Credit: Marvel Studios2023 was a rough year for Marvel Studios. Out of three theatrical releases, only one saw major box-office success while the other two were essentially box-office failures. A highly anticipated Disney+ series was met with disappointment and outrage for a variety of reasons, including AI artwork in the midst of the Hollywood strikes and a major plot twist that affected the death of Tony Stark. However, 2023 wasn’t the first time Marvel saw a disappointing release. In fact, a previous movie was so bad it sent one star to therapy.
The Eternals was released in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether due to the timing of its release or due to the new cast of characters that had been thrown together Avengers-style with no buildup, the film was widely negatively reviewed. It’s one of the lowest-grossing Marvel films of all time, and a sequel has all but been indefinitely delayed. The film starred Gemma Chan as Sersi, Angeline Jolie as Thena, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Barry Keoghan as Druig, and Kit Harington as Dane Whitman/Black Knight. It also featured Harry Styles in a post-credit scene as Eros, Thanos’ brother, and teased the upcoming Blade reboot.
Overall, it’s likely the most forgotten Marvel film released around that time and despite a stellar cast, was a black mark on Marvel’s previously decent record. However, Kumail Nanjiani recently revealed that the reviews for The Eternals were so bad, he had to seek out a counselor. During a recent appearance on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum, the star opened up about his negative experience after the film.
“The reviews were bad, and I was too aware of it…I was reading every review and checking too much…I think there was some weird soup in the atmosphere for why that movie got slammed so much, and I think not much of it has to do with the actual quality of the movie…Some shit has to change, so I started counseling. I still talk to my therapist about that…Emily [Nanjiani’s wife] says that I do have trauma from it.”
There have been grumblings for over a year now about “Marvel fatigue,” a period in the current entertainment industry where fans are overwhelmed and exhausted by the amount of content that Marvel has released with the Marvel Cinematic Universe now tallying at 33 films and 12 series. However, it’s truly upsetting to know just how bad it got for Nanjiani, who has also had roles in Men in Black: International (2019) and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Tom Holland has also opened up about his struggles with fame, saying last year that he’s a private person and intends to take a step back from acting. Clearly, and especially when it comes to a studio and a franchise as big as Marvel, it can be overwhelming and traumatic to find oneself thrust into the limelight.
What do you think about The Eternals? Does it deserve the amount of backlash it’s received over the last few years?