The Eternals is one of the most interesting MCU projects on the horizon. While films like Captain Marvel and Captain America: The First Avenger have shown us the beginnings of S.H.I.E.LD. and the Avengers Initiative, The Eternals could reveal the secrets to the entire Marvel universe. Centering on the titular godlike beings, the film will explore their ancient beginnings and how they connect to the larger story of the MCU.
The movie will be introducing a whole slew of fascinating new characters who could play big roles in the MCU going forward. But it’s also possible we could be seeing some familiar faces pop up in the film. Though it’s set far in the past, some of the MCU’s characters have been around a long time and could potentially play a part in this early adventure. Here are some MCU characters we might see in The Eternals.
The Dead Celestial
One of the most striking images from Guardians of the Galaxy was the floating Celestial head in space which serves as the outpost known as Knowhere. It is a very cool concept, let alone a remarkable visual and it raises a lot of questions.
Celestials are like the MCU’s version of gods, although, as evidenced by these beheaded being, they are no immortal. Celestials also have strong links to the Eternals so perhaps we will meet whichever being this head belongs to and see how he lost it in the first place.
Ego
Speaking of Celestials, the first time we had a chance to meet one in the MCU was with Peter Quill’s father Ego. Though he can take the form of a pretty normal looking man, Ego is actually an entire living planet which he can control on his own. He is also capable of creating life, like Mantis, which could link to the birth of the Eternals.
Despite being the only Celestial we’ve met, it’s not clear how Ego would fit into this story. Based on what he says about his life, like thinking he was alone in the universe and visiting Earth, it doesn’t seem to match up with the story of the Eternals. But maybe they’ll want to retcon some things to fit him in.
Eson The Searcher
The only other Celestial who has been seen in the MCU is Eson the Searcher, though it would be a stretch to say that we the audience have met him. Eson is a massive, powerful and ruthless Celestial who is seen briefly in Guardians of the Galaxy as The Collector is giving a history of the Infinity Stones. Eson is seen using the Power Stone to wipe out innocent people.
Though we only see a brief glimpse of him, it is possible Eson could be a central character in The Eternals. Especially with the theories that Infinity Stones will be featured in the film, we could see what led to him wielding one.
The Grandmaster
The Grandmaster is one of the most entertaining characters to appear in the MCU. Played with total wackiness by the great Jeff Goldblum, The Grandmaster is the leader of Sakar and a delusional man-child which like to put on elaborate and dangerous games for his own amusement.
While he is not a Celestial, The Grandmaster is one of the oldest beings in the universe, going as far back as the beginning of the universe. It’s not implausible to think that he could cross paths with the Eternals at some point.
The Collector
One fun factoid that some fans might not know, The Collector and The Grandmaster are in fact brothers. It is not stated in the films but there’s no indication that the MCU has changed that aspect of their history. It stands to reason that The Collector is similarly very ancient as well.
The Collector has been seen to have a fascination with Infinity Stones and was last seen losing the Reality Stone to Thanos in Infinity War. It would be a real treat to see these eccentric brothers on screen together and being appropriately weird.
Odin
Some of the only other characters we know have been around the universe as long as the Eternals are the Asgardians. The early days of both races could theoretically have been close together, so some of the prominent Asgardians might be included in this adventure.
One obvious possibility is Odin. Known as one of the most powerful beings in the universe at one time, Odin is now gone but could be seen as his young self. It would be interesting to see what the man was like before he was king and if he and Thor maybe share some similar arrogance in their youth.
Hela
Thor: Ragnarok also revealed that Odin’s past might not be as noble as the Asgardians were led to believe. His path to becoming the Allfather was a bloody one with him slaughtering anyone who stood in his way. He achieved this thanks to his daughter Hela, the Goddess of Death.
This new movie will be the Eternals’ story so we don’t expect them to go too deep into the past of Hela but she could make a fun appearance. Perhaps the Eternals could confront Odin and his deadly daughter about their reign of terror.
Valkyrie
Valkyrie looks to be a character who will play a big part in the future of the MCU so they might be looking for any excuse to use her in an upcoming film. As we see in glimpses of her past, she was around when Odin turned on Hela and even tried to defeat Hela along with the other Valkyries.
Since she has clearly been around for so long, this might be a good opportunity to give a little more detail about her compelling cast. Again, while this is about the Eternals, the Valkyries could be featured in some capacity.
Thor
It’s hard to discuss the potential Asgardians who could appear in this film without talking about the most famous Asgardian. Thor hasn’t been around as long as Odin or Hela, but he is, by his own admission, over 1500 years old so he could show up anywhere.
The Eternals is rumored to span thousands of years, so it’s completely possible the God of Thunder would cross paths with them at some point. Given how funny the new take on Thor is, it could make for a great cameo at some point in the film.
Thanos
Just as the Avenger got through killing Thanos twice, there’s a possibility he could return – albeit as a much younger, less genocidal man. Thanos is actually the son of Eternals but was cast aside when he was deemed to be mutated.
The MCU seemed to have given Thanos a different backstory with his life on Titan but this opportunity for his origin story might be too good to pass up. Seeing the early days of the Mad Titan, his troubled past and his quest for revenge would give even more depth to one of the MCU’s best villains.
