Eternals Star Has No Idea When They’ll Be Back
Marvel star Kumail Nanjiani has no idea when, or even if, the superhero team The Eternals will return.
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The 2021 film The Eternals didn’t turn out to be the blockbuster that Marvel Studios and fans had hoped for, and despite assurances that the characters would be a big part of the MCU going forward, star Kumail Nanjiani isn’t exactly sure when the band is getting back together. It’s not a good sign for the legendary Marvel characters, as they have yet to be directly tied to any of the major films or series announced for Phases 5 and 6 of the MCU.
In a new interview with Christina Radish of Collider, Nanjiani admits he has no idea what the current state of the Eternals is. “I’m completely in the dark. I have no idea what’s going on,” he said. “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.”
Nanjiani’s Kingo was a standout character in the film, noting his ability to balance his natural comedic sense with an impressive superhero persona (it helped that he bulked up significantly for the role). He even earned a mention in the Ms. Marvel series on Disney+, when Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) and Kamran (Rish Shah) mention him among their favorite celebrities. However, he’s the only Eternal to seem to exist outside of the original film, although the events in the film have gotten a mention in other Marvel projects.
Despite an all-star cast, striking visuals, and an original take on the superhero genre, The Eternals underwhelmed at the box office, earning just under $165 million domestically. While that’s still an impressive gross, it ranks at #44 among all Marvel movies all-time, and performed well below expectations.
Of course, Kumail Nanjiani could just be playing coy for fans in the interview, keeping any cameos or upcoming roles a secret, but considering the negative feedback the film received, one would think Marvel would be keen on getting the characters involved with the current evolving Marvel storyline as soon as possible. With Kang established as the big-bad villain for Phases Five and Six, and a newly-revamped Avengers roster coming in Secret Wars, it isn’t exactly clear how Marvel will work The Eternals into the proposed storyline.
Still, the official word from Marvel is that The Eternals will return. Marvel Studios producer and Vice President of Production Nate Moore recently confirmed “I don’t want to spoil anything, but we have not seen the last of those characters.”
We do know for sure that Ikaris, played by Richard Madden, will not be back, as Eternals writer Kaz Firpo confirmed that in a recent interview.
Even without an Eternals reunion on the immediate horizon, Kumail Nanjiani is staying incredibly busy, even within Disney. He just had a memorable role earlier this year in the Disney+ Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi, playing Haja Estree, a conman pretending to be a Jedi, who crosses paths (and ultimately helps) Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor).
Still, Nanjiani hopes to return to the MCU somehow, citing Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as a great addition to the cinematic franchise. “I’d love to come back and do stuff,” he said. “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.”
The Eternals is currently available to stream on Disney+, in an IMAX-enhanced presentation. Kumail Nanjiani can also be seen on Disney+ in Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he will appear next in Welcome to Chippendales, a new Hulu series premiering on November 22. He plays Somen ‘Steve’ Banerjee, the man who founded the famous male dance performers.
