the earth's population return, which gave the Emergence all the energy it needed to transpire. But what is it?
Well, we know that the Eternals "have seven days", which is mentioned in the trailer, which we can only assume means that they have seven days to save the Earth - more than likely before the Emergence begins, or perhaps even ends. There are, however, a couple of possibilities, with the first being the arrival of the Deviants, and the second being the arrival of the Celestials - cosmic beings that created both the Eternals and the Deviants in the first place.
Why didn't the Eternals help the Avengers fight Thanos?
It's a great question, and while it's one that's both asked and answered in the new trailer, it's still something that's likely to be elaborated upon in the actual film. Richard Madden's Ikaris asks Gemma Chan's Sersi why the Eternals didn't help the Avengers fight Thanos, or get involved in any other "terrible event" throughout history, such as the wars. And these are events the Eternals certainly could have helped with, considering that we also learn they've been here for 7,000 years...
So why didn't they? Well, we don't actually get a straight answer – Sersi simply says, "We were instructed not to interfere in any humans conflicts unless any deviants were involved." But it's an answer that only invites even more questions. Ikaris does ask her who instructed them, and then we cut to a shot of a large cosmic being, whom many Marvel Comics fans believe to be a certain iconic villain from another Marvel property…
Is Galactus in the trailer?
While many fans believe that the leviathan cosmic being in question is Galactus, the planet-eating entity more famously known for his role as a Fantastic Four villain, there's still some debate around this topic, despite the villain now trending online as a result of the blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot in the trailer. Galactus was last seen on the big screen in 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, much to the disappointment of many fans, having appeared only as a planet-consuming cloud, as opposed to an actual being.
As for the creature in the trailer, it's apparently a Celestial known as Arishem the Judge – which would make perfect sense, given that the Celestials are referenced in the trailer, and with Galactus not actually being one of the God-like beings (after all, Gods create worlds, not eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner right?). As for who the villain in Marvel's Eternals will be remains to be seen, but it's suspected that Kro, the leader of the Deviants who appears in the new trailer, will take on this mantle.
Why do the Eternals blame Tony Stark for the Emergence?
It's perhaps the biggest question on this list. After all, Tony Stark gave his life to save the entire universe, undoing the Snap caused by Thanos after he acquired all the Infinity Stones, thus restoring all life that had been turned to dust five years earlier. But in the new Marvel's Eternals trailer, Salma Hayek's character Ajak explains that the Blip – the return of all souls who had been dusted – has provided the "necessary energy for the Emergence to begin'.
In other words, it sounds like the Eternals blame Tony Stark for awakening the Deviants, who we understand are part of the event known as the Emergence. How exactly this apocalyptic event works, though, is yet to be explained, but we do know that the sudden return of half of the population of earth is the cause, which sadly does undermine the huge sacrifices made in Avengers: Endgame. With that said, it's understandable for future stories to dovetail off such a major event - and Marvel's Eternals looks like it will deal with the consequences of saving the world.
What other MCU heroes might appear in the film?
With the exception of a few easter eggs, there were no cameos in the new trailer that included established characters from the MCU. We get some direct references to Tony Stark and Thanos, and Vibranium also gets a fun little nod at the end too, but unfortunately, there are no other superheroes to be seen.
And it's unknown as to whether any might even appear. Of course, Iron Man and Captain America are completely out of the question, but the MCU roster is still impressively big, and the likes of Ant-Man, The Wasp, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man and Thor, will also be dominating the rest of Phase Four, so it still remains a huge possibility. But considering that Celestials have been referenced in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, perhaps we can expect the likes of Peter Quill to make an appearance (here's to hoping).
The Phase Four films include Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Marvels, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
So, the trailer looks like it creates more questions than it answers – which is exactly what trailers should do. Either way, we won't have to wait long to find out, as Marvel's Eternals is set for release on November 5, 2021, though there are no current plans for it to stream on Disney+ simultaneously.
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