WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Eternals, now in theaters.
As Eternals rolls on, it's obvious Richard Madden's Ikaris is wrestling with some dark inner conflict in his stay on Earth. After leaving his beloved Sersi (Gemma Chan), he reveals to Ajak (Salma Hayek) he couldn't remain as a couple while hiding the truth -- Earth was meant to be devoured so a new Celestial, Tiamut, could be born. However, as his story unfolds and even Ajak runs afoul of his programming, it's clear his big betrayal is a statement on faith and fanaticism.
Now, it's hard to blame Ikaris and deem him a full-fledged terrorist, as this is literally what they were created for. Arishem is their creator, father and ultimately, God, so they must abide by his decree. It's why, when Ajak tells Ikaris alone about the plot centuries earlier, he falls in line, even hoping to someday become a leader and carry out the mission. Thus, when Ajak later decides that they must stop the plan because she's grown to love humanity, Ikaris kills her and sets Eternals' conspiracy in motion. He wants to unite his family and leave the Earth to be razed, coming off like a militant extremist who can't let go of his religion.
As Eternals reveals, Ikaris' belief in Arishem is so unwavering and blind that even though he's had no contact with the master, he still accepts being a puppet. Ajak, in her pseudo-priestess role, could have been lying to him but he simply rolls over when he hears what Arishem wants, not questioning anything like a robotic soldier. It's why he grows so cold with his family, not even caring when Gilgamesh dies or when he almost slays the others because to him, they're traitors and zealots.
All that matters is the word of his divine leader, which is the path Ajak wanted him to stray from. She began questioning her God early on, climaxing in a heartbreaking moment when she lets her 'son' know in her dying moments how she failed him. She hoped he'd find humanity and light within, but instead, Ikaris loses the concept of family, being single-mindedly loyal to the cause.
This is evident as Ikaris reams his family in Eternals' final battle, telling them this is their duty and purpose for which they were born and bred. Shockingly, even when he gives up and allows them to stop Arishem's plan, Ikaris simply can't break out of this mode. He tearfully bids Sersi goodbye and flies off into the sun, seemingly taking his life as an overly-devoted person who failed his God and let religion erase his identity.
It's quite tragic because like so many crusades in history, Ikaris killed in the name of his God, simply intent on being reborn under the Celestial law. But as Ajak said, this fanaticism ruined his potential because he was meant for so much more, only to lose his sense of love, hope, compassion and empathy outside of his faith.
To see how Ikaris becomes an extremist, Eternals is in theaters now.
0 Comments