By [ad_1]
The moral conflict at the heart of Eternals is a genuinely complex question about the cosmos and humanity’s place in the universe.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Eternals, now in theaters
Most films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are typically tales of good versus evil. While the heroes may have self-destructive flaws and the villains may have relatable motivations, it’s ultimately a universe where the good guys end up saving the day.
But Eternals brings the entire MCU to a new scope and introduces a genuinely complicated moral quandary to the superhero universe by posing the question of whether the Earth deserves to survive at the cost of untold worlds.
At the heart of Eternals is a genuinely compelling moral concept: the question of sacrifice for a cosmic part of the natural cycle. When Sersi (Gemma Chan) gains a connection to the Eternals, she ends up speaking with Arishem the Judge. It turns out that the Earth, like so many worlds before it, is merely an incubator for future Celestials. Within the planet resides one of these cosmic beings capable of bringing down entire worlds with ease if they so choose. As part of the cosmic cycle of life, the Celestials are born at the cost of the worlds that housed them. Once they have risen, though, they create new swaths of life across the cosmos that can continue existence across time and space.
This combats entropy and positions the Eternals as cosmic gardeners — clearing away the old, birthing the new and ensuring countless births (with the deaths of billions as the cost). The Earth is just the latest part of this cycle, but the Eternals on Earth — particularly Sersi — have grown fond of humanity. Seeing the strength and potential within them, Sersi defends protecting them and preventing the ascension of a new Celestial. But as Ikkaris and Kingo point out, this is tantamount to killing the Celestial and all the life that it would one day create in its wake. Both sides are passionate about these beliefs, even coming to blows over it by Eternals‘ end. It’s an interesting question and gives a complicated element to the threat of the film.
Obviously, the audience isn’t supposed to root for the end of all things on Earth. The MCU’s Earth is a dangerous place, but one full of heroes and heart and hope. It’s a world that was so capable that it found a way to reverse engineer the Infinity Gauntlet and then break the rules of space and time to recollect the Infinity Stones. Humanity, perhaps more than any other species yet seen in the franchise, has earned its place in the universe. This is the belief that turned Ajak (Salma Hayek) from a loyal defender of the Celestials’ plans into someone with hope for humanity — and willing to stand against the commands of the Celestials.
But both Ikaris (Richard Madden) and Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) make strong points about their disagreement with the plan to merely stop the ascension or even just stall it. By saving billions on Earth, trillions of lives across the cosmos will never even be born. Earth being removed from what is, in effect, a cosmic circle of life could have untold consequences and even play a part in throwing off the grand scheme of the galaxy. From a certain point-of-view, especially from that of the nigh-immortal Eternals and the god-like Celestials, the survival of just one planet, as opposed to the birth of a new cosmic force and the worlds it would create, is a maddening concept.
From that perspective, removed from the Earth itself, there’s an argument to be made that the Earth was meant to end and that it’s helped spread the enemy of life by surviving. At the core of Eternals, as opposed to the more straightforward morality-based conflicts of previous MCU films, is a question about the core of life and the question of whether or not the Earth deserves to circumvent the apparent natural order of the universe. It’s not a question that can be easily answered by the climax of the story — which gives Eternals a more ambitious and contemplative element that makes the film more interesting as a result.
To witness Eternals’ complex moral question first-hand, the Marvel film is now in theaters.
About The Author
[ad_2]
