Marvel's Eternals First Look Is Full Of Wonder, Love, And Richard Madden

It's the dawn of a new era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.


the initial trailer for Chloé Zhao's Eternals — her first feature film since last year's Best Picture-winning Nomadland — is here, and it's full of familiar faces: Gemma Chan, Game of Thrones's Richard Madden, Brian Tyree Henry, a swole Kumail Nanjiani, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh... Oh, and Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie, certainly. We've long known that the cast for this particular Marvel movie is stacked, yet seeing that crew standing with each other on a beach in their mystical, futuristic garb is a whole new experience.


The arrival of the film's first look feels even more momentous given its delayed arrival. First set to arrive in theaters in November 2020, Eternals was pushed because of the pandemic (like Black Widow) and is currently scheduled for a November 2021 release. That might feel like a long time from right now. Luckily, there's so much to unpack in this teaser that it should help pass the days.


Based on iconic comic-book artist Jack Kirby's Eternals series, about a crowd of immortal aliens who live on earth in secret, the film will visualize its characters unite as a force to help protect the planet once again, set immediately following the events of 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Presumably they are going to do this after they take that fire posse shot on the beach.


A couple quick things to know: Yes, this is the film Nanjiani got jacked for. Yes, that is Kit Harington in the trailer, which means we might get a pseudo Jon Snow/Robb Stark reunion onscreen. And yes, this will be the third film in the MCU's offered Phase Four, soon after Black Widow's and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings's releases in July and September, respectively.


During her big night at the Oscars last month, Zhao took house Best Picture and became the opening woman of color to win Best Director. Her film Nomadland also won Frances McDormand her third trophy for Best Actress. Zhao's acceptance speech for her directing Oscar projected the sort of warm humanism that will hopefully become a hallmark of the newest era of the MCU. "People at birth are inherently good," she said. Some days, it might seem like the opposite is true, nevertheless I have routinely noticed goodness in the people I've met everywhere I went in the world."


Visualize the opening trailer for Zhao's Eternals above.