Eternals series on Disney+ would have solved issues with the Marvel
(L-R) Lauren Ridloff, Don Lee, Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, Lia McHugh and Brian Tyree Henry star in Marvel’s “Eternals.”
Disney
In just two years, Disney+ has become more than just the home of Disney’s vast library of content, it’s now a launch pad for the company’s most prominent franchises.
Series released on the platform have become required viewing for fans of Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as these new entrants not only build on existing lore established in theatrical releases, but expand the mythology to new heights.
That’s why Disney+ would have been the perfect place to introduce the characters of Marvel’s latest film “Eternals.” This move would have required incredible foresight on the part of Marvel’s executive team. However, it could have solved many of the issues that led the film to become the worst-reviewed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
* Note: Spoilers for “Eternals” to follow *
“Eternals” is the first major team-up film in the MCU since 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” and it has faced harsh comparisons to what many saw as Marvel’s piece de resistance. The film introduces nearly a dozen new major characters into the canon while trying to explain why these individuals, who have been on the planet for centuries, have not been seen before.
While there’s no doubt that the film has broken boundaries in its casting, its attempts to build lore, flesh out its main heroes and connect back to previous MCU films in the series, left it feeling overstuffed, critics said.
A new era for Marvel
In the wake of “Endgame,” Marvel has used its theatrical films and Disney+ series to pave the way for the future.
“WandaVision” explored Wanda Maximoff’s grief over the loss of Vision in “Avengers: Infinity War” and how she embraced her chaos magic and role as the Scarlet Witch. It also showed the origin of Monica Rambeau’s powers and set-up the villain Agatha Harkness for future installments.
“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” showed Sam Wilson’s transition from The Falcon to the next Captain America with the help of The Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes. It also established Valentina Allegra de Fontaine as an incoming antagonist.
“Loki” saw the destruction of the “Sacred Timeline,” one singular branch of reality, into a fracturing multiverse. This is a clear set-up for “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.”
Theatrically, “Black Widow” brought Yelena Belova into the fold and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” set up the hero Shang-Chi. And, of course, “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” which debuted prior to the pandemic, followed Peter Parker as he and the rest of the world dealt with the fallout of Thanos’ snap and Tony Stark’s sacrifice. It also ended with Peter’s identity being leaked to the public, setting the stage for the upcoming “No Way Home.”
“Eternals” was, perhaps, Marvel’s most ambitious project, however. In less than three hours, the studio needed to establish 10 new…
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