Let’s chat about the elephant-sized Guardians of the Galaxy in ‘Eternals.’ Needless to say, there will be spoilers. If you haven’t seen Eternals yet, bookmark this page and return when you’ve finished that.
When the spacefaring duo arrives onboard the Eternals’ ship, the Domo, it’s Eros who delivers the bad news: Arishem is in on the Eternals’ little scheme to save Earth, and the Celestial has abducted Sersi, Phastos, Kingo, and presumably Sprite (who, remember, is now human) to parts unknown.
Not entirely unknown, to be sure. Arishem, being the mastermind behind the deed, is most likely aware. And Eros claims to be aware of this. He tells the perplexed Eternals as much, hinting with a smile that is best characterised as Stylesian that he can assist them in finding it. Is he on the same page as you? Who can say? But there’s a great possibility that we’ll find out in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Crunching guitar, epic melodies, and a ripping rock organ. Foreigner, a British-American glam/prog rock band, is performing their song “Feels Like the First Time.” It’s exactly the type of music genre and era — Foreigner rose to prominence in the late 1970s — that you’d expect to hear on a Peter Quill mixtape.
There’s also the atmosphere of the situation. When Pip and Eros storm in, they feel completely out of place. Eternals isn’t totally devoid of levity, although the narrative leans more toward drama and serious issues. Then, out of nowhere, come these two space weirdos: a booze-swilling troll and his strutting royal companion. Their entrance is accompanied by a sparkling rainbow of energy — a departure from the Eternals’ rather restrained colour pallet — and a smiling Styles soon follows with a sonic blast of stadium rock.
Everything is out of order, yet in a way that quickly comes across as provocative. The vibe is recognisable if you’re familiar with the MCU’s tonally varied collection of blockbuster storylines. The sequence is reminiscent of a moment from a Guardians of the Galaxy film.
That isn’t the only connection. Eternals also includes a big exposition dump on Celestials such as Arishem. We discover that these towering, ancient beings are, for all intents and purposes, a creator race: they utilise their ability to give birth to stars and planets, and, by consequence, the universe’s living population.