Eternals is set to introduce an entire team of new superheroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the comics, the Eternals are an offshoot of humanity created by the Celestials who can tap into great cosmic power and have complete control over their physical forms and bodily functions. Because of this, they all have certain abilities such as superhuman strength, speed, stamina and durability, as well as flight, teleportation, regeneration, psionic abilities, matter transmutation, illusion-casting and cosmic energy manipulation.
The official synopsis for the Marvel Studios film describes the Eternals as aliens and it's unclear if they'll each maintain all of their powers from the comics. Even so, recent character descriptions revealed that most of them will keep the specialized powers that they're known for. Here's what you know about each member of Marvel Comics' Eternals.
Ajak
Ajak is a great warrior and will be the wise leader of the Eternals in the upcoming film. Ajak is a man in the comics, but the character is one of a few whose gender has been changed for the live-action adaptation. She has all the powers associated with the Eternals but also has the unique ability to communicate with their creators, the Celestials. Additionally, the live-action Ajak will be able to heal both humans and fellow Eternals. In the Marvel Studios film, the character will be played by Salma Hayek.
Ikaris
Considered one of the most powerful Eternals in existence, Ikaris became the leader of the group, known as the Prime Eternal, in the comics. He has enhanced senses and has honed his abilities so he can sense the Celestials' presence from light-years away. In the movie, he will be the "tactical leader" of the group and his character description confirms that he will have his super strength, flight and the ability to shoot energy beams out of his eyes. Ikaris will be brought to life by Game of Thrones star Richard Madden.
Sersi
Sersi is Marvel's equivalent of Circe, a sorceress in Greek mythology. Out of all of the Eternals, Sersi has been the most empathetic towards humanity and she was even a member of the Avengers at one point. She has a complicated history with Dane Whitman, aka the Black Knight, who will also be appearing in the film. While she's had many jobs in the comics, including dancer, fashion designer and party planner, Seris will be a museum curator in the live-action adaptation. Her description also mentions that she has been in love with Ikaris for centuries. Sersi will be played by Gemma Chan, who previously played the Kree sniper, Minn-Erva, in Captain Marvel.
Kingo
Kingo Sunen is another Eternal who has teamed up with the Avengers, although he didn't officially join their ranks. In the comics, he is a samurai from an Eternals settlement in Hokkaido who went on to be an action movie star, playing many samurai characters on screen. While he has all the same abilities as the other Eternals, Kingo prefers not to use his powers in battle. In the film, however, he will have the ability to shoot energy projectiles from his hands, and instead of being a Japanese action hero, he will be a Bollywood star. Kumail Nanjiani portrays the live-action version of Kingo.
Makkari
Makkari is an Eternal with a penchant for speed. In fact, he has forgone some of his other powers like flight, molecular manipulation and energy projection in order to increase his maximum velocity. His devotion to speed even lead him to become faster than other notable speedsters, including Quicksilver, Whizzer and Speed Demon. Makkari is also mechanically minded and was taught engineering by his parents. In the live-action adaptation, Makkari will be played by actress Lauren Ridloff and is described as "the fastest woman in the universe."
Phastos
Phastos is a brilliant engineer and inventor who created many of the Eternals' weapons. In spite of this, he's actually quite pacifistic and has even opposed going to war against the Deviants. In the comics, Phastos specializes in cosmic energy manipulation and is especially strong, even in comparison to his fellow Eternals. Brian Tyree Henry plays the live-action version of Phastos, who will be the MCU's first openly gay superhero.
Sprite
One of the youngest Eternals, Sprite has the appearance and mentality of a child. Because of this, he has often felt left out of the group and likes to play pranks on Eternals and humans alike. He is particularly gifted at illusion-casting and is second only to Sersi in matter transmutation. Sprite once used the power of the Uni-Mind to turn himself, as well as the rest of the Eternals, into mortals so he could finally grow up. More recently, he regained his Eternal powers and was reborn as a teenage girl. In Eternals, Sprite will be played by actress Lia McHugh.
Thena
Thena is another mighty warrior who was the Prime Eternal before Ikaris. She was originally named Azura after her father, Zuras, but her name was changed after the Eternals formed an alliance with the Greek gods and she became Athena's personal representative. Like the Greek goddess, Thena is an accomplished fighter and extremely intelligent. Interestingly, Thena lost her title of Prime Eternal after it was revealed that she had fallen in love with a Deviant warlord named Kro. When it comes to powers, Thena is pretty well-rounded but is particularly skilled in cosmic energy manipulation. According to her movie description, she will be able to use this power to create any handheld weapon she can imagine. The Marvel Studios film will see Thena played by Angelina Jolie.
Gilgamesh
The Eternal known as Gilgamesh has had multiple names, including the Forgotten One and Hero. Since he wasn't initially aware that he was an Eternal, his true origin is a mystery. Physically, he is the strongest Eternal and he has the best stamina, able to exert himself for several days before getting tired. Gilgamesh has fought the Deviants many times throughout history, and also briefly joined the Avengers. In addition to being the strongest Eternal, his movie description claims that he can make an exoskeleton of cosmic energy. Gilgamesh will be portrayed by actor Don Lee, otherwise known as Ma Dong-seok.
Druig
The most morally dubious of the group, Druig is the power-hungry cousin of Ikaris. Over the years, he has honed his powers of telepathy to the point of being able to mind-control and brainwash others. He's also very skilled at matter transmutation. Despite his questionable ethics, though, Druig has also been a formidable ally in the Eternals' fight against the Deviants. According to his movie character description, Druig has separated himself from the group because he disagrees with how they've interacted with humanity. Barry Keoghan will tackle the live-action iteration of Druig.
Directed by Chloé Zhao, Eternals stars Gemma Chan as Sersi, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Barry Keoghan as Druig and Kit Harington as Dane Whitman/Black Knight. The film arrives in theaters Nov. 5, 2021.