The flop of Eternals didn’t just bomb at the box office; it also wrecked ten years of plans for the characters in the future on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Marvel Flop Fallout
Speaking candidly on the Working It Out podcast, Nanjiani revealed how badly Eternals tanking affected him, both professionally and personally. The Marvel flop wasn’t supposed to be a one-and-done. Nanjiani said he signed on for six movies, a video game, and even a theme park ride.
“I was like, ‘This is going to be my job for the next ten years,'” he said. “They make you sign on for all this stuff. You’re like, ‘Okay, so I’ll be doing Marvel movies every year, and in between, I’ll do my own little things.’ None of that happened.”
MCU Plans Destroyed
Nanjiani admitted he expected Eternals to launch a decade-long run of Marvel appearances. But the movie flopped — both critically and financially — and nothing else materialized. “It shattered me too much,” he said. “That was when I was like, ‘Oh, I need to go to therapy to figure this out.’”
He explained that too much of his self-worth was tied to audience reactions. “What really hit me was realising that too much of my self-esteem is wrapped up in other people’s reactions to my work.”
Still Proud of the Film
Despite the disaster, Nanjiani still has fond feelings for the project.
“I loved the movie. I’m very proud of it,” he said — though he admits the ensemble may have been too crowded: “There were a few too many people in Eternals if the reviews are to be believed.”
Marvel Moved On
Nanjiani isn’t the only one left behind. Lauren Ridloff recently confirmed she’s not part of Avengers: Doomsday, and other cast members have quietly exited the MCU or moved on to other projects (one of them have been named for Doomsday or Secret Wars), like Kit Harington being reportedly cut from Blade and rumors of Nanjiani joining James Gunn’s DCU as Booster Gold.
With no sequel, no future appearances, and no place in the Avengers lineup, it’s clear Marvel has wiped its hands of the Eternals experiment. Here are 10 reasons why Eternals 2 isn’t happening.
