John Ridley’s Secret Marvel TV Series Finally Revealed 8 Years After ABC Announcement

Chloé Zhao’s “Eternals” explored territory not often seen in mainstream superhero movies. The story spanned millennia and explored the darkest sides of humanity, including the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan. Due to their immortal nature and attempts to isolate themselves from the rest of humankind, the Eternals intrinsically present an opportunity to explore more nuanced themes than what you might get in other superhero media.

It sounds like John Ridley’s “Eternals” TV pitch had a similar ambition to push what was possible within the medium. He described how his series would have opened, saying, “The first thing you see is a young man, probably about 17, 18 years old … He’s sitting there for a moment. And then he lifts his hands. He has a drill in it. And he turns the drill on. And he puts the drill to his ear. And he starts pushing it in. And then it goes from there.” That first character wouldn’t have been the only one with an unusual proclivity either. “Then I think you see another kid,” Ridley continued. “He sleeps in the bathtub, covers himself with foil. It’s just a really weird story about these people who are, I mean, it’s just weird.”

While the Eternals eventually did make it into the MCU, the future of the immortal beings remains up in the air. It’s unclear if “Eternals 2” will ever happen or if that tease of Starfox (Harry Styles) at the end will forever remain unfulfilled. 

Chloé Zhao’s “Eternals” explored territory not often seen in mainstream superhero movies. The story spanned millennia and explored the darkest sides of humanity, including the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan. Due to their immortal nature and attempts to isolate themselves from the rest of humankind, the Eternals intrinsically present an opportunity to explore more nuanced themes than what you might get in other superhero media.

It sounds like John Ridley’s “Eternals” TV pitch had a similar ambition to push what was possible within the medium. He described how his series would have opened, saying, “The first thing you see is a young man, probably about 17, 18 years old … He’s sitting there for a moment. And then he lifts his hands. He has a drill in it. And he turns the drill on. And he puts the drill to his ear. And he starts pushing it in. And then it goes from there.” That first character wouldn’t have been the only one with an unusual proclivity either. “Then I think you see another kid,” Ridley continued. “He sleeps in the bathtub, covers himself with foil. It’s just a really weird story about these people who are, I mean, it’s just weird.”

While the Eternals eventually did make it into the MCU, the future of the immortal beings remains up in the air. It’s unclear if “Eternals 2” will ever happen or if that tease of Starfox (Harry Styles) at the end will forever remain unfulfilled.