Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani had his Marvel debut in 2021’s Phase 4 production that explored the mainstream universe beyond the peripheries of what is known to mankind. In an attempt to introduce the Celestials and the Eternals in a narrative spanning thousands of years and with a unique arc delving into the lives and psyche of each of these beings, Marvel’s wide-reaching project ultimately failed to gain the recognition it so deserved. The film’s failure to become a critical and commercial success then hits at the core presence of the characters in the rest of the MCU.
The Eternals and Their Abrupt Arrival & Exit From MCU
Having arrived on Earth thousands of years ago to protect, preserve, and help prosper intelligent life on the planet, the Eternals — a race of alien beings from the planet Olympia — remain in hiding since their advent to watch from the sidelines as the habitation becomes primed for the time of Taimut’s rising. The characters, each created by the Celestials in response to the rise of the Deviants, become fascinated with the progress and culture of this civilization and in their time here, begin to fall in love with Earth and its lifestyle.
Despite the magnitude of storytelling behind each of the 10 Eternals, the film fails to provide a worthy continuity that could bring the MCU and this celestial race of powerful beings closer together. The choppy dissection of the millennium of their stay here and the lack of a worthy antagonist fail to deliver a grand impetus or a cathartic showdown to the story. And despite this fact, Eternals evolves into a beautiful and tragically enclosed tale whose contribution to the survival and continuation of this species remains a standalone fact only to be known by the few who were involved.
Kumail Nanjiani Discusses His MCU Future as Kingo
Among the 10 Eternals who arrive, and who try to exclusively stay under the radar, one of the beings who gets caught up in the glory of it all is Kingo, i.e. Kumail Nanjiani‘s spotlight-chasing character. Kingo subsequently poses as a Bollywood icon who hails from a long-established ancestral dynasty of movie actors passing down the torch of fame and glamor from father to son, in order to hide the facet of his immortality.
Also read: 6 Reasons We Need Karun In Eternals 2
While talking about what’s next for Kumail Nanjiani, both in his onscreen career as a Bollywood star and offscreen in Marvel, the actor claims:
“I’m completely in the dark. I have no idea what’s going on. Truly no idea what’s going on. I genuinely don’t know when or if Kingo is coming back to the MCU. I really have no idea. I’m just really excited about the direction they’re going. The new people they’ve cast are really good.
I just saw the new Black Panther movie, and I’ve never seen a blockbuster like that, that’s so complicated and tragic, in so many different ways, but also really fun and funny and thrilling. So, I think they’re really stretching and doing some great stuff right now. I’d love to come back and do stuff, but I genuinely have no idea.
Although the Marvel Cinematic Universe has prospered in these years because of Kevin Feige’s incredibly superhuman visionary planning, it was not done single-handedly. The Marvel chief’s vision succeeds because of the studio’s fluency and free flow of ideas between the directors, actors, and producers without one faction claiming absolute authority over the others. If Kumail Nanjiani or any of his Eternals co-stars does manage to communicate their ideas for delving into their character backstory, it would be interesting to see how Feige and his team plan on expanding the universe while at the same time giving Eternals a chance at box-office redemption.
Eternals is currently streaming on Disney+
Source: Collider
