Eternals director Chloé Zhao recently provided fans with the reason why Gilgamesh had to die in the Marvel Studios film.
Speaking to Empire, Zhao explained how Gilgamesh's death was pivotal to the development of Thena. "She had no choice but to embrace her vulnerability, her messiness," Zhao explained. "Before she had Gilgamesh and he gave her the most important thing: 'remember, you have it in yourself.' She can't fight it with fire, she's got to let that that [sic] water come in. Thena needed to lean into the soft side of her, and remember the memories that are going to heal her. This was written in the treatment, but losing Gilgamesh is a tough thing for the whole group."
Zhao also revealed how it was important to her and Thena actor Angelina Jolie that the character's mental health struggles and strong relationship with Gilgamesh were present throughout the film. "From the very beginning, [Angelina] said, 'Chloe, we gotta have Thena stay feminine, stay vulnerable, break her down. I'm willing to go there. That's very Important,'" she explained. "And also for such a strong woman to not be afraid to lean the shoulder of a strong man. That partnership Thena and Gilgamesh have; she's not afraid to lean on him, and that was important for Angie."
During the film, Thena suffered from Mahd Wy'ry, an illness that caused her to forget her memories. Zhao said it was important that one of the strongest Eternals was also seen as vulnerable, adding, "We're talking about one of the strongest female warriors out there in myth, and then we're talking about breaking her down to a point where she's lost herself. She can battle anyone else. But she can't protect herself from herself, not with strength, and not with power."
In Eternals, Gilgamesh decided to watch over Thena so that she could keep her memories, despite Ajak warning that this could result in Thena attacking him. When the Eternals reunited, Gilgamesh sacrificed himself in a battle against the Deviants in order to protect Thena.
Of course, Gilgamesh wasn't the only member of the Eternals to meet their demise in the film. Leader of the Eternals Ajak was killed by a Deviant, but it was later revealed that Ikaris, in his commitment to Arishem, sacrificed her to the evil creatures. When he failed to allow the Emergence of Tiamut in the final battle against the other Eternals, Ikaris flew into the sun, guilt-ridden from his decisions. While there were initially doubts among audiences as to whether or not Ikaris died or whether he had simply travelled elsewhere, screenwriter Kaz Firpo confirmed the character's fate in an interview with CBR, explaining, "That act is basically saying, 'I made a mistake, but I can't face my family, and I can't go on living.'"
Eternals arrives on Disney+ on Jan. 12.
Source: Empire