Former Marvel Star Admits He Was Pressured Into Notorious 2021 Flop

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a rough couple of years at both the box office and with critics, which seems to be making some former stars of the franchise feel a bit more free to express their “feelings” regarding their roles.

Kit Harington and Gemma Chan looking puzzled in Eternals — Credit: Marvel Studios

For example, there is Kit Harington, who starred as Dane Whitman in Eternals (2021), one of the odder and more isolated entries in the MCU canon.

The film was directed by Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao (who co-wrote the screenplay with Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, and Kaz Firpo) in the brief era in which it appeared Disney was curious about recruiting critically acclaimed filmmakers to helm their movies rather than alternating between Shawn Levy and the Russo Brothers.

Eternals starred an ensemble cast including Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie, and broke with most of the MCU standards of the time by largely ignoring the established story arcs and heroes.

Instead, the movie delved into some of the more esoteric aspects of Marvel’s cosmic storytelling, forefronting the mysterious and vast Celestials and their plans for the future of the Earth.

All of the Eternals in front of a golden sky, from the Marvel Cinematic Universe film of the same name. — Credit: Marvel Studios

The movie was not the overwhelming financial success that Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Endgame (2019) had conditioned Disney executives to expect from an MCU film, and critics were similarly lukewarm on the movie. As such, tentative plans for Eternals 2 have reportedly been scrapped.

Considering that Bob Iger and Kevin Feige seemed to have cleared a whole bunch of Marvel products from the upcoming slate and have had their hands full with figuring out what to do about Avengers 5, it is no great surprise that the company has decided not to push forward with the future adventures of Space Harry Styles.

It also appears to have taken down any plans to build a project around Kit Harington, whose character was hinted at by a post-credits scene to become the character known as the Black Knight and wield something called the Ebony Blade, possibly alongside a person named Blade (Mahershala Ali).

Harington has previously said that he’s basically not getting calls from Marvel, saying, “Nothing’s in the works at the moment. If they decide to use the character in something or as a solo thing, I’d be very excited by it. But I don’t think it’s planned at the moment.”

Harry Styles as Eros/Starfox and Pip in 'Eternals' — Credit: Marvel Studios

More recently, Harington seems to be getting a little more open about his general nonchalance toward returning as Dane Whitman.

In a recent profile with GQ, the British actor had some remarkably passive-aggressive words about his Eternals role, saying, “I’m not gonna pretend I took that [role] because it was different and interesting.” However, it seems that he feels he was basically required to take the role, continuing, “If Marvel calls, you gotta do it.”

The Celestial Tiamut in the Pacific Ocean, as seen in Eternals — Credit: Marvel Studios

The profile continues on, saying that he would reprise the role if he was asked, which is not the most enthusiastic statement that anyone has ever made. The MCU seems to be picking up a little speed with Deadpool & Wolverine, but it is still far from the most-desired status for actors that it had just five years ago. Maybe if it gets back there, actors will start pretending they’re not taking roles out of obligation again.

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