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Eternals Originally Has 12 Main Characters


Eternals is set to feature an ensemble of ten immortal superheroes that are new to the MCU. The franchise hasn't introduced this many new heroes in one film since at least the first Guardians of the Galaxy. For some, ten new characters might be a lot for just one film. But as it turns out, it was supposed to be more.

Speaking with Fandom, director Chloe Zhao revealed that back when she was in early talks with Marvel Studios regarding the project, there were initially twelve Eternals. She said, "There was 12 characters when I first read it; 12 Eternals. We had to let two go along the way." According to Murphy's Multiverse, the two characters that were cut are Zuras and Elysius. It wasn't clear what exactly their role was supposed to be before they were removed.

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Zhao also explained why she decided to go with ten characters, even though that might still be a lot to some. “Some characters don’t need the most screen time, it’s about what they do with the screen time," she said. "They have to be memorable. And when we looked at these 10 unique individuals, we thought about how they represent 10 aspects of human nature. They’ve been here for so long, who they become today is a big part of who we are. And so it was actually equally important that they remain memorable. All 10 of them had the same weight; not necessarily screen time, but the weight."

In the end, they went with the number of characters that they think would serve the story. Zhao might be right that all characters don't need to have equal screen time. The important part is they have a great contribution to the narrative and they also have enough moments for them to shine among the ensemble.

There are plenty of Eternals in the comics and, understandably so, they can't fit every single one of them. There is a reason why they specifically chose the ten characters that end up in the film and we will find out soon enough about the contributions of each Eternal in the MCU.

Also Read: Eternals Officially Becomes MCU's First 'Rotten' Film on Rotten Tomatoes

Eternals is set to be released in theaters this coming Friday.

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