For 7,000 years, a group of immortal heroes known as the Eternals has secretly lived on Earth, guiding humanity's progress and protecting them from monstrous creatures called Deviants. However, following the events of the "Blip," the Deviants mysteriously return stronger than ever, forcing the scattered family of heroes to reunite. As they race to defend the planet, they uncover a shattering truth about their own origins and the cosmic purpose they were actually created to fulfill.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
November 5, 2021 |
Running time |
156 minutes |
Genre |
Action Adventure Fantasy Sci-Fi |
Budget |
$200,000,000 |
Box Office |
$402,064,899 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Chloé Zhao |
Produced by |
Kevin Feige Nate Moore |
Written by |
Chloé Zhao Patrick Burleigh Ryan Firpo Kaz Firpo |
Music by |
Ramin Djawadi |
Cinematography |
Ben Davis |
Edited by |
Craig Wood Dylan Tichenor |
Production Co. |
Marvel Studios |
Distributed by |
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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The Plot
Arrival and the Fall of Tenochtitlan
In 5000 B.C., a starship known as the Domo arrives on Earth, carrying ten immortal beings from the planet Olympia. These are the Eternals, dispatched by the Prime Celestial, Arishem the Judge, with a singular mission: to protect humanity from the predatory creatures known as Deviants. The team includes the tactical leader Ikaris, the empathetic matter-transmuter Sersi, the weapon-manifesting warrior Thena, the powerhouse Gilgamesh, the illusionist Sprite, the cosmic-energy projector Kingo, the super-speedster Makkari, the mind-controller Druig, the master inventor Phastos, and their spiritual leader, Ajak. Over the following millennia, they defend growing civilizations across the globe, adhering strictly to Arishem’s command not to interfere in human conflicts, allowing the species to evolve naturally. During this time, Ikaris and Sersi form a deep bond, eventually marrying.
By 1521, the group is stationed near the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan during the Spanish invasion. As the city falls, the Eternals engage the last known Deviants. In the heat of battle, Thena succumbs to "Mahd Wy'ry," a psychological affliction caused by the accumulation of millennia of memories, causing her to attack her own allies. Gilgamesh manages to subdue her. When Ajak suggests erasing Thena’s memories to cure her, Gilgamesh volunteers to become her guardian instead, accepting that he may one day have to kill her if she loses control completely. Disillusioned by the team’s inaction regarding human suffering, Druig deserts the group to end the Spanish violence using his mind control. Believing the Deviant threat extinct, Ajak disbands the Eternals, allowing them to live among humans. Shortly after, Ikaris abruptly abandons Sersi, leaving her heartbroken as the others scatter to await their return to Olympia.
The Return of the Deviants
In present-day London, Sersi works as a museum curator and is living with Sprite, who disguises herself as a human teenager. Sersi has moved on romantically with her human colleague, Dane Whitman. One evening, after leaving a party, Sersi, Sprite, and Dane are ambushed by a powerful Deviant named Kro. Unlike the beasts of the past, this creature proves resilient and capable of healing. Ikaris suddenly arrives to assist, driving the beast away with his cosmic laser vision. Realizing the ancient enemy has returned, Ikaris, Sersi, and Sprite decide to reunite the team. They leave Dane behind and travel to South Dakota to find Ajak.
Upon arriving at Ajak’s farmhouse, they discover a tragic scene: their leader is dead, her body left outside as a victim of a Deviant attack. As Sersi mourns over Ajak’s corpse, a golden sphere emerges from Ajak’s chest and enters Sersi’s, marking her as the new Prime Eternal and granting her the ability to communicate directly with Arishem. With no time to grieve, the trio resolves to find the remaining Eternals to combat the resurging threat.
Gathering the Family and The Truth
The group travels to Mumbai, where Kingo has become a famous Bollywood star. Although hesitant to leave his life of fame, Kingo agrees to join them after learning of Ajak’s death. He is accompanied by his valet, Karun Patel, who insists on documenting their journey. Next, they track down Gilgamesh and Thena in the Australian outback. Thena’s condition has worsened, triggered by recent Deviant activity, and she spends her time painting chaotic imagery of planetary destruction. Sersi uses her new connection with the sphere to examine Thena's art and inadvertently establishes contact with Arishem.
Arishem reveals a devastating truth to Sersi: Olympia does not exist. The Eternals are synthetic beings engineered in the World Forge, and the Deviants were created by Celestials to clear planets of apex predators to allow intelligent life to evolve. However, the Deviants evolved beyond their programming, becoming predators themselves. The Eternals were sent to hunt them down not to save humanity, but to ensure the human population grows large enough to fuel the birth of a new Celestial, Tiamut the Communicator, whose seed is planted within the Earth. This event, known as the "Emergence," will destroy the planet and kill all life on it, a cycle necessary to create new galaxies. Sersi realizes that Thena’s "madness" is actually the result of imperfect memory wipes from previous planetary destructions.
Betrayal in the Amazon
Horrified by their true purpose, the group travels to the Amazon rainforest to recruit Druig, hoping his mind control can put Tiamut back to sleep. Druig, who has been leading a secluded cult-like community, is initially reluctant. Their reunion is interrupted by a massive Deviant ambush. During the chaos, Sersi is attacked but instinctively transmutes the Deviant into a tree, displaying a power she didn't know she possessed. Meanwhile, the Deviant leader, Kro, targets Gilgamesh. As Gilgamesh protects a relapsing Thena, Kro overpowers him, absorbs his life force, and gains a humanoid form and the ability to speak. Kro flees, vowing to destroy the Eternals.
With his dying breath, Gilgamesh helps Thena remember her true identity, momentarily curing her Mahd Wy'ry. The team holds a cremation ceremony for Gilgamesh by the river, where Thena scatters his ashes. Druig, realizing he lacks the power to control a Celestial alone, agrees to help. The team heads to Chicago to find Phastos, who has retired from superheroics to live a quiet life with his husband Ben and their son Jack. Phastos, traumatized by how humanity used his technology to create the atomic bomb, initially refuses. However, Ben convinces him that saving the world is the only way to ensure a future for their son.
The Uni-Mind and Ikaris's Secret
The team travels to an archaeological site in Iraq to retrieve their hidden starship, the Domo, where they find Makkari, who has been waiting for centuries. Now fully assembled, Phastos proposes a plan: they will create a "Uni-Mind," a connection that pools their cosmic energy into Druig, amplifying his powers enough to put the Celestial Tiamut to sleep. However, Ikaris opposes the plan, arguing they must remain loyal to Arishem. When Kingo sides with Ikaris, a revelation unfolds.
It is revealed that six days prior, Ajak had summoned Ikaris. Inspired by the Avengers' reversal of the Snap, Ajak decided that humanity was worth saving and planned to stop the Emergence. Ikaris, a fundamentalist loyal to the Celestial cycle, betrayed her. He lured Ajak to an Alaskan settlement where thawing ice had released ancient Deviants. He threw her into a pit, allowing Kro to kill her and absorb her healing powers. Back in the present, Sersi senses the Emergence beginning. Ikaris admits his treachery, declaring he will ensure Tiamut’s birth. Kingo, unwilling to fight his family but also unwilling to defy Arishem, chooses to leave with Karun. Sprite, driven by her unrequited love for Ikaris and jealousy of Sersi’s ability to age, sides with Ikaris and departs with him.
The Battle at the Indian Ocean
Phastos modifies the Uni-Mind device into bracelets to link the remaining Eternals. Makkari locates the eruption point at an active volcano in the Indian Ocean. As the team arrives, the colossal hand and head of Tiamut begin to breach the Earth's crust. They attempt to link their minds to Druig, but Ikaris intervenes, blasting the Domo and engaging his former friends in battle. Makkari uses her speed to batter Ikaris, while Phastos utilizes his inventions to restrain him. Meanwhile, Thena confronts Kro in a nearby cave. Kro attempts to manipulate her by mimicking Gilgamesh’s voice, but Thena sees through the trick and slices him to pieces, avenging her partner.
On the battlefield, Sprite casts an illusion of Ajak to distract Sersi, stabbing her with a dagger. Druig intervenes, knocking Sprite unconscious. However, Ikaris breaks free from Phastos’s restraints and flies to stop Sersi, who is racing toward the rising Celestial. Ikaris confronts Sersi, ready to kill her to fulfill his duty, but as he looks at her, he is overcome by his love for her and memories of their life together. He lowers his weapon, unable to strike the final blow.
The Sacrifice and Transformation
Seizing the moment, Sersi rushes to Tiamut. She attempts to transmute the Celestial but lacks the power. Suddenly, the Uni-Mind activates, drawing energy not just from her allies, but also unwillingly from Ikaris and Sprite, and surprisingly from Tiamut itself. The Celestial, sensing the connection, joins the Uni-Mind. Surge with cosmic energy, Sersi transmutes Tiamut’s massive, emerging body into solid marble, killing the Celestial and saving Earth.
In the aftermath, a guilt-ridden Ikaris apologizes to Sersi. Unable to forgive himself for his betrayal and Ajak's death, he flies out of the atmosphere and plunges directly into the Sun, ending his life. Sersi uses the remaining energy from the Uni-Mind to grant Sprite’s wish, transmuting her into a human so she can age and experience a normal life. Phastos speculates that Tiamut joined their Uni-Mind willingly, sacrificing itself for humanity.
Judgment and New Alliances
Two weeks later, the team splits up. Thena, Makkari, and Druig board the repaired Domo and head into deep space to find other Eternals and warn them of the truth about their existence. In London, Sersi and Kingo help Sprite settle into a human life before she leaves for school. Later, as Sersi walks with Dane Whitman, the sky suddenly rips open. Arishem the Judge appears, massive in the atmosphere. Displeased by the death of Tiamut, he abducts Sersi, Phastos, and Kingo, pulling them into the cosmos. He declares that he will spare humanity for now, but will analyze the Eternals' memories to determine if Earth is truly worthy of survival, before disappearing.
Back at the museum, Dane Whitman stands before an old case containing his family’s heirloom, the Ebony Blade. As he reaches out to touch the cursed sword, resolving to save Sersi, a voice from behind asks, "Sure you're ready for that, Mr. Whitman?" Meanwhile, in deep space, the Eternals on the Domo are confused by the sudden radio silence from their friends on Earth. Suddenly, a portal opens on their ship. A drunk troll named Pip the Troll appears, introducing his companion: Eros, the brother of Thanos. Eros greets the stunned Eternals, holding a sphere of his own, and tells them their friends are in trouble—and he knows how to find them.
