With the first teaser trailer for Marvel Studios' Eternals released, fans from Twitter are already making comparisons to another ill-fated Marvel series released in 2017, Marvel's Inhumans. At the time of its release, the series was set to be a television event focusing on a classic Marvel family not previously seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sadly, its poor reception has left a sore spot for fans. With Eternals' new teaser seemingly borrowing similar beats from Marvel's Inhumans, it's become harder not to think about the massive shadow it casts from the series.
From the moment the trailer begins, the similarities can be seen in the sprawling landscapes and wide shots of mountains and cliffsides. The film is meant to evoke a massive scope seen through the eyes of beings looked upon as Gods. Marvel's Inhumans tried to evoke a similar sense of scope while filming in Hawaii with an IMAX camera. The fish out of water trope also became the backbone of the series as its superpowered beings began to understand the world around them. It's unclear if Eternals will follow a similar trend, but there is no denying the similarities in how this society views the world around them.
One similarity glimpsed in the trailer and pointed out by Twitter user @adambarnhardt is in the technologies and powers between the two properties. In one scene from the trailer, the Eternals use their abilities within their suits to unify and emit intricate designs. This is similar to how Karnak uses his ability to see all possibilities with a hard-light layout that only he can see.
The architecture also evokes a similar style to the Inhuman homeworld of Attilan. On Attilan, most of the architecture is geometric in design and relegated to a few colors, mostly grey and white. The Eternals' ship displays a similar shape when it appears before the humans, with right angles and a gold trim emitting from its sides. Phasto's (Brian Tyree Henry) workshop also shows the minimalist design of its interiors for a brief moment, which looks similar to the interiors of the Inhuman throne room.
Another huge comparison between each franchise is the family dynamic surrounding both teams. The Inhumans are all related through the marriage of Black Bolt and Medusa, and they make decisions for Attilan as a team and rarely go out on their own, aside from Black Bolt's villainous brother Maximus. The Eternals follow a similar style, as evidenced by the group having dinner together like a family. The team even has their own version of Maximus in Druig (Barry Keoghan), the Eternal with a disdain for humanity and is often at odds with their leader Ikaris (Richard Madden).
Since Marvel's Inhumans was far from a success, its stigma looms large over the similarly stylized Eternals. These similarities also set expectations higher than other properties that have come before it. However, with Marvel Studios' string of successes over the past decade, it's safe to assume that Eternals will put those concerns to rest and shine brightly as it emerges from the shroud of Marvel's Inhumans.
Directed by Chloé Zhao from a screenplay by Matthew and Ryan Firpo, 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.
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