Did Patton Oswalt Just Announce Eternals 2 With Chloe Zhao Returning?
No matter how masterfully Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige dodges questions, his desire to keep the MCU's future a secret will always be at the mercy of the million other people working on these movies. For every expert at vaguery, there will always be a Tom Holland in the room, who doesn't even realize that he's become a walking, talking, spoiling machine. Or worse, a Mark Ruffalo who casually reveals the twist of a saga that's been a decade in the making. This particular instance isn't that dramatic, but it's always fun to imagine Feige facepalming when he reads the latest Twitter trends. This week's surprise headline: an "Eternals" sequel from Chloé Zhao is reportedly on the way!
The news comes from none other than comedian and actor Patton Oswalt, who briefly appeared in the "Eternals" mid-credits scene as Pip the Troll. A clip from the actor's recent appearance on "The Today Show" has been circulating on everything from TikTok to Twitter, as fans speculate about the future of Marvel's latest supergroup, the Eternals. Though he was there to promote his upcoming release "I Love My Dad," the hosts seized on an opportunity to ask the actor about his future in the MCU, to which Oswalt possibly surprised them with a major scoop:
"They have announced there's going to be an Eternals sequel. Chloé Zhao is going to direct it. So hopefully there will be more adventures of Starfox and Pip."
Someone should probably let Oswalt know that they in fact have not confirmed an "Eternals" sequel, at least not publicly. Outside of this interview, there has been no official confirmation from Marvel Studios, meaning he's either prematurely announced news that was set to break elsewhere (possibly the D23 Expo in September) or he's speculating based on his own insider knowledge.
Pip The Troll, tell us what you know
Based on Jack Kirby's Marvel comics of the same name, "Eternals" welcomed a new team of superheroes to the MCU. The story of these powerful immortals spanned thousands of years, as they arrived on Earth long ago to face off against evil Deviants. Eventually, they reunited to protect humanity once more.
The ensemble cast included Richard Madden as the all-powerful Ikaris, Gemma Chan as the empathetic Sersi, Kumail Nanjiani as cosmic-powered Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as speedster Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as the intelligent inventor Phastos, Lia McHugh as the eternally young, old-soul Sprite, Don Lee as the strong Gilgamesh, Barry Keoghan as aloof loner and occasional cult leader Druig, Angelina Jolie as the fierce warrior Thena, and Salma Hayek as their wise and spiritual leader Ajak. Kit Harington was there too, playing Dane Whitman, a character with only slightly more screentime than mid-credit cameos of Patton Oswalt as Pip and Harry Styles as Eros.
Regardless of whether an "Eternals" sequel is actually in the works or not, the internet is abuzz and the conspiracy theorists are hunting for clues. But if you're looking for some supporting evidence, you'll only find the barest examples, like Chloé Zhao indicating some definite interest in returning but not confirming that any conversations have taken place. Earlier this year, when Gemma Chan sat down for an interview with W magazine, she was asked about future plans to reprise the rose of Sersi and cheekily said, "Yes. Marvel owns us for life." Kevin Feige has been, unsurprisingly, tight-lipped about the future of the "Eternals" but during a chat with MTV News, he did confirm that more lies ahead for Styles and Oswalt:
"The adventures of Eros and Pip is something that is very exciting for us."
The future of Eternals is bright
All that said, none of this is quite the same as definitively saying Chloé Zhao will return to direct a sequel, so we'll just have to cross our fingers until something is officially announced.
"Eternals" took a lot of big swings, but mileage varies when it comes to how well the movie stuck the landing. Currently standing at 48% on Rotten Tomatoes, "Eternals" is the first Marvel film to land a Rotten rating on review aggregate site. Juggling 10 primary heroes in a story that spans thousands of years was no easy feat, especially in a movie that's introducing some of the more obscure corners of Marvel lore. But there's no denying the impeccable work of director Chloé Zhao. The prospect of her returning for a sequel might be the most intriguing part of this whole situation.
Free from the burden of explaining the cosmic gumbo of Celestials, Deviants and Eternals, a second run might be more assured and give its talented cast more time to shin in their roles. Dane Whitman might actually get something to do this time! And with a couple less characters and exposition in the mix, maybe Kingo won't inexplicably disappear from the third act! Anyway, even 20 more seconds of Makkari and Druig onscreen together would make a sequel worth it.
As far as where this fits into the next chapter of the MCU, there were plenty of blank spaces to fill for Phase Six. So much of the upcoming phase remains shrouded in mystery — our only hint of where the story is going includes the confirmed introduction of the Fantastic Four, and ending that culminates with "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" and" Avengers: Secret Wars." Any chance the Eternals are up for joining a second superhero team?