The Marvel Cinematic Universe introduced Eternals as the third movie of Phase 4. It was directed by Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao, in addition to having a well-known cast. The story further explored the cosmic narrative of the MCU by expanding the lore of the Celestials and their role in the creation of the cosmos. It also delved into more serious and darker narratives, showing a new side of Marvel movies. It is for this reason that the MCU should take the movie as an example for its future productions. It would benefit by aiming to match the storytelling aspect, mature tone, and quality that Eternals had instead of pursuing to create more humor-focused movies, like Thor: Love and Thunder, that make a parody of certain characters.

Despite having a stellar cast, a talented director, and beautiful cinematography and visual effects, the movie didn't fully connect with fans and critics. Eternals had all the qualifications of a good movie while also providing fans with a deeper understanding of mature topics such as duty and morality. Eternals had the perfect balance of seriousness and comedy, all the while adequately exploring most of the personalities of the movie's characters. The quality of its narrative and of its production can become the basis that the MCU should strive to reach in its future productions.

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The Narrative of Eternals Is Special

The entire narrative of Eternals is different than most MCU movies. It is focused on issues of morality, duty, love, and the relationship between humanity and God. The team witnessed the evolution of humankind ever since they arrived on Earth in 5000 BC. Since then, they have seen the rise and fall of empires, the creation of terrifying weapons, and the appearance of heroes that saved the Earth from countless threats. During this time, the Eternals' prime objective was to help humanity evolve but never to interfere in their own affairs. This rule was what led to them losing contact with each other after a millennium, leading to the Eternals creating their own lives. The Prime Eternal, Ajak, encouraged this since she wanted her companions to find love and to experience what it means to be alive. MCU movies have explored social and psychological topics before. But, Eternals took it one step further and dealt with existential matters.

Eventually, the Eternals found out that their real mission where they had to guarantee the rise the planet's population for the horrific birth of the Celestial Tiamut. The Celestial was growing in the Earth's core and needed the energy of sentient beings to grow. Even though he would be able to create more planets across the universe, his Emergence would destroy Earth. Since the Eternals had grown to love the planet and the people in it, they were conflicted between their duty to serve the Celestials and their love for humankind. This type of narrative can open up a discussion about morality and ethics, and it makes fans think about such topics through the lens of a superhero movie.

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Eternals Is an Unconventional MCU Movie

Some recent MCU movies have received mixed reviews by critics and viewers due to their poor narrative, which also came at the expense of some well-established characters. Thor: Love and Thunder and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania had amazing casts and directors. However, their storyline did not have anything intriguing or different to introduce to the MCU; rather, both of them were considered run-of-the-mill superhero movies. In contrast, Eternals managed to adapt a storyline that introduced new characters and showed both their faults and virtues. It wasn't a conventional movie in any way, as it ambitiously solidified the cosmic narrative of the MCU while showing the complexity of these new characters. It also took a different approach, showing the influence of the Eternals as they shaped the minds, cultures, and mythologies of many civilizations.

Eternals gave the impression that it wanted to convey a story that had a moral message hidden in it. The story unfolded slowly, as it gave almost each character their own time in the spotlight. What separated it from other MCU movies at the time of its release was the fact that there wasn't a distinct villain. The movie didn't deal with trivial matters such as good versus evil. It showed that even heroes can be wrong in their decisions and beliefs and that, ultimately, even god-like beings are no better than the humans they swore to protect. Subsequently, it set an ethical dilemma of what is wrong and what is right, showing that there is no clear answer to this question.

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It Is Important to Have Movies Like Eternals in the MCU

There have been heated debates about the quality of the Marvel movies among fans and critics. Whether it is due to the poor VFX, plot, and aesthetic of its recent productions or because of its difficulty in evolving with its audience, Marvel Studios has had difficult obstacles to overcome. However, Eternals could be the perfect template for the MCU to move forward in the future. Although every movie should have a different aesthetic, it would be beneficial for Marvel Studio to make their productions with the same care and creativity that was given to Eternals. The VFX was ambitious, the cinematography and the sets were beautiful, and the overall plot was intriguing -- albeit low in action.

The current multiverse storyline that the MCU has introduced feels convoluted for most audiences. By taking Eternals as an example of world-building and expanding upon the cosmic aspect of the Marvel universe, the same treatment can improve the Multiverse Saga's lore. The MCU should aspire to incorporate the same kind of world-building, especially with their two major upcoming productions, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. These additions to the MCU should strive to achieve the quality, detail, and care Eternals had in its production and narrative. Even though Eternals did not have such a strong impact on fans and general audiences, it has been reevaluated after its release. Its value as a movie that talks about existential crisis, the dilemma between duty and love, and the relationship between humankind and God has been recognized. Superhero movies could become the ideal setting where topics like these can be addressed. It is because of their popularity that they should convey these messages to the audience. Instead of focusing on jokes and flat storytelling, Marvel Studios could use the basis on which Eternals was made to create similar movies that are also distinct in their own way.

Phase 4 experimented with different genres and types of storytelling. In some cases, it was hit, and in others, it was a miss. Eternals may not have been a perfect Marvel movie -- but it had many aspects of a great film in general. In many ways, it also provided a unique opportunity for Marvel to see how it can create an even better model of storytelling. Since Eternals arguably had more mature themes than most Marvel movies, Marvel Studios should attempt to tackle equally serious topics and make more complex productions. In any case, even if the MCU does not follow the Eternals' type of storytelling in its upcoming productions, fans of the film can look forward to seeing the team again in the near future.