Marvel's Eternals is anticipated to have a "very big effect" on the future of the MCU, but that doesn't necessarily mean the MCU blockbuster will spawn its own sequels.
At least that's according to producer Nate Moore, who recently chatted to The Toronto Sun about Chloé Zhao's ambitious MCU blockbuster. In the interview, Moore reiterated that Eternals is meant to stand on its own as a film and that it may not necessarily lead on to future sequels or a trilogy like some of the MCU installments that have come before it.
"It's not something that is a must-have. Obviously, we have ideas of where we could go, but there isn't a hard and fast rule where we have to have three of these things and this is the first," Moore said of potential sequels, adding that, "If you just watch Eternals, you can enjoy Eternals, you can understand Eternals and you're good to go."
"We felt like there was enough story that it could be a contained universe," Moore explained further, addressing the reason behind Eternals' standalone nature. "We definitely have ideas of how things can cross over later. But this movie with 10 characters and Dane Whitman and the Celestials and the Deviants, there was enough for us to play with."
Despite it being viewed as a largely separate entity, Eternals does have some connections to previous MCU entries. In one of the film's most recent trailers, Richard Madden's Ikaris could be heard delivering his own take on the iconic Avengers catchphrase, which was famously uttered as a battle cry to bring all of Earth's Mightiest Heroes together.
Eternals' nods to Avengers: Endgame in particular help to bring its placement in the MCU tapestry into focus, with the Celestial-made superheroes forced to deal with "an unexpected tragedy" in the aftermath of the 2019 Marvel blockbuster. Zhao's upcoming MCU tentpole is also expected to address the reason why the Eternals didn't help the Avengers fight Thanos.
While a sequel may or may not be on the cards in the future, Eternals actor Kit Harington has already expressed his desire for his character, Dane Whitman (also known as Black Knight in the comics), to have "a longer trajectory" in the MCU, even though he recognizes that he's portraying "the human character of the story" rather than one of the film's titular immortals.
With just a few days to go until the next MCU movie hits theaters, you may want to check out IGN's Eternals explainer for some background info on the new super-group.
Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.