Image via Marvel Studios
1.
It’s hard to believe now, but when Guardians of the Galaxy debuted in 2014, the average moviegoer had no idea who Groot was. Marvel faced an uphill battle, of explaining to the public who these intergalactic misfits were, and why we should care about them on the level that we cared about Hulk, Captain America, or Iron Man.
It succeeded wildly, and with Eternals, Marvel is hoping to attain the same success. That’s easier said than done. This movie has beautiful people in pretty costumes, but no one with the loose cannon vibe of Rocket Racoon or the deadpan humor of Drax the Destroyer. And it’s hard to care about near-immortal beings—ironic because even though the plot concerns the literal destruction of Earth, the stakes feel lower than they ought to.
The best aspect of the film is how it adds context to the MCU, which previously centered Tony Stark as the catalyst for nearly every major Earth event. Eternals broadens that perspective; so many of humans’ biggest innovations and catastrophes have resulted from cosmic, outside meddling.
The movie has also found new life on streaming. Despite mixed reviews and an average box office performance when it debuted in theaters, over two million households have streamed Eternals in its first five days on Disney+. Perhaps, a two-hour-and-37-minute epic is best enjoyed from the comfort of home.
Here are 30 Easter eggs and references you might have missed in Marvel’s Eternals, now streaming on Disney+.
2.Genesis
The opening text crawl begins the same way as the Book of Genesis, which places this movie in an appropriate, epic context. It also makes reference to the “six Singularities.” We know these Singularities more popularly as the Infinity Stones, which Captain America returned to their respective time periods at the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame.
3.Mesopotamia
The movie takes us on a chronological tour of Global Studies 101. The Eternals first battle the Deviants in the Middle East, in a region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Known colloquially as the “cradle of civilization,” the fertile land supported some of mankind’s first societies. The opening scene takes place in 5000 B.C., which means that this specific civilization is Sumer, which innovated language and governance.
4.The Dawn of Man
The shot of the monolithic spaceship over ancient Sumer is a visual callback to Stanley’s Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. In that movie, an alien monolith sparks an evolutionary leap forward for a tribe of apes, who learn to use tools shortly afterwards.
5.The Epic of Gilgamesh
The movie implies that many of Earth’s legends, mythologies, and religions are rooted in ancient people’s interactions with the Eternals. Thus, the Sumerian king Gilgamesh, immortalized in the poem “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” may have actually been Gilgamesh the Eternal.
It is further implied that as human civilizations rise and fall, the myths of the Eternals are recontextualized. The tale of Gilgamesh, for example, is later recontextualized as the tale of Hercules in Ancient Greek mythology.
6.Marvel logo
The filmmakers regularly update the Marvel logo to include the latest movies; in this latest logo, you can see a shot of Natasha and Yelena from Black Widow, and you can also see Shang-Chi in the ‘M’ of ‘Marvel at the very end.
7.Hi, Charles!
Sersi walks by a statue of Charles Darwin on her way to teaching her class. Darwin is famous for his theories on human evolution. He believed that all humans descended from common ancestors, and positive traits are preserved over the course of generations through a process known as natural selection. The statue’s presence is ironic, considering that the Eternals nurtured and advanced humankind, in defiance of natural selection, every step of the way.
8.A Familial Ring
Sersi gifts her boyfriend, Dane Whitman, with a ring from the Middle Ages, bearing his family crest. In the comics, Dane Whitman is The Black Knight, a hero who wields the cursed Ebony Blade. We don’t get to see any of his powers in this movie, but no doubt, we’ll get more in upcoming MCU films. You don’t cast the actor who played Jon Snow in Game of Thrones for a glorified cameo.
9.Post-Blip
We hear on the radio that many people are attributing the earthquake in London to The Blip, the event in which Thanos wiped half of all living creatures from existence. It’s a reminder that the MCU is maintaining its major, overarching plot points, despite branching out in wildly different directions.
10.The Most Elusive Ancient Wonder
Ajak contacts the Celestials in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Of all the Wonders, it is the most elusive in the historical record, which has led some historians to doubt whether it actually existed. The only Ancient Wonder still standing today is the Great Pyramid of Giza.
11.Inventor of the Steam Engine
We learn that Phastos’ inventions have helped humanity evolve at a faster rate. He proposes a steam engine, but upon being told that it’s too much, settles on a plow.
Phastos’ Greek mythology equivalent is Hephaestus, the smith god who built weapons, armor, and machines for the Olympians.
12.South Dakota Twisters
This is not so much an Easter egg as an observation: Years ago, I was out in South Dakota, and I saw storm clouds exactly like these, with massive funnel clouds that threatened to turn into tornadoes at any moment.
13.Bollywood Star
Harish Patel plays the role of Karun, who is making a documentary film of the Eternals’ adventures. Patel is a veteran Bollywood star, best known for his comedic characters.
14.The Fall of the Aztecs
The Eternals were present at the fall of Tenochtitlan, which tested their faith in the Celestials. Hernan Cortes’ conquering of the Aztec Empire was accomplished via several intersecting factors: the proliferation of smallpox among the Aztec people, the military aid of indigenous allies, and superior technology. Up to a quarter-of-a-million people died during the sacking of Tenochtitlan, and war atrocities like rape and cultural destruction were rampant.
15.The Trojan War
There’s a lot of name dropping during the stopover at Gilgamesh’s house. Each of the prepared dishes has historical context. One of them was cooked for the soldiers at the battle of Troy. This is a reference to the Trojan War described in Homer’s epic poem “The Iliad,” waged between the Greeks and the Trojans over the hand of Helen.
The character Thena is analogous to the war goddess Athena in Greek mythology; actress Angelina Jolie’s name appears alongside a statue of Athena in the end credits. Other Greek mythology parallels include Sersi vs. minor Greek goddess Circe, and Ikaris vs. Icarus, the son of Daedalus who flew too close to the sun. The Greek myth foreshadows Eternal Ikaris’ death; overcome by guilt, he commits suicide by flying into the sun.
16.Thor's Childhood
We find out that Kingo might have had a hand in creating Norse mythology; he speaks about knowing Thor as a child, and he remembers how the little Thunder God used to follow him around.
17.The Next Avengers Leader?
Sprite refers to Captain America as Captain Rogers. This level of familiarity (she does not refer to Iron Man as Tony Stark) implies that she might have known Rogers in the 1940s, when he fought against the Nazis in World War II.
18.The Birth of a Celestial
In a recent interview, VFX supervisor Matt Aitken stated that the size of the Celestial Tiamut was 300 miles tall, from head to toe. In other words, had he fully emerged from the Earth’s core as intended, he would have completely destroyed the planet.
19.The Bombing of Hiroshima
We find out that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima led to Phastos’ loss of faith in humanity. Three days later, the United States would drop a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, which forced Japan’s surrender, ending World War II. Tens of thousands of Japanese civilians died during the bombing and from the radiation effects afterwards.
20.It's Superman!
Phastos’ son refers to Ikyrus as Superman, which means that DC Comics exists within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Will they be watching the Snyder Cut of Justice League as well?
21.Out and In Love
Phastos’ marriage to Ben is the first LGBTQ+ relationship in the MCU featuring a main character. The two men share a kiss before Phastos leaves home, joining the Eternals’ quest to save the world.
22.Twinkies Product Placement
The oddest product placement in the movie is when Druig and Ikaris tentatively trade a box of Twinkies for the Emerald Tablet. I guess betraying your crew and killing your boss is hungry work.
23.The Sword of Arthur
We see Thena practicing with Excalibur, the legendary “sword in the stone” that anointed King Arthur as King of England. Its counterpart is the Ebony Blade, which we get a quick peek at during the end credits scene.
24.Makkari in Rio
When Makkari is looking for the place where Tiamut will breach Earth’s surface, she speeds through Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, as evidenced by the massive Christ the Redeemer statue on the mountain range overlooking the city.
Makkari’s Roman god counterpart is Mercury, also known in Greek mythology as Hermes. He is the messenger god and has winged feet, which make him blurringly fast.
25.The Death of a Celestial
Sersi turns Tiamut into marble at the film’s climax. No doubt, this new addition to Earth’s topography will become an amusing Easter egg in subsequent MCU films. It’s easy to imagine this statue becoming a tourist attraction, a place of pilgrimage, or a business opportunity for the person with the right amount of cynicism.
26.A Super Iconic Pose
The final shot of Ikaris looking back at Earth recreates a famous comic pose by DC Comics’ Superman. It underlines the earlier DC Comics reference, and it highlights Ikaris’ disconnect from both his Eternals allies and the humans he thought he was protecting.
27.Confessing a Secret
It appears that Dane Whitman is about to confess his secret identity as Black Knight, right before Arishem kidnaps Sersi and pulls her into outer space. In the comics, Dane’s ancestor is Sir Percy of Scandia, who served as a knight in King Arthur’s court.
28.A Big Red Bad
It’s hard to know what Arishem’s allegiances are at the end of Eternals. On one hand, he spares Earth after the Eternals kill Tiamut. But anyone that powerful–who views billions of lives as sustenance–will not remain magnanimous for long. And like all great villains, Arishem doesn’t see himself as the bad guy. To him, the decimation of Earth is necessary for the propagation of new life.
Is this enough to make him the next Big Bad–the Thanos of the MCU–for the next two Phases? Possibly. But he seems more callous and indifferent than malicious, at least for now.
29.Meet Pip
Pip the Troll is played by Patton Oswalt. In the comics, he is a prince of the planet Laxidazia, who takes on a trollish appearance after drinking with a group of trolls and eating their food. He is a member of the Infinity Watch, which guards the Infinity Stones to prevent one individual (like Thanos) from possessing them all at the same time.
30.Meet Eros
Eros, also known as Starfox, is played by Harry Styles. He is an Eternal, a prince of Titan, and the brother of Thanos. He offers to help the Eternals in their quest to save Sersi from Arishem.
Eros is the name of the Greek god of erotic love, and is better known as Cupid in Roman mythology. As befitting his name, he has the power to provoke pleasure in others. In the comics, Eros becomes an official Avenger.
31.The Ebony Blade and Blade
We catch a glimpse of the Ebony Blade in the final credits scene, and we hear a mysterious voice off-camera ask, “Sure you’re ready for that, Mr. Whitman?” Director Chloe Zhao confirmed this is the voice of Mahershala Ali, who will be playing the role of vampire hunter Blade.
Wesley Snipes famously played the character in three movies during the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. The MCU iteration of Blade is expected to star in his own movie, which will begin shooting later this year.