Even with all the characters introduced in the first decade of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these movies have barely scratched the surface of what's out there. And it looks like Phase 4 of the MCU is adding at least one major new franchise: The Eternals. We've met Thanos, but what about the rest of his people?
Reports indicate that The Rider director Chloe Zhao will direct Marvel's The Eternals and none other than Angelina Jolie is in talks to star in the film. (Could she be playing the Eternal known as Sersi? Some fans think so!) So while we wait to learn more about Marvel's plans for Avengers: Endgame and beyond, here's everything you need to know about the Eternals and how they fit into the grand scheme of the Marvel Universe.
The Eternals are a powerful race of cosmic beings who have existed in our solar system for millions of years. While most Eternals look perfectly human on the outside, their advanced biology gives them incredible strength, long lives and powers that set them far above mortal men.
Both the Eternals and their genetic cousins, the Deviants, were created by the cosmic gods known as the Celestials through experiments on early proto-humans. And where most Eternals have chosen to follow the path of peace, the Deviants are hateful and warlike, with their hideous outer appearance reflecting their twisted inner nature. The two races have been locked in a never-ending war since those early days, with humanity sometimes paying the price
Zhao, an award-winning indie director behind the critical hits The Rider and Songs My Brothers Taught Me, will helm from a script by Matthew and Ryan Firpo.
While this will be Jolie's first superhero movie, it is not her first comic book movie — she starred in the 2007 adaptation of Mark Millar's Wanted.
Jolie is currently working with Marvel's parent company Disney on the upcoming Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, which was recently moved up to a release date this fall from spring 2020, and on the animation/live-action hybrid The One and Only Ivan, which she is also producing. The actress' upcoming projects also include Come Away, a fantasy drama from Brenda Chapman
