Tag Archives: Eternals

Nov 30 2024

Top Ten Unresolved MCU Plot Threads

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) continues and evolves, there are many plot threads introduced in various MCU projects that remain unresolved to this day. Some of them, such as the fact that a giant Celestial statue is sticking out of the Indian Ocean, will be resolved with next year’s Captain America: Brave New World, but there aren’t any indications that many others will be addressed. The following is a ranking of the most nagging or interesting MCU plot threads that remain unresolved, at least for now.

10. Mitchell Carson & the Stolen Pym Particles

A major plot thread in Ant-Man was that Hank Pym did not want his shrinking technology to fall into the wrong hands. This was about to happen in the final act of the film where Darren Cross was attempting to sell the Pym Particles to the highest bidder. During a melee to stop the sale, one of the buyers, the Hydra operative Mitchell Carson, ran off with a vial of the particles, and this was never addressed again.

Speculation: Given the demise of the Ant-Man film franchise, these questions will likely remain unresolved or turn up in an unrelated film or TV show.

9. When Will the Young Avengers Debut?

We have been teased with the Young Avengers ever since members like Ms. Marvel, Stature and Wiccan have shown up in the MCU. The superhero team was highly teased in the end of The Marvels when Ms. Marvel recruited Kate Bishop to form a team with plans to get in touch with Stature (who already debuted in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania). This is an exciting development for the MCU given the popularity of these characters but to date there have not been any announcements of this team actually showing up in the MCU.

Speculation: There are many rumors that the Young Avengers will headline a TV show at some point and do not be surprised if they turn up in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars. But given the fact that the actors are aging in real life, what could happen is that the team will be renamed the Champions if they ever debut.

8. Magic Ned

During a pivotal moment in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker’s best friend Ned displayed an innate talent for magic as he was able to use Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring to summon alternate versions of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. While this is an interesting development for Ned, who could become a sorcerer’s apprentice, it is unlikely this will ever be explored given that well, the Spider-Man film rights are held by Sony Pictures which is hell bent on pumping out films starring Spider-Man’s enemies.

Speculation: Nothing, zilch, nada. We are not even sure if Ned will appear in the next Spider-Man film.

7. Too Many Sorcerers

In a post-credits scene in Doctor Strange, the sorcerer’s former ally, Mordo, begins a quest to kill off all the sorcerers on Earth with the clear implication that Strange was a target. This plot line was ignored in the next Doctor Strange film and since the third film will likely be geared towards incursions and multiverse shenanigans, Mordo’s mission is at this point forgotten. It’s too bad since Mordo is an interesting character and a major foe for Doctor Strange in the comic books. He deserves a chance to confront Strange.

Speculation: Originally, this plot would have been resolved at the start of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness where the Scarlet Witch would have killed Mordo, but this scene was scrapped. There have been no reports that the Mordo plot will be a part of the next Doctor Strange film or if Mordo will even appear.

6. The Black Knight and the Ebony Blade

In one of the post-credits scenes of Eternals, Dane Whitman was about to touch the cursed Ebony Blade which would have turned him into the Black Knight. The would-be superhero was stopped by an offscreen voice, who was Blade the Vampire Hunter. To date, no announcements have been made as to when the Black Knight will appear. Not even Kit Harrington, who portrayed Whitman, knows if his character will ever appear again in the MCU.

Speculation: Supposedly, the Black Knight was to show up in the long-delayed Blade film but since that film seems more or more unlikely to be produced it’s anyone’s guess if the Black Knight will ever appear anywhere.  

5. Will Hercules Ever Has His Revenge?

After being humiliated by Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder, Zeus promised to get his revenge on the God of Thunder. He then tasked his son, Hercules, to carry out the vendetta. Hercules’ brief cameo was impressive given the comic-accurate look of the god. Unfortunately, his appearance was one of the symptoms that befell the MCU lately where multiple plot threads were introduced without any logical means to address them.

Speculation: Supposedly, Hercules will appear in the next Thor film, but it’s not known if he will be a major character or if the film will be made at all given that Marvel Studios has been cutting back on the number of films and TV shows in order to maintain the quality of their projects.

4. When Was Rhodey Replaced?

As flawed as Secret Invasion was, one interesting plot twist, well not really since it was so obvious, was that Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes was replaced by an alien Skrull. At the end of the mini-series, the real Rhodey was rescued, but we never learned when he was replaced or how many pivotal MCU events he missed. Was he abducted after his BFF Tony Stark died? We do know it had to have happened after Captain America: Civil War since he ended up paralyzed in that film and he was shown as such in Secret Invasion.

Speculation: The director of Secret Invasion revealed that Rhodey was replaced immediately following Captain America: Civil War, although this has not been confirmed by Marvel Studios. Some fans have speculated the replacement happened much later. Sadly, this dilemma will not be resolved anytime soon, since everyone wants to forget about Secret Invasion.

3. The Origin of the Ten Rings and Their Beacon

At the end of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the sorcerer Wong informed Shang-Chi that the otherworldly bangles he acquired from his father were very ancient and were emitting a beacon to the cosmos. But that was all he knew, and we haven’t learned to date the origin of these fantastic rings or who was being summoned. Even more baffling is that even though the film was successful, a sequel is stuck in limbo, and we won’t be getting the answers to the questions regarding the bangles for a long time.

Speculation: Supposedly, the bangles were related to Kang the Conqueror and was to have been part of the plot for the abandoned film Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Maybe they will be the plot device used to summon Galactus into the MCU or Doctor Doom. Or maybe we will have the questions finally answered whenever the sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ever happens.

2. The Fate of the Eternals

This is major. At the end of Eternals, about half of them were abducted by extra-terrestrial Celestials for saving Earth. Later on, those Eternals that were not abducted set off in a spaceship to find their comrades. Then the Titan, Starfox, and his friend Pip the Troll teleported to their spaceship and offered their help to find the missing Eternals. An interesting setup, but there will not be a sequel to Eternals so the cliffhanger ending to the film will not be resolved. There’s also the revelation that Starfox was Thanos’ brother which was unaddressed.

Speculation: There has been speculation that this Eternals storyline will be resolved in the next Thor film, though there are not any concrete plans for the film, as of yet. Given the cosmic nature of the Eternals, it’s possible another cosmic-themed MCU project could pick it up, perhaps a new Guardians of the Galaxy film which could incorporate a couple of the Eternals into the team.

1. What Happened to Steve Rogers?

At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers went back in time and multiple dimensions to return the Infinity Stones. When he returned, he came back as an elderly man who could not continue as Captain America, and he passed his shield to Sam Wilson in order to become the new Captain America. So, what became of Rogers at that point? In the limited series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he was referred to in past tense, indicating he passed away, but one character mentioned the rumor that Steve Rogers was living on the moon. It was never made clear if he passed away and so far, he is not shown in trailers for Captain America: Brave New World. So where is Steve Rogers? What happened to him?

Speculation: Maybe Steve Rogers will return in Avengers: Secret Wars so that Chris Evans could play the superhero one final time before the role is recast. Perhaps, as in the comic books, Rogers will be rejuvenated if only to help out in Avengers: Secret Wars. Marvel Studios has speculated that he could return to the MCU in some fashion, though the actor has stated that there are no plans for him to reprise the role. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Notable Mentions

What Happened to the Beekeeper in WandaVision?

Who was Sonny Burch working for in Ant-Man and the Wasp?

Will the United States and Wakanda go to war against each other?

Will the Scorpion ever set out to get revenge on Spider-Man?

Is Spider-Man still framed for murdering Mysterio?

Who is working with the Power Broker/Sharon Carter?

What happened to the symbiote left behind by Venom/Eddie Brock in the MCU?

Will we ever see the remnants of the Illuminati exact revenge on Doctor Strange?

What became of President Ritson’s war on aliens on Earth?

Mar 17 2024

Regarding MCU’s Cancelled Projects

The big news this past week regarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was that Disney cancelled a few MCU projects that were being prepared as a way of getting MCU and Marvel Studios back on its feet. What was noticeable about the news was that the projects included followups to Eternals, Captain Marvel and Ant-Man. There are also reports that long-announced projects like Ironheart and Armor Wars are also on the chopping block. While it is understandable why they have been cancelled, there is also some cause for concern.

The reasoning behind the cancellations was that Marvel Studios should focus on projects based on popular characters that will be guaranteed hits like Spider-Man, the Avengers and the X-Men. It makes sense but it just means that Marvel Studios will be forced to play it safe. It’s a shame because Marvel Comics has a huge plethora of intellectual property to mine from. To just go back and do films and TV shows about the same characters over and over again runs the risk of over-relying on them. Then you wind up with the situation Warner Bros. has with its DC characters where the only thing the company focuses on are numerous Batman films and related TV shows. Of course, these film studios need hits and it doesn’t hurt to rely on what works to fund future projects, but doing so risked overusing certain characters and diluting their appeal in the long run.

By playing it safe, Marvel Studios will avoid taking risks and approving projects based on lesser-known Marvel characters. This is understandable given the time and money that will be used to produce films and TV shows on characters few have heard of. But if Marvel Studios always followed this mentality we never would have gotten Guardians of the Galaxy. Back when that film was first announced, many were convinced that it would be Marvel Studios’ first flop. After all, few people heard of the characters who were outlandish. A talking raccoon? A walking tree? These doubters were sure no one would pay money to see films featuring such bizarre characters. But as we all know, the film was a huge hit and turned the Guardians of the Galaxy into beloved household characters.

Marvel Studios has tried to replicate the success of Guardians of the Galaxy with other lesser-known properties to varying results. For every Black Panther there was Eternals. While not everything Marvel Studios tried worked out, this does not mean that the film studio should avoid experimenting and trying out new characters. This will pay off for the film studio in the long run. Just look at the Scarlet Witch. When she first debuted in Avengers: Age of Ultron, she had an impact but her popularity did not truly take off until WandaVision years later. That show was so popular that it has spun off a couple of its characters into their own film and TV show, that being Photon and Agatha Harkness. Unfortunately, Photon’s film The Marvels flopped and Agatha: Whatever is the Subtitle still hasn’t streamed yet, so the jury is out on the TV show. However, the failure of The Marvels cannot be blamed on the character of Photon. The same would have to go with the other main characters in that film and going further with Nick Fury in Secret Invasion or Ant-Man in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Those projects failed but it was not because of the characters. They had their own issues and the characters were mostly well received in other appearances.

Thankfully, Marvel Studios will continue to utilize these characters in other projects. For instance, Ant-Man is supposed to appear in the next Spider-Man film and the next Avengers film. With Eternals, even though that film won’t get a proper sequel, the characters and events from the film are rumored to be incorporated into the next Avengers film. It would make sense that if the fifth Avengers film is no longer about Kang the Conqueror then it could be a cosmic-based film that features the Eternals and even the Guardians of the Galaxy in a loose adaptation of the Annihilation storyline from Marvel Comics (this was the comic book event that introduced the modern incarnation of the Guardians of the Galaxy that we think of). Some creative scripting could have the events of the cosmic plot in that Avengers film continue the Incursion/Multiverse arc and lead into Avengers: Secret Wars.

Marvel Studios should not hesitate with continuing to introduce new characters all the time in their films and TV shows. Although not all of them will take off in popularity, they should be featured to at least test the waters and see how they are received.

Maybe after a few hits under its belt, Marvel Studios will once again take creative chances with Marvel’s other characters. After all, the richness of the vast Marvel Universe deserves to be fully explored for MCU fans.