I’m Worried Marvel Will Never Resolve This Huge 4 Year Old Eternals Mystery

It’s a shame that one of the biggest mysteries in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe might not get a resolution, even four years after the cliffhanger ending of Chloé Zhao’s Eternals. Phase 4 marked a huge period of experimentation for Marvel Studios, and one of these experiments was the ambitious, visually-striking, and game-changing Eternals. Co-written and directed by then-recent Academy Award-winner Chloé Zhao, Eternals introduced some epic concepts and characters to the MCU, but, despite receiving recent retrospective praise, the poor reception to Eternals means some of its biggest mysteries might not get a resolution.

One of Eternals’ criticisms was aimed at the movie introducing too many characters, including the ten members of the Eternals team, which meant that none of them really got the attention they deserved. This was also the case for the movie’s Celestials. Celestials have been mentioned in the MCU before, but Eternals was really the first time we met them, including Arishem the Judge, who created the Eternals and communicated with Sersi (Gemma Chan). However, we’re worried Arishem’s promise to return to judge Earth after the Celestial Tiamut was killed to spare humanity might never get paid off.

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When Could Arishem’s Promise Be Paid Off in the MCU?

The most obvious place where Arishem’s promise to return to judge humanity would be in a sequel to Eternals. Despite the movie’s negative response in 2021, the tide has turned, and many now want to see the Eternals return in a better-made sequel. However, there may still be a bad taste in Marvel Studios’ mouth after Eternals, as this was really the first time that the MCU had received a poor response. Eternals 2 has long been rumored, and cast and crew have teased it, but there’s no sign of a sequel being developed, leaving the Eternals’ futures uncertain.

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If not in Eternals 2, Arishem the Judge and other Celestials could be brought back to the MCU in any number of upcoming cosmic projects. Few have been confirmed to be in development, but the likes of the possible Thor 5, Doctor Strange 3, Captain Marvel 3, and more could include the Celestials, though this seems unlikely, as all these heroes have their own trajectories. From what we know of the MCU’s future after Avengers: Secret Wars ends the Multiverse Saga, Marvel will shift to focus on mutants and the X-Men, but even this opens the door for Arishem’s return.

Marvel Studios could be barreling towards an adaptation of Marvel Comics’ A.X.E.: Judgment Day from 2022. This story saw the Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals go toe-to-toe when the mutant resurrection protocols were discovered, and after the Eternals realize their true purpose. Marvel Studios could perfectly adapt this event for the MCU, with Arishem’s judgment of humanity being at the center of a Judgment Day crossover. Including the Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals, this could come to fruition in Phase 7 or beyond, giving the Eternals a brighter future in the MCU and finally paying off Eternals’ biggest unanswered mystery.

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