Eternals Star Is “Keeping the Faith” About Returning to the MCU After Captain America Shout Out

Eternals star Gemma Chan is remaining optimistic about returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point in the future. In an interview with ComicBook to promote her upcoming film The Actor, the actress discussed the prospect of reprising her role as Sersi. Chan admitted she doesn’t know if anything is being planned behind the scenes, as cast members are frequently “the last people to find out” when something has been greenlit. However, she expressed hope that she will have an opportunity to come back, believing there is a lot of ripe material left to explore.

“You never know. We’re often the last people to find out,” Chan said. “I don’t know, I’m keeping the faith. I feel like there’s unfinished business there and there’s more story to tell, but we’ll see.”

Eternals premiered back in November 2021, just a couple months after Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Despite having Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao at the helm and a star-studded cast that included Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, Kit Harington, Brian Tyree Henry, and Barry Keoghan (among others), the film earned a mixed reception. Eternals was the first MCU feature to post a “rotten” critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. At the worldwide box office, the film grossed $402 million.

[RELATED – Eternals Star Weighs in on the Status of Black Knight’s Future]

Last year, Marvel stated there are no “immediate plans” for Eternals 2. While a sequel doesn’t appear to be in the works, threads from Eternals were picked up in this year’s Captain America: Brave New World, which depicts the world’s discovery of adamantium at Celestial Island. Despite this connection, no Eternals characters appear in Brave New World.

Chan is right in saying there’s more ground to cover. In particular, audiences are still waiting for a follow-up on Eternals‘ post-credits scene. One stinger teased Dane Whitman becoming Black Knight, while another introduced Harry Styles as Starfox/Eros, brother of Thanos. Unfortunately, these plot points might be left unresolved for an indefinite period of time. Eternals 2 isn’t in the cards, and it’s difficult to find a spot in Marvel’s upcoming slate where it would make sense to revisit Eternals storylines, especially since the franchise has a full plate introducing prominent figures like the Fantastic Four and Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom over the next couple of years. There might have been a place for Black Knight in Blade (Mahershala Ali makes a voiceover cameo in that Eternals post-credits scene), but that film has encountered a bevy of behind-the-scenes issues and delays.

Characters from Eternals could always return in Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars, as directors Joe and Anthony Russo have teased that it’s possible “anybody” from the MCU’s rich history could appear. By making Celestial Island a key location in Captain America: Brave New World, Marvel has illustrated it hasn’t completely discarded Eternals and its contributions to the franchise. While there may not be much interest in a direct sequel, it would be nice if at least a few Eternals were able to join the fight against Doctor Doom. Eternals didn’t earn the highest marks, but it would be a shame if its talented cast never got an opportunity to revisit their roles.

The Actor is described as, “Based on the novel Memory by Donald E. Westlake, The Actor finds Paul Cole (André Holland) stranded in a mysterious small town with no memory of who he is or how he got here. Without a sense of identity or purpose, he starts from scratch and begins courting a local costume designer Edna (Chan). As bits and pieces of his past slowly emerge, he attempts to find his way home, but time is slippery, appearances can’t be trusted, and it’s unclear which of his identities is real.”

The Actor releases in theaters on March 14th.