A couple weeks ago, Marvel Studios announced they were moving forward with one of their most unknown properties by securing a director. Chloe Zhao, and the previously reported blacklist writers, will bring this comic team to life. The Eternals were originally created by Jack Kirby and were intended to stand apart from the rest of the Marvel Universe. But when the series failed to grow in needed popularity, they crossed over with Thor and later the Avengers. This plan did not work out as hoped though.

The Eternals was canceled and only came back in one mini-series in 1985 and another mini-series in 2006. That latest mini-series is the most well known Eternals storyline. Written by Neil Gaiman, it featured a mix of old and new generation characters. Similar to Thor, The Eternals are thousand year old heroes that have affected humanity in ways that have made man think of them as gods. They are all named after traditional Greek gods, and while started out as all white, have recently been changed to offer more variety in appearance.

Similar to the Inhumans, The Eternals powers originate from proto-humans being experimented on by a powerful alien civilization. This time it was the celestials (like Star-Lord’s dad) and this time the evolved humans ended up settling on planet Titan. If this planet sounds familiar to you, good job, because it is Thanos’ home planet.

It is very odd that Marvel Studios plans to go ahead with this obscure property when they are so close to having the X-Men and Fantastic Four available. What I believe their plan is, is to capitalize on Thanos’ popularity and do a one-off prequel for him and his planet. Marvel never plans for one-off movies, but that trend seems to be changing with the Black Widow prequel movie. The plan could be similar here.

Usually with my fancasts, I try to follow my own rule of not casting actors that would realistically not sign a multi-picture deal. But with this one I allowed myself bigger name actors for some characters, while using smaller names for others. As their name implies, The Eternals can live for a very long time which allows Marvel Studios to not feel rushed to set them up with the rest of the universe.

Ewan McGregor as Ikaris

The longest running face of The Eternals is Ikaris. His real name is unknown, but he possesses the powers of flight and laser vision. Ikaris had a son name Icarus who also liked to fly. But one day Icarus flew alone and went too high with his mechanical wings, passed out, and fell to his death. Ikaris took his name to honor his son’s memory. This tragic backstory is just as important to pull off for an actor as any action stunt. A drama heavyweight is needed here more than most Marvel properties. Ewan McGregor is perfect to pull off the dual necessities of the role and Marvel knows it. They approached him for Doctor Strange, a movie that spent a large portion in backstory. While The Eternals live for thousands of years, there should be a visual difference between the generations as shown with varying age range of actors.

Kaya Scodelario as Sersi

Speaking of generations, Sersi is probably the most popular Eternal for how new she is. Sersi has a much bigger part in Neil Gaiman’s 2006 run, which the movie will most likely draw inspiration from. For as long as the movie has been rumored, the rumors also say that they want to focus on Sersi as the lead. She possesses the ability to manipulate the atomic structure of all matter. She’s basically Doctor Manhattan. Sersi is also the Eternal with the most history crossing over with The Avengers. Because of this I went with a smaller named actor who would be more likely to sign a multi-picture deal for crossover potential. Kaya Scodelario is a fantastic actress with action experience in the Pirates of the Carribean and Maze Runner franchises. Sersi is one of the most mischievous Eternals, often dropping in on humanity for the wildest of parties. Scodelario’s experience as Effy Stonem on Skins will come in handy here.

Trevante Rhodes as Makkari

Makkari possesses the classic ability of superspeed. He provided the basis of the running god Mercury in humanity. In the 2006 Neil Gaiman mini-series, Makkari and Sersi were an item. I think the two of them have the most crossover potential with the present timeline of the MCU. With Quicksilver dead, another speedster could fill that spot and allow for more varied powers. Trevante Rhodes is growing in fame after first starring in Moonlight and just recently The Predator. In college, Rhodes was a gold-medal winning sprinter. With this experience and place in his career, jumping on a superhero role in the MCU with a multi-picture deal would be smart.

Michelle Yeoh as Thena

Back to the older generation of Eternals, Thena was a warrior who became the namesake for the goddess Athena. She has the ability to channel cosmic energy into her life force making her invulnerable. With this, she fights with an array of swords, spears and axes. Michelle Yeoh has extensive martial arts and weapons training which she shows off in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Yeoh had a small role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2  as Aleta Ogord, one of Sylvester Stallone’s Guardians 3000 team. Her role was so short and hair and makeup unrecognizable, I think she would be easily reused here.

Benjamin Bratt as Ajak

The last of my core roster, Ajak heavily influenced the gods of Inca and South America. He has telepathy and acts as the “Speaker to the Celestials.” This role has swayed Ajak sometimes into obsession with power. He has a back and forth history as an ally or villain with the Eternals. Bratt’s turn as Ernesto de la Cruz in Coco shows off similar traits. He could be a secondary villain to then come back to the good guys when he realizes Thanos’ plan.

Josh Brolin as Thanos

Well this one is kind of a given. Like I said at the top, I can’t see Marvel making this obscure property into a movie without using the popularity of Thanos to generate interest. Marvel has never done a prequel before. Hopefully they are smart enough to not over explain Thanos’ early life. Avengers: Infinity War masterfully presented Thanos as the Darth Vader of our generation. Now hopefully, The Eternals will not be the prequel to ruin his backstory like the Star Wars prequel trilogy was for Vader.

What do you think of my fancasting? Are there any change you would make? Are there any other Eternals you would add in? Tweet us @superbromovies – Cole