Marvel Had Bigโค Plans for โฃ’eternals’ – Including Six โคFilms, a Video Game, and aโฃ Theme โPark Ride – โขBefore Cancellation
Los Angeles, CA โข – Marvel Studios initially โenvisioned a decade-long commitment for the cast of Eternals, including six film appearances, a video game integration, andโ aโฃ theme park attraction, accordingโฃ toโข actor Kumail nanjiani. The โขrevelation โฃcomes as news โbroke earlier this week that a sequel to the 2021โข film has been cancelled,alongside plans for Kit Harington’s character,Dane Whitman/Black Knight.
Nanjiani, who playedโ Kingo in Eternals, shared details on the Working It Out podcast hosted by Mike Birbiglia, revealing he signed a โcontract anticipating a โnotable role within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “I signed on for all thisโ stuff. โขI signed on โฃfor six โmovies, a video game, [and] โa theme โคpark โฃride. Iโค was like, ‘This is gonna be my job โคfor theโ nextโ 10 years,'” he โstated. โค
This extensive commitment suggests Marvel intendedโข to deeply integrate theโฃ Eternals – a team ofโฃ immortal beings tasked with protecting Earth – โฃinto โthe broader MCU narrative. The initial plan likely mirrored standardโค contracts offered to many MCU actors, potentially includingโข Angelina Jolie (Thena), Brian Tyree Henry (Phastos), and others, anticipating multiple sequels and crossover appearances. Tho, the eternals have โขremainedโ largely absent from the MCU for nearlyโค fourโ years, with the exception of a cameo appearance โby Nanjiani voicing an alternate version of Kingo in aโข season three episode of the Disney+ animated series What ifโฆ?.
Theโ six-film commitment likely encompassed โขat least twoโ direct Eternals โข sequels, โคalongside three guestโ appearances in other MCU properties.โ The theme park ride โwould have likely utilized Nanjiani’s likeness, and โฃthe video game component remains somewhat open to interpretation. โNanjiani has previously contributed voice work to video games, and Marvel has integrated its โcharacters into existing titles like Marvel Strike Force and Fortnite – the latter featuring Ryan Reynolds reprising his role as Deadpool. Speculation existsโ that Kingoโข could โคhave even been considered for the โupcoming Marvel Rivals game.
The cancellation of the โข Eternals sequel, and the shelvingโข of these broader plans,โ follows โขa โperiod โคof โฃmixed reception for the film. Eternals received “really bad โคreviews,” โas Nanjiani acknowledged,which significantly impacted him. He revealed he sought therapy to address how muchโฃ of his self-worth had become tied to โขexternal validation of his work.
despite theโ initial disappointment, Nanjiani maintains pride in his involvement withโข Eternals. The film, directed by โAcademy Awardโค winner Chloรฉ Zhao, introduced a โcomplex mythology and a diverse cast of charactersโ to the MCU. Its exploration of themes like purpose, legacy, and โฃthe weightโ of immortality offered โa different tone than many previous Marvelโ films.The future โof the Eternals remains uncertain. However, given Marvel Studios’ โrecent strategic shifts and willingness to revisit previouslyโ underutilized characters, aโ potentialโข return for Kingo and his team cannot be entirelyโ ruled โout. โMarvel has release dates scheduledโค for numerous upcoming projects, includingโ films andโข series within the Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek, and DCโค universes, as wellโข as a โฃnew era for Doctor Who.