When characters are introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s usually a promise of a bigger role to come later. It isn’t a guarantee — Guardians of the Galaxy jokingly introduced Howard the Duck in a post-credits scene — but from when Nick Fury appeared in Iron Man all the way up to when Beast appeared in The Marvels, there’s an assumption that teases will be followed up on, one way or another.
Unfortunately, some characters do fall by the wayside, and now a disappointing update from a Marvel star suggests we’ll never see one of the most interesting characters introduced in Phase 4 again. As this becomes more common, this isn’t just a loss for the MCU, but a loss for fans’ trust in the franchise.
In a recent GQ profile, Eternals star Kit Harington, who played Dane Whitman in Chloe Zhao’s divisive MCU movie, got honest about his motives for taking the role. “I’m not gonna pretend I took that [role] because it was different and interesting,” he said. “If Marvel calls, you gotta do it.”
However, Harington probably won’t be getting the call for Eternals 2. In July, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige told Inverse that the Eternals sequel wasn’t in development. There are no immediate plans for Eternals 2,” he said, but teased how the movie’s plot would be referenced in Captain America: Brave New World.
Now, GQ has seemingly confirmed this cancellation, as the profile described Eternals 2 as “reportedly canned.”
That doesn’t inherently mean that Whitman is out of the MCU forever. In Eternals’ mid-credits scene, Whitman is shown learning of his true identity as the Black Knight. The voice of Mahershala Ali as Blade can be heard speaking to Whitman, suggesting the forthcoming Blade movie would be the next time we’d see him. However, with Blade stuck in development hell, that may be a dead end as well.
Even if there is a path forward, does Harington even want to return to the MCU at this point? The profile says Harington, “liked his character and would be interested to return if they changed their mind,” but that was only in regards to Eternals 2. The possibility of Harington returning in Blade — or even the upcoming Avengers movie Avengers: Doomsday — is still unclear.
This update is further proof that nothing is guaranteed in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe. Eternals introduced a whole host of characters with rich backstories we’re unlikely to ever see again. Dane was teased to appear in Blade, but now that’s uncertain, too. Other post-credits characters are even less lucky — Harry Styles was introduced as Eros, but it seems very unlikely we’ll ever see him again. Unfortunately, a Marvel cameo just doesn’t mean what it used to.
