Despite its low box-office earnings and equally dismal critical response, Eternals is a charming film. It focuses on a cast of vibrant characters portrayed admirably by talented actors, each bringing their own unique flair to the table. Its plot and creative sensibility veer from the Marvel Cinematic Universe's norm, but that's okay. The MCU takes up a massive chunk of attention each year, and it should make every attempt possible to cater to different audiences if that trend continues. Eternals has lots to love, and despite the odds stacked against it, Marvel seems to be moving ahead with a sequel.
But if Eternals gets a second chance, it needs to pull inwards and focus on fewer characters than the first film. Eternals had ten characters in its cast, with only Sersi and Ikaris getting more attention as sort of main characters. Despite each character feeling unique and deserving of further inspection, cramming them all into one film prevented the audience from getting to know any of them properly. Gilgamesh, Ikaris and Ajak all met their own untimely ends throughout the film, but that still leaves seven characters for the sequel.
What's worse is Eternals' post-credits scene, which introduces Eros and Pip the Troll. Pip is likely comic relief, but adding Eros to the film draws even more attention away from the existing Eternals. But nine characters puts too much on a movie's plate, even with the work done by its predecessor. Take, for example, Guardians of the Galaxy and its sequel. The first film had six protagonists, with Star-Lord as the anchor and the other characters receiving various amounts of development. Its sequel introduces Mantis and further develops the relationship between Nebula and Gamora but still focuses on its core cast of six.
Eternals ends with Kingo, Sersi and Phastos being kidnaped by the Celestial Arishem, likely as punishment for Sersi's murder of Tiamut, who she turned to stone as a way to prevent its destruction of Earth. The key to a successful sequel is for them to stay kidnaped. Sprite went off to live a human life, so getting another three Eternals out of the picture takes an unfeasible nine down to a manageable five. Eros acts as a new variable to shake things up with Pip for comic relief, as the pair interacts with Druig, Makkari and Thena.
It's tempting to have scenes cutting back and forth between the imprisoned and their rescuers, but even treating the abducted Eternals as a single unit risks pulling focus from their underdeveloped contemporaries. Leaving their rescue to the third act gives plenty of time to focus on elements left relatively unexplored in Eternals. Druig and Makkari are deeply in love, but their relationship didn't get nearly as much screentime as Sersi and Ikaris' messy romance. And Thena can continue to deal with her battle-rage and the death of her partner Gilgamesh.
Eternals was messy, pulled far too thin, and had a scale impractical for understanding and empathizing with its characters. It drew on a source material few would be familiar with and experimented with tone in a way that did more to isolate its audience than anything else. But inside all its errors are a few embers of a brilliant story, with characters fans can love and grow attached to. It just has to fan that flame, giving its characters the air, time and care they need to flourish.