As excitement builds for Avengers: Doomsday, one of the biggest questions fans continue to ask is: which heroes are actually getting a chair for the movie? While some MCU veterans have hinted at comebacks, and others have played coy, Eternals star Lauren Ridloff has cast serious doubt on her character’s inclusion — or the team’s — in the upcoming ensemble blockbuster.
Speaking with The Direct at SXSW during the premiere of Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, Ridloff — who played the speedster Makkari in 2021’s Eternals — wasn’t exactly enthusiastic when asked if she’d be suiting up for Avengers: Doomsday: “Not likely. I don’t know, my magic eight ball is telling me ‘Not likely,’” she said through her sign language interpreter.
Why Have We Not Seen More ‘Eternals’ In The MCU So Far?
It’s a total 180 in tone from a few years back, when Ridloff previously suggested she fully expected to return to the MCU. And while Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has confirmed that there are “no immediate plans” for the Eternals, the abruptness of Ridloff’s response seems to seal the deal — at least for now. It both is, and isn’t, a surprising development though.
Eternals looked to be setting up a lot of story strands for the future, like the emergence of Celestials (which, to date, has only actually been explored in the Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster at EPCOT, and soon, in Fantastic Four: First Steps), as well as the introduction of Harry Styles as Starfox, Thanos’ brother, in a post-credits scene. Despite this, signs of the Eternals in the broader MCU have been fleeting.
Kingo (played by Kumail Nanjiani) popped up on posters in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and got name-dropped in Ms. Marvel. Meanwhile, a massive Celestial corpse left protruding from the Arctic — a direct result of the events in Eternals — was referenced in Captain America: Brave New World, as the source of the metal Adamantium, long-associated with the X-Men in the comics.
But on the other hand, the film was, at that point, the worst-reviewed MCU film, and a box office flop. What does that mean for Eternals? Are they gone for good? Well, “not likely” to return is better than “never“. Marvel has been known to play the long game. But for now, it looks like Avengers: Doomsday is moving forward without the immortal crew.
Eternals is currently streaming on Disney+. Avengers: Doomsday is expected to arrive in theaters May 1, 2026
via Collider