“Eternals”

“Eternals” captures a funny but heartfelt portrayal of immortal heroes discovering their humanity

By: Avery Wageman

Marvel’s newest installment, “Eternals,” was released this month and follows the story of a group of immortal superheroes known as the Eternals. The Eternals have lived among humans for centuries, tasked with protecting Earth’s population by hunting down alien monsters known as Deviants. The movie picks up their story in the modern-day, 500 years after they believed they had killed the last of the Deviants. 

While following the expected Marvel formula of incredibly hot, superpowered people punching and blowing up computer-generated monsters, “Eternals” feels unlike any other movie in the franchise. The fresh atmosphere of this film can likely be owed to Oscar-winning Chloé Zhao’s direction, its notably diverse cast of heroes, and its independence from all other MCU storylines. 

“Eternals'' is heavily character-driven, making it more of an epic family drama than a standard superhero flick. The dynamics between the Eternals are what make the movie, and their relationships are arguably some of the best depicted in the MCU. The best of these relationships are the unexpected pairings, such as the palpable chemistry between Makkari and Druig. 

“Eternals” proved to me that while super-speed and mind control is cool, it is the most human aspects of these characters that make me fall in love with them and keep me coming back to Marvel for more.