Angelina Jolie is back in full-on magical goddess mode in the latest trailer for Marvel’s Eternals, and she’s out to put the hurt on any space monsters who mess with humanity. “We’ve loved these people since the day we arrived,” her character, Thena, says. “When you love something, you protect it.”
The film, from Academy Award winning director Chloe Zhao, centers on the re-emergence of a team of ancient alien superheroes tasked with protecting the Earth from the aforementioned space monsters, known as Deviants. But, like, apparently only from the Deviants. As Gemma Chan’s Sersi explains to earthling Dane Knight (Kit Harrington), the Eternals aren’t supposed to interfere in any of the petty conflicts and natural disasters that have plagued the human race since they arrived on the planet thousands of years ago.
But, since this is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Snappening — you know, that thing purple CGI Josh Brolin did in Infinity War where he snapped his fingers and half the population of the universe disappeared — changed everything.
(Sidebar: Anyone else getting a little…queasy every time someone in these movies mentions half the population of the universe disappearing like it’s supposed to be very meaningful to an audience that is literally still experiencing a global pandemic and imminent climate collapse? Or is that just me?)
The film is packed with huge names playing magical beings. Alongside Jolie, Chan and Harrington, we’ve got Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, Richard Madden and Brian Tyree Henry as the MCU’s first openly gay superhero. Plus, we can’t wait to see how Nomadland director Zhao translates her beautifully grounded style to the sweeping bombast of a Marvel film.
Eternals is out November 5.
