‘Eternals’: 9 Things to Know About Chloé Zhao’s First Marvel Superhero Epic

Kate Erbland
·1 min read

It’s difficult to pin down the most exciting aspect of Marvel’s upcoming tentpole “Eternals.” Is it that it’s directed by newly minted Best Director winner Chloé Zhao, who seems to have been not just allowed, but encouraged to bring her trademark style to the film? Or that it features a star-studded cast that includes everyone from Angelina Jolie to Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry to Gemma Chan, and that’s literally just randomly picking and choosing from a cast list that zips off a dozen thrilling names before it even dips into “undisclosed role” territory (an MCU staple)? Maybe it’s just the giddy possibility of seeing a massive superhero movie in theaters for the first time in months?

Well, maybe it’s all of it, because while the MCU isn’t exactly known for taking chances, there’s something about “Eternals” that feels decidedly different. As the multi-billion-dollar film franchise stretches into its “Phase Four” and continues to foster a wide variety of attendant television products, is it finally time the universe’s favorite heroes get weird and risky? If any film can do it, we’re guessing it’s “Eternals,” and here’s why.

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