It’s not every day the MCU drops a space opera that opens with a biblical scroll and ends with a space god kidnapping half of the cast. But then again, Eternals is no average Marvel movie. Directed by Academy Award Winner Chloé Zhao, this celestial spectacle is aimed to go bigger, deeper and a little weirder than anything we’ve seen before. It didn’t just toss in ancient mythology, it blew the doors open on cosmic existentialism and asked us to question who the real heroes are.
If you left the theatre blinking at the sky, wondering what just happened (and whether that giant stone baby sticking out of the ocean needs sunscreen), you’re not alone. The Eternals ending leaves us with more questions than answers but also sets up some seriously juicy plotlines for the future of the MCU.
So buckle up, grab your Uni-Mind and let’s unpack the chaos, the betrayal, the celestial judgment and of course, Harry Styles wild cameo that’s basically the MCU equivalent of a mic drop!
The Truth Hurts: Tiamut and The Big Celestial Twist
Just when you thought that the Eternals were the protectors of Earth, Marvel dropped a celestial-sized bomb. Turns out, they weren’t here to save humanity from Deviants, they were here to raise us like cosmic cattle. Their real mission you ask? To help Earth’s population grow just enough to fuel the birth of a new Celestial, Tiamut. The catch? His arrival would destroy the planet. No pressure!
This revelation tears the team apart. Ikaris, loyal to Arishem’s plan (and kind of the MCU’s cosmic version of a company man), believed in letting the Emergence happen. Sersi and most of the others aren’t cool with mass planetary murder.
Enters the Uni-Mind. It’s like a group chat but with god-tier power sharing. Sersi taps into it and turns Tiamut to stone mid-emergence. Sorry, buddy. Maybe next planetary cycle.
Ikaris’s Fall, Sprite’s Wish and The Fallout
Then there’s the emotional aftershock following the titanic heavenly showdown. Ikaris, faithful to his mission but love-struck with Sersi, provides his final dramatic conclusion by flying right into the sun as though he’s channeling a cosmic Greek tragedy.
Sprite, tired of being stuck with a child body for centuries, finally gets a chance at something real. With what Uni-Mind energy is left, Sersi grants her wish, changing her into a regular person. All those hopes of staying young forever, gone, just high school, embarrassing sayings and growing pains from here.
It’s a hard-won victory. The team’s splintered, there are scandals that have surfaced and just when they can breathe a collective sigh; comes in, Arishem.
Arishem: Cosmic Dad’s Not Happy
Celestial Arishem doesn’t exactly approve of the Eternals’ rebellion. Instead of a thank-you note, he shows up in Earth’s orbit with a galaxy’s worth of attitude and a very large grudge. Without even a heads up, he snatches up Sersi, Kingo and Phastos with a promise that man’s destiny will be determined by their memories. You challenge a god? You get a front row ticket to intergalactic consequences.
At the same time, Thena, Druig and Makkari blast off into space in the Domo, hoping to find additional Eternals and get to the bottom of their creators. It’s a classic Marvel setup where the teams are split, a next chapter is previewed and things are going to get even more perilous!
The Eternals ending does not even bother to tie up loose ends, but rather leaves the door wide open to potential future sequels, spinoffs and hopefully another irate celestial invasion.
Also, read Loki Ending Explained: Glorious Purpose Gets Complicated
Eternals Mid-Credits Scene: Harry Styles and a Troll Enter a Spaceship
Just when you think Marvel’s rocked you hard enough, the Eternals mid-credits scene says to you, “Hold my Uni-Mind”. Eros aka Starfox, played by none other than Harry Styles, walks in. He doesn’t walk though. He’s escorted by none other than Pip the Troll, a slightly intoxicated, CGI sidekick who’s voiced by Patton Oswalt.
They casually materialize onto the Domo, interrupting Thena, Druig and Makkari’s search mission and Eros uncovers a cosmic bombshell: “Oh hey, I’m Thanos’ brother. I know where your friends are. Let’s go save the galaxy.”
It’s a classic Marvel mic drop, crazy and compelling. The appearance of Starfox doesn’t preview just a future space saga, but reveals a previously unknown world of Eternal history. Since they are relatives to Thanos, Eros could rock all that we thought we knew about those extraterrestrial individuals. And who knows, maybe next Eternals gathering comes with a playlist.
Post Credits Scene: The Black Knight Rises (Sort Of)
Back on Earth, we find Dane Whitman (Kit Harington), who’s been our smooth, somewhat flummoxed boyfriend of Sersi up until this point. But here, he’s having zero chill whatsoever.
Dane himself opens a lovely box. In it? The Ebony Blade, a cursed sword with ties to his cosmic book destiny as the Black Knight. The room shifts as he freezes, the blade hissing dark temptations as a medieval Horcrux with attitude. He trembles. He’s so close to raising it up when a voice cuts into the tension, “You sure you’re ready for that, Mr Whitman?”
It’s off-screen. Smooth. Sinister. And unmistakable as Mahershala Ali as Blade
And just like that, Marvel doesn’t just offer up Dane’s future, but opens wide the door to the supernatural branch of the MCU. Vampires, cursed swords, possibly blood-soaked team-ups. The Black Knight and Blade? That’s a gothic buddy-cop movie we never knew we wanted, but heck sure do now!
What Does Eternals Ending Really Mean?
The Eternals ending is bigger than a mic drop, it’s a cosmic remix of everything that we thought to be established by the MCU. It overturns the origin, announces that our universe’s actual deities are the Celestials and reduces our supposedly “hero” material to just cosmic pawns stuck in a heavenly game of checkers.
Instead of ending with a bang or a finale with a bad guy, we end up with something deeper, a moral standoff. Do you do as you are told or do you preserve life? Do you obey your creators or do you think? Less boom-boom, more existential horror with a pinch of intergalactic rebellion.
And the best part? The ending of Eternals doesn’t close a door, it rips a page wide open. There’s room here now to be sloppy with tiered-upon heroes, messier consequences and an MCU that doesn’t shy away from posing the large questions.
Also, read Joker 2 Ending Explained: The Joke’s On All Of Us
Final Thoughts: The Universe Just Got Weirder (and We’re Here for It)
If the ending of Eternals has shown us anything, it’s that the MCU’s no longer just super-soldiers and magic hammers. We’re talking ancient space-beings, galaxy-level moral crises, and Thanos’s adorably suave sibling. The rules? They’re being rewritten Celestial-style. So, buck up, Buttercup, future pages are not going to save the world, they’re going to be asking who, exactly, built it to start with. And if that name includes accursed swords, galaxy-conquering side quests, and further appearances by Harry Styles? We’re fine with that. The multiverse may be a mess, but cosmic melodrama? Always worth a ticket.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is Ikaris really dead?
Well, he flew into the sun, so probably. But this is Marvel and Eternals aren’t exactly “mortal”. He could return in a rebooted form or flashback. We wouldn’t rule out a comeback.
2. Why did Arishem take Sersi, Phastos and Kingo?
They broke the rules and stopped a Celestial from being born. Arishem wants to judge whether humanity deserves to live based on their memories.
3. What’s the deal with Eros being Thanos’s brother?
Eros is an Eternal just like Thanos but without the whole “obsessed with balance” thing. Hes’ more charming rogue than a genocider philosopher. Expect him to still things up in future cosmic arcs.