There is little doubt that fans were surprised when Eternals' seemingly happy ending turned dark as Sersi, Phastos, and Kingo were taken into singularity by Arishem. However, that's not the worst possibility for the characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe flick. Director Chloe Zhao has revealed that her original conclusion for the movie was so bleak that the studio decided against it.
Zhao recently spoke to Empire about the film where she admitted that the ending was not what she originally planned.
"I have never made a film where the ending is what I wrote! You find it in the edit. Editing is a third of the filmmaking process, and when you show it to people, that's when you find the ending," Zhao said. She then pointed out that test audiences weren't pleased with how the film concluded.
"I don't think I've made a single film where the opening and ending stay the same as the script, just because the scenes are fluid as we shoot. And we actually had another ending that is really bleak. Bleak. I didn't hate it, because I'm used to films that are more melancholy. But I don't think it went down well with audiences," Zhao said.
So what exactly happened in Zhao's original ending? Although she didn't provide any details, the filmmaker explained how it would have felt.
"It used to end with everybody back on the ship, minds erased and just going on to another planet, like The Twilight Zone," Zhao said. "I remember when it goes to black, everyone was like, 'I don't know what to do.' And also, it's the MCU, and you want to be excited for what's next."
Zhao certainly has a point there. People who come to watch a Marvel film are expecting to see something that would tease the next big storyline. Nevertheless, Eternals concluded the way that it should so we could expect a sequel.
Eternals 2 has not yet been officially announced. Stay tuned for more updates on this story.
Related: Hugh Jackman Tests Positive For COVID-19
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!