Eternals' Final Twist Went Too Dark for MCU Audience, Was Ultimately Scrapped
One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe trademarks is its post-credit scenes.
No movie is truly a standalone film; the end of one always leads to the start of another. But by the time the final credits roll, our heroes almost always have a happy ending.
That almost wasn't the case for Eternals, as its originally planned ending was going to be a lot bleaker.
Eternals was met with mixed reviews. Many fans were turned off by its unfamiliar characters, its vastly changing scenery, and the lack of connection to the main MCU. The Eternals' refusal to intervene during Infinity War really was the only real connection they had to the Avengers.
Even so, post-credit scenes set up two future movies, hinting at an upcoming deeper connection to the main MCU.
Dane Whitman is shown taking the Ebony Blade from a dusty box, setting up his future as the Black Knight, before he's interrupted by Blade.
But the other post-credit scene was far more interesting from the Eternals' standpoint, as it clearly set up a sequel.
After four of their comrades are abducted by the Celestial Arishem, Eternals members Druig, Makkari, and Thena decide to go back and save them. They soon meet Eros – the brother of Thanos. It set up a very traditional sequel for the Eternals, jetting them off to an adventure to save their friends.
The original ending closed the door on the Eternals in a very dark way.
Director Chloe Zhao revealed to Empire that her original ending featured the Eternals back on their main ship, flying away to another planet.
Their minds were wiped, prepared to start the world-destroying process all over again. She said it felt like an episode of The Twilight Zone, and test audiences found it far too dark.
In an MCU film, she said, viewers are meant to be excited for what's next.
This tragic ending might have made for a slightly better film in a vacuum, but in the grandness of the MCU, it would have been a wasted opportunity.
Eternals 2 has not been announced, despite August 2022 comments by Patton Oswalt – who played Eros' herald Pip the Troll.
Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani said there was a hoax website that tweeted the Eternals sequel confirmation and Oswalt apparently fell for it.
It's likely only a matter of time before a sequel is announced by Kevin Feige and Marvel, who rarely leave unfished threads in their franchise.