Iron Man 3
Iron Man 3may have embark on lay the groundwork forThe Eternalsall the way back in 2013 . Marvel Studios has a reputation for fiddle the farseeing game , and eagle - eyed lover scour through the Marvel Cinematic Universe entrance in lookup of Easter egg , cognisant that some of them foreshadow future ideas . That means it ’s well worth casting our eyes back over the last two - twelve Marvel movies for hints at what ’s to come in Phase 4 .
So far the Phase 4 slate has been keep for the most part under wraps , with Marvel Chief Executive Kevin Feige loth to comment until afterAvengers : Endgameairs in April . It ’s believed the 2020 ticket consists ofBlack WidowandThe Eternals , and the latter is a especially surprising choice , given they ’re a pretty bass cutting into Marvel traditional knowledge . In the comics , the Eternals were an evolutionary offshoot of humans create thousands of yr ago . Adding them into the MCU is going to dramatically reshape the chronicle of Marvel ’s portion out universe .
Related : Every Upcoming Marvel Movie ( 2019 - 2021 )
But is it possible Marvel has already planted the seeds forThe Eternals ? Surprisingly , there ’s one detail inIron Man 3that suggests they may well have done .
Extremis Found Gaps In Human DNA
One ofIron Man 3 ’s most crucial plot points wasthe creation of Extremis . This was an in advance form of genetic manipulation produce by Maya Hansen and Aldrich Killian , a formula that rewrote a subject ’s DNA and rein their organic structure ’s rude bio - electricity to spark off phenomenal superhuman power . Over the course of the film , Killian and his Extremis subject prove superhuman persuasiveness and agility , a resistance to injury , singular healing powers , and even a unknown exothermic ability . This last tycoon could be used to disable an Iron Man armour with just a touch , or to breathe flames like a dragon .
According to Killian , the understanding Extremis worked was because he identified a strange gap in the nous near to the somatosensory cortex . " This is an empty one-armed bandit , " he explained , " and what this tells us is that our brain , our entire deoxyribonucleic acid in fact , is destined to be upgraded . " Interestingly , Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.has powerfully suggested that Extremis is n’t the only affair that can be slotted into this opening . Hydra developedthe Centipede Serum , and while they ab initio used Extremis , they developed variant strains that integrate Jiaying ’s DNA , their version of the super - soldier serum , and even sources of Gamma radiotherapy . It ’s in reality possible that all the MCU ’s superhumans gained their powers because something was activate in this mysterious part of the brain , " upgrade " them .
But does an empty time slot like this come about by fortuity ? A popular myth suggests that humans only use 10 per centum of our brains , but in truth scientists believe every single part of the brain has a purpose - or , at least , hada intent at some part in our evolutionary history . That makes sense , give natural evolution does n’t tend to involve barren . So Killian ’s discovery is unlikely to be natural ; rather , it ’s grounds of design . In the MCU , it ’s fairish to extrapolate that human organic evolution was influenced at some compass point or another , by force who intended to " raise " the human race at some point in the future .
Related : Thanos Origin Book Teases MCU Eternals , Deviants , Eternity & Death
The Celestials And The Origin Of The Eternals
This is where the Eternals issue forth in . In the comics , over 4 billion long time ago the Earth was visited by a cosmic race known asthe Celestials . The Celestials were one of the galaxy ’s first , and most powerful , alien race ; they traveled the existence seeking out life , and experiment upon it wherever they found it . They created two entirely new evolutionary offset of humanity , the Eternals and the Deviants , who wage a never - ending war against one another . But the mainstream human airstream was also transformed as a result of Celestial tampering .
According to the cartoon strip , the Celestials did something to the human raceway that changed it utterly , giving humans the potential to develop superhuman tycoon . The supernal influence is the reason Steve Rogers could become a super - soldier , T’Challa could have aHeart - influence Herband be allow phenomenal power , and Bruce Banner could apply Gamma radiation to unleash the Hulk . The cartoon strip have established that it ’s even the reason a single gene was introduced into humanity , one that would lie dormant for millennia , until it finally gave rise to the mutant race and became make love as the X - factor .
An early rumored abstract forThe Eternalshas suggested it will be go under " zillion of years ago , " which fundamentally meansit ’s a prequel for the intact MCU . If that ’s the case , and if the MCU is following the mirthful book story , then this will be the tale of how the Celestials first come in to Earth and experimented upon humanity . Millennia subsequently , inIron Man 3 , it looks as though Killian has unwittingly come up evidence of alien tampering : the empty slot they had make , that could be used to grant superhuman abilities .
Page 2:How Iron Man 3 May Have Set Up The Eternals
How Iron Man 3 May Have Set Up The Eternals
It ’s potential Killian ’s discovery is even more important than just explaining how humans can take on superpowers ; it may excuse how the Celestials created both the Eternals and the Deviants . In the comic strip , these two race have given nativity to some of the most powerful beings in the cosmos - so much so that it ’s been hinted they ’re somehow wed to Marvel ’s various Pantheons of deity . Thanos himself was born on the Eternal colony of Titan , although he was said to have the " deviate cistron , " which explains his height and the coloring material of his skin . Meanwhile , the Skrulls are an entire backwash of Deviants - and all Skrulls possess the power to shapeshift . It ’s fairish to assume the MCU will follow this pattern ; after all , Avengers : Infinity Warreferenced Thanos ' father from the comics , A’Lars .
It ’s potential Killian ’s " empty expansion slot " is the reason the Eternals and the Deviants are so powerful . Perhaps the key departure between these two races and the normal human airstream is simply that the Celestials filled the slot with something ; not Extremis , not Gamma radiation , not even the super - soldier blood serum , but something far more strong . The MCU has always pride itself on being a ( broadly speaking ) science - based universe of discourse , and it may have established the fake - skill behind the Eternals and the Deviants all the agency back in 2013 .
pertain : Skrulls May Have Been First Introduced To The MCU In The Avengers
Did Marvel Intend To Set Up The Eternals In 2013?
Amusingly enough , it ’s unlikely Marvel intended this . The studio has justifiedly get ahead a repute for working years ahead , but in truth they ’re quite flexible and reactive ; just look at how the Phase 3 slate has changed since it was first announced back in 2014 . In this typesetter’s case , Killian ’s dialogue ca n’t even be described as an Easter ballock -it ’s just fraud - skill , an attack to explain away what Extremis does and why he ’s able to make his own superintendent - soldier .
But that does n’t mean this scuttlebutt is n’t important . Killian ’s breakthrough is most certainly evidence that some form of intelligence work the ontogenesis of humanity in the MCU , and even supply a scientific basis for the existence of the Celestials and the Deviants . Whether this was intentional or not is almost irrelevant ; the precedent is set , and that ’s all that matters . And if aCosmic Cube can be retconned into an Infinity Stone , there ’s no reason thatThe Eternals ' roots ca n’t retroactively be found inIron Man 3 .