Eternals director Chloé Zhao revealed why the Marvel film mentions DC heroes Batman and Superman.

The director spoke to Empire as part of the magazine's major piece on the story, the film's upcoming arrival on Disney+, and Eternals reception by critics and audiences. During the discussion, Zhao was asked about the film's references to both Batman and Superman, meaning the DC characters exist as fictional heroes within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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"I take responsibility for that," Zhao said of the decision to mention Batman and Superman in the film. "I just believe we all should live in one big happy family. And also, you know, we can talk about the elephant in the room – which is that Ikaris [Richard Madden] reminds people of Superman. There are many brilliant filmmakers who've brought Superman to the screen in their own modern interpretation of this beloved mythology that exists in many cultures. So I just felt it's great to pay tribute, it's great to acknowledge these iconic interpretations of Superman. In Eternals, Gilgamesh [Don Lee], watches his movies while he's looking after Thena [Angelina Jolie]. You will see that there's going to be a deleted scene where he talks about another film that's gonna make you smile. And he loves Batman movies."

As Zhao points out, Ikaris is quite similar to Superman given his power set. It's Phastos' son who calls out the similarities in the film, though Ikaris points out that he doesn't wear a cape. The Batman reference comes when Karun claims he's the Alfred to Kingo's Dark Knight, alluding to his role as a dedicated assistant/valet to the superhero and his civilian alter ego. As for what the third reference is, it seems fans will have to wait for the Eternals deleted scenes to arrive.

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It wasn't just the DC Universe that Zhao wanted to reference in the film. Her love of Star Wars also meant that she pitched Eros and Pip the Troll as Han and Chewie, a dynamic we'll likely see play out when the post-credits characters inevitably return to the MCU.

"They're like Han Solo and Chewie. Arishem's been looking for him, and he's just been a space outlaw," Zhao said. "That's the character I had in my mind. But I never said once to Kevin, 'Here's the character. Let's find an actor.' For me, it was a package deal. It's got to be Harry. That's how I pitched it to Kevin."

Eternals arrives on Disney+ Jan. 12.

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Source: Empire