Marvel's Eternals will feature four deleted scenes that add interesting detail and flavor to some of the film's characters. Chloe Zhao's Eternals was a groundbreaking moment for Marvel Studios, introducing an entire galactic superhero team to the MCU over the span of a single installment, while also dramatically improving representation for the franchise. The film arrived on Disney+ and became available for digital purchase on January 12, although Marvel fans will have to wait a bit longer to watch the deleted scenes.
Marvel's now settling into a loose pattern when their movies have left the big screen. The film debuted on Disney+ with a reduced number of extra features. While fans can watch the movie in traditional widescreen or the new IMAX Enhanced mode, the Disney+ version arrived without the Eternals blooper reel or aforementioned deleted scenes. Both will instead be included on the physical media release of Eternals on February 15, making Blu-rays and DVDs still worthwhile for hardcore fans looking for early access to additional content. The studio followed this pattern with Black Widow and Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings, with bonus content arriving on physical media first before later coming to Disney+, so it's no surprise to see them doing the same for Eternals.
There are only four deleted scenes on the Eternals home release, however. All four are character moments, presumably cut to improve Eternals' pacing and runtime. In most cases, it's easy to see why the scenes were cut from the film, but there's one lengthy deleted scene that should really have been left in the final cut. Here's a breakdown of all four of Eternals' deleted scenes and what MCU fans can look forward to.
"Small Talk" is the longest Eternals deleted scene, and it's also the best. It's set right at the start of the film, just before an earthquake shakes the London Museum of Natural History, with Sprite visiting one display and using her powers to remember a Deviant monster the Eternals killed centuries ago. Dane Whitman bumps into Sprite, who can't resist nostalgically telling him all her "family secrets" - knowing full well Dane won't believe a word of them. This is a delightful deleted scene, rich in character, and it showcases the relationship between Sprite and Dane. Sprite is given a deeper purpose through her memories, as she tells Dane Whitman of her contribution to human civilization. "The reason humans are at the top of the food chain is because you believe in structures and principles that don't actually exist. Gods. Nations. Money. All concepts. Stories. Illusions. And guess who taught them to you? Me." The conversation also foreshadows Sprite's secret love of Ikaris, with a visible flare of jealousy crossing her face as she tells Dane Sersi isn't over her ex.
"Small Talk" was probably cut because of length, but it's a real shame. Lia McHugh is tremendous, while Kit Harington demonstrates just the right amount of bewilderment as Dane tries to deal with what he believes to be a precocious child; at one point he defensively tries to talk through a pterodactyl fossil to put Sprite at ease. Conceptually, this particular Eternals deleted scene explains why humans haven't found evidence of Deviants—they've believed the fossils and skeletons they discovered were from other creatures—and it adds a lot to Sprite's character arc. Marvel should have kept "Small Talk" in the final theatrical cut because it makes a very valuable contribution to the story and character arcs.
"Movies" is the shortest Eternals deleted scene, showing the group traveling up the Amazon River by boat to find Druig. It's beautifully shot, with Chloe Zhao demonstrating her usual skill with natural light, and centers upon dialogue between Kingo and Gilgamesh. Kingo, insecure and eager for approval from his fellow Eternals, asks Gilgamesh if he likes his movies; Gilgamesh jokingly asks if they're on Showtime, much to Kingo's irritation. It's an amusing moment, but it doesn't add anything to the film as a whole—either in terms of character-work or plot. This particular cut was a sensible one.
Another Eternals deleted scene called "Nostalgia" is a conversation between Sprite and Makkari that uses Thanos to set up the final battle. A nostalgic Sprite remembers the Eternals' time at Babylon, the closest thing she feels they ever had to a home on this planet, and Makkari jokingly tells her nostalgia doesn't suit her. It leads to a fascinating discussion in which Makkari explains why she has come to admire humanity. "They defeated Thanos," she reminds Sprite, "and saved half the universe with little more than hope, perseverance, and their capacity to sacrifice themselves for those they love." The Avengers' defeat of Thanos has clearly caused Makkari to reappraise humanity, and she was particularly impressed by Tony Stark's sacrifice. It's a nice moment, helping ground Eternals in the overarching narrative of the MCU and reminding viewers just how important Stark's death really was.
"Nostalgia" serves a useful purpose, foreshadowing the schism among the Eternals, with Makkari choosing to fight to save humanity from Tiamut's Emergence, while Sprite doesn't see anything worth saving in human beings. Taken as a whole, the Eternals deleted scenes demonstrate that Sprite has failed to find definition in the modern world, preferring to lose herself in the past. She'd probably even be quite happy at the idea of a cosmic reset from the Celestials once Earth has been destroyed, because then at least she'd be able to live in the present once again. This trait does, unfortunately, suggest the resolution of Sprite's character arc—in which she loses her immortality, meaning she'll age and grow up in the modern world—isn't necessarily a happy ending after all.
The final Eternals deleted scene sees Phastos figuring out how to prevent the Emergence after taking a video call from his son, whose rambling inspires him. "Gravity" is intended to help bridge the gulf between the cosmic scale of Eternals and its intimate portrayal of the heroes as three-dimensional characters in their own right, and it mostly does the job. Unfortunately, it accomplishes this by using a trope that's rather overused, in which a genius is inspired by a random interaction with someone he loves. Marvel's already used this trope a number of times, and the theatrical cut already clearly displayed Phastos' love for his family, so the studio was probably wise to cut this one. Hopefully, it won't be long before Marvel announce what's next for the Eternals, meaning the future of Phastos' family becomes a little clearer.
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