When comic book characters are adapted for the big screen, there will inevitably be some changes – whether those changes are to their origin story, the character themselves, or their story is simply being updated away from out-of-date themes. In the Eternals movie, the Kingo that appears on screen is actually very different from his comic book counterpart.
While both characters are a little impulsive and love to be the center of attention, that's largely where their similarities end. The Kingo of the comics comes from a different place, uses a different skill set, and even has different relationships with the other Eternals. There are a lot of interesting pieces of his background in the comics that movie fans might not know.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Eternals.
10 Kingo Doesn't Appear Until Eternals #11
Jack Kirby's Eternals began its run in 1976. For the first few issues of the series, however, only a handful of the title characters made an appearance. In fact, Ikaris was the only Eternal to appear in the first issue at all.
Some of most famous Eternals – like Kingo and Phastos – wouldn't make their comic book debuts until much later. Kingo appeared in the eleventh issue of that first series, but Phastos didn't debut in the comics until the next volume of Eternals began its run nearly a decade later.
9 Kingo Has The Same Abilities As Ikaris
The Kingo of the Marvel Cinematic Universe projects energy blasts from his hands. While that's definitely a useful skill, he doesn't pack quite as big of a punch as his fellow Eternal Ikaris, who blasts energy from his eyes, flies, and is generally more durable in a fight than the rest of the team.
While Ikaris does have a stronger command of a variety of skills, in the comics, all of the Eternals draw their power from their ability to manipulate their own cosmic energy. If he chose to train, Kingo could also project energy, fly, create illusions, or even teleport like in the comics.
8 Kingo Prefers To Fight Without His Eternal Abilities
Kingo's energy projections in the MCU might not make him the strongest Eternal, but they are a useful ability. Unlike most of the Eternals he knows in the comics, Kingo doesn't prefer to use the powers being an Eternal gives him in a fight.
Instead, Kingo prefers to demonstrate his skills in hand-to-hand combat or with his trusty sword. It's a stark contrast to most of the other Eternals who rely specifically on their best abilities in a fight.
7 Kingo Is From Japan
In the movie, the Eternals discover they were created by the Celestials in the World Forge. That's not as drastically different as their modern comic book stories would have the audience think. In the comics, most of the Eternals that reside on Earth are from one of two places: Polaria or Olympia. They even resurrect through special machinery in those cities. Kingo, however, is not from either of them.
Instead, his history has him "born" in Japan, living in a secluded Eternal settlement that doesn't get explored much. Kingo lived in Japan for centuries and trained as a samurai, which is why he prefers his sword and physical skill over his powers.
6 Phastos Made His Sword For Him
Kingo's sword isn't just the garden variety sword utilized by samurais, but he could probably make one work in his favor as well. Kingo's sword is forged for him by fellow Eternal Phastos. Phastos isn't just adept at technology and weaponry. He's one of the smartest Eternals and is knowledgeable in all manner of different areas, including metal. Whatever material Phastos uses for Kingo's sword can literally cut through anything. That's a good reason for Kingo to never want to part with it.
5 He's An Action Star
Kingo in the MCU set himself up with a very long career in Bollywood cinema. He does dramas and musicals and even has the public convinced that he's the latest in a long line of actors, though he's really all of the actors himself. That's similar to his comic book life when he lived as a civilian.
The difference was that he didn't star in Bollywood movies. Instead, he made a name for himself as an action hero in Japanese cinema. Kingo used the skills he learned as a samurai and his love for storytelling to make a career for himself in the country he called home.
4 Kingo Is One Of The Only Eternals To Use A Surname
Because most of the Eternals spend their lives secluded from humanity, they don't typically engage in the custom of having a family name or changing their surname when they marry. Instead, they use their name and where they're from to denote their family history. The only time they take on surnames is when they have aliases while trying to live as humans. Kingo is a little different.
For some reason, Kingo has the surname Sunen when he's living life as an Eternal or as a civilian. There's never been an explanation as to why, though it probably made having a career outside of being an Eternal easier for him.
3 Kingo Chooses Earth
Much like in the MCU, the Eternals on Earth reach a point where they have to choose between the planet and the Celestial legacy. Kingo abstains from the conflict because, as much as he loves Earth, his faith in the Celestials is strong. He doesn't want to fight his friends on either side. While some of those Eternals decide to seek out other Eternals in space, a group stays on Earth to live their lives.
In the comics, the Eternals who stay on Earth do so because they want to protect the planet. That's where Kingo chooses to be. He isn't someone who has an interest in traveling to far-off planets or meeting other Eternals because he has a home on Earth.
2 Kingo And Druig Rarely Get Along
Druig is an Eternal who always wants to do things his way, whether that's in the comics or the MCU. In the comics, that tends to put him at odds with a lot of people and sometimes makes him the villain of the story. He and Kingo don't get along because Kingo never trusts Druig.
In fact, when Kingo and Druig crossed paths in the 13th century while Druig was traveling with the Mongolian army, Kingo thought Druig was using his abilities to influence the fighters, helping to grow their empire and put lives at risk. It turned out he was wrong. When the Eternals suspected one of their own of sabotaging the resurrection machines in the modern age, Druig was Kingo's first suspect – but he was wrong again.
1 Kingo Goes To The Deviants For Help
The Deviants have their own society, secluded in the kingdom of Lemuria, where they can exist away from humans and Eternals alike. After thousands of years of conflict between the Deviants and Eternals in the comics, the former decided to keep to themselves to prevent any more bloodshed. When the Eternals learned the truth about the resurrection machine, they realized that the Deviants might have had the right idea about hiding themselves away.
For every Eternal resurrected by the machine, a human life ends. Outright destroying the machine isn't an option, and it messes with Earth's biosphere when Phastos tries. Kingo and several other Eternals decide they want to learn how to completely isolate themselves from humanity to help prevent them from causing more damage, so they go to their former enemies for advice. It's a bold move for the group since they've always thought of themselves as the heroes.