Eternals Ending Explained

Eternals Ending Explained

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re explaining the ending of Marvel’s “Eternals.”

For this video, we’ll be discussing the finale and post-credit scenes of the latest entry in the MCU. In case you haven’t seen the film, you’ll want to be cautious of the following spoilers.

What are your thoughts on the “Eternals” ending? Let us know in the comments.

For thousands of years, most of the Eternals believed that they were on Earth just to protect the planet from Deviants and slowly push humanity in the right direction. By the film’s final act, everyone knows the truth. Earth is among the many planets where the Celestials have seeded one of their eggs. It takes ages for a Celestial to mature, requiring intelligent life forms to feed off of. Once a Celestial emerges, the planet is wiped out and the Eternals are rebooted to repeat the process on another world.

In the comics, the Eternals come to a similarly grim revelation that the Celestials didn’t create them purely to defend humanity. This knowledge drives the Eternals mad, resulting in them all taking their lives. The film offers a more optimistic ending as the Eternals prevent the Emergence, albeit not without some betrayals and casualties along the way. Ikaris not only knew about the Celestials’ true intentions, but he murdered Ajak to make sure the mission succeeded. Having failed and seen the error of his ways, Ikaris flies too close to the sun, presumably ending his journey.

With the world saved, our heroes part ways yet again with Sersi, Kingo, and Phastos remaining on Earth. Arishem the Judge has other plans, however. Yanking the three Eternals into space, Arishem informs them that stopping the Emergence comes with repercussions. Now they must make their case for humanity, proving the species worthy of preservation. You might be wondering why Arishem singled out these three, especially since Kingo backed out before the climax. During their time on Earth, Phastos started a family, Kingo touched generations through his movies, and Sersi bonded with numerous humans. So, of the remaining Eternals, this trio has the best understanding of humanity. Of course, Phastos didn’t always look favorably upon humans, which might work against them at the impending trial.

As Arishem whisks them away, the other Eternals also get an unexpected visitor aboard their ship: Pip the Troll, who sounds an awful lot like Patton Oswalt. Confined to a post-credits scene, Pip’s backstory isn’t fully fleshed out here, but his comic counterpart was originally an alien prince named Gofern from the planet Laxidazia. Where Laxidazians generally look like humans, Pip took on his satyr-esque appearance after drinking mutagenic ale with Laxidazian trolls. Exiled, Pip teams up with the likes of Adam Warlock, Gamora, and Thanos. It’s unclear if the MCU’s Pip knows Gamora or Adam, who still hasn’t officially debuted. However, this Pip is well-acquainted with Thanos’ brother, Starfox. No, not the one who does barrel rolls.

Starfox has gone by multiple names, but he’s best known as Eros of Titan. The son of ​​Eternals A'Lars and Sui-San, Eros thankfully doesn’t share the same destructive mindset as his Mad Titan brother. Aside from looking more like Harry Styles than a giant purple alien, Eros has a lust for life, adventure, and women. Eros started to show his serious side after Thanos targeted Titan, eventually turning on his brother and allying with the Avengers. While elements of Eros’ backstory will likely be tweaked for the MCU, Styles captures his charm and charisma to a T. What remains uncertain is where Eros has been since his planet fell into ruin, why he didn’t get involved during the Infinity War, and why he’s seeking out the Eternals now.

It’s worth noting that in the comics, Thanos possesses the Deviant gene. His “Deviant Syndrome” accounted for his purple skin and large body, hence why he doesn’t share a resemblance to his father, mother, or brother. The MCU hasn’t made it crystal clear if Thanos is an Eternal, but it appears this continuity has dropped his ties to the Deviants. In “Eternals,” it’s explained that the titular heroes couldn’t stop Thanos unless Deviants were involved. So, if Thanos was an Eternal–Deviant hybrid like his comic counterpart, the Eternals could’ve intervened. Ironically, if Hulk hadn’t snapped half of all life back into the universe, the Emergence might not have gotten the energy boost it needed to commence. We guess everything worked out for the best, though.

Eros is only one of the characters being set up for future movies. As Dane Whitman tells Sersi before she’s pulled off Earth, he also has a complicated family. For you see, Dane is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, making him the rightful heir to the Iron… okay, okay, that’s not what happens, but we had to get in at least one “Game of Thrones” reference. In the comics, Dane is the descendant of Sir Percy of Scandia, the OG Black Knight. During medieval times, Percy aided King Arthur, who’s briefly mentioned in “Eternals.” While Percy died at the hands of Arthur’s nephew, Mordred the Evil, his spirit lived on. So did his signature weapon, the Ebony Blade.

Although this enchanted sword granted Percy great power on the battlefield, all the blood it spilled left the blade cursed. When Nathan Garrett seeks out his ancestor’s cursed blade eons later, Percy deems him unworthy. That doesn’t stop Garrett from adopting the Black Knight name and becoming a supervillain. Dying during a confrontation with Iron Man, Garrett uses his final moments to confide in his nephew, Dane Whitman. Dane not only brings honor back to the Black Knight, but also temporarily lifts its curse with some help from Doctor Strange. The Ebony Blade was reportedly going to pop up in 2016’s “Doctor Strange,” but it didn’t make the cut. In another “Eternals” post-credits scene, though, Dane opens a box with what looks like a cursed sword inside.

Based on his limited screentime, Dane probably hasn’t fought many battles. However, it’s safe to assume that he’s already fairly well-versed in the Black Knight’s history. Since that legacy is riddled with curses, corruption, and blood, it’s understandable why Dane wouldn’t want to be a part of it. When Sersi is taken, though, Dane’s inner hero is awakened. That doesn’t mean he’s prepared to wield the Ebony Blade yet. As Dane reaches for the dark sword, an off-screen voice asks, “Sure, you're ready for that, Mr. Whitman?,” before closing out. Who’s Dane’s mysterious visitor? A member of S.W.O.R.D.? Somebody with Arthurian ties? Iron Fist? Dane does join Heroes for Hire in the comics!

“Eternals” leaves several other questions up in the air. Now that Sprite is human, will she live a normal life or team up with a group like the Young Avengers? Have we seen the full extent of Sersi’s powers or is there more to be unearthed? How many other Eternals are out there? Will the Eternals allow the Celestials to continue their cycle of destruction or is this a necessary evil? Will there be an “Eternals” sequel or should we expect several spinoffs? Hopefully, we won’t have to wait 7,000 years to get answers.