Leaked images of the packaging for an Eternals action figure have revealed the full costume of Salma Hayek's character, Ajak. The upcoming superhero ensemble film is part of the planned fourth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There are many fresh faces on the project, including director Chloé Zhou (The Rider), screenwriters Kaz and Ryan Firpo, and a sprawling, star-studded cast including Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Bryan Tyree Henry, Gemma Chan, Lauren Ridloff, Kit Harrington, and, of course, Hayek. The film was meant to release on November 6, 2020, but due to the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, Eternals was delayed to February 12, 2021, with Black Widow taking its November release date.
Eternals tells the story of the eponymous team of immortal beings who have lived on Earth in secrecy long before humanity. Every member of their race naturally possesses superhuman capabilities, though each team member has their own unique abilities, such as Makkari's (Ridloff) super speed and Phastos's (Tyree Henry) hyperintelligent engineering skills. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, the plot is believed to focus on the Eternals defending the planet from the Deviants, age-old enemies of mankind.
Twitter user Eternals posted images of the packaging for a leaked Ajak Marvel Legends action figure, revealing the costume of Hayek's character. The account identified the packaging as real by comparing the markings, address, and phone number on the packaging to those of known, official Marvel merchandise. The item's seller purportedly received the figure from a friend affiliated with Marvel. The packaging also includes a description of the character as "The spiritual leader of the Eternals. Ajak can heal others and is able to communicate with the Celestials." The original tweet with the box art can be seen below:
The costume itself appears to be a long, deep-blue dress with gold, form-fitting insets extending down the chest and sides, as well as on the arms. Hayek's character also sports a matching large, intricate, fin-like helmet. It's reminiscent of other alien garments, but quite unlike most superhero outfits that we've seen in the MCU. Fans have previously seen concept art of the Eternals at last year's D23 expo, but this is no doubt the best-look Marvel fans have gotten thus far. Since the leader of the Eternals has been gender-swapped for this movie, Hayek's costume is noticeably different from the comic book appearance of Ajak. While fans are always excited to see comic-accurate costumes incorporated into the MCU, Ajak's comic costume likely wouldn't have translated very well to the big screen.
Eternals will follow in the footsteps of the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, introducing a brand new ensemble cast for the fourth phase of the MCU. Already, the team of immortals is differentiating itself, especially by way of its leader. The packaging states that Ajak is a spiritual leader and, according to the comics, she's a brilliant archaeologist as well. Compared to brash industrialist Tony Stark and bumbling goofball Peter Quill, the wisened Ajak is a definite change of pace. As the number of heroes populating the MCU grows to celestial proportions, it continues to demonstrate the very important lesson that heroes come in all shapes and sizes, with all kinds of unique and worthy strengths.
Source: Eternals/Twitter
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September 06, 2020 at 05:10AM
