This article is over 2 years old, and it discusses the upcoming film Eternals, directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao. Eternals is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is unique in that it is one of the first films to be released without the usual character introductions and teasers. The final trailer for the film, released in August, seems to address this by explaining why the cosmic guardians of Earth did not intervene in previous Avengers films. Additionally, it’s worth noting the surprising appearance of Angelina Jolie in the trailer, donning a blond wig and silver spandex.
Indeed, the incredibly renowned Jolie will be portraying Thena, an exceptional warrior of the Eternals who possesses the ability to shape any weapon using cosmic energy. And it comes as no surprise, for if there is anyone more suited to embodying a stunning, god-like being from another realm who has lived for over 7,000 years without aging, I’m yet to encounter them.
However, Jolie stands out in the Marvel universe as a superstar whose brilliance shines so brightly that she doesn’t rely on any studio’s support to navigate the vastness of Hollywood. Similarly, Marvel doesn’t necessarily need her, considering how they have successfully transformed lesser-known actors, has-beens, and rising stars alike into A-listers throughout their 20-film journey.
Jolie, on the other hand, falls into the category of AAA-listers, someone so renowned that it is becoming increasingly difficult to separate the character she portrays from the actor herself.
She is not like Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man, an actor striving to rebuild his career after temporarily fading from everyone’s radar for a few years. She is not comparable to Glenn Close in Guardians of the Galaxy, where the veteran actress has a knowing semi-cameo, fully aware that her audience recognizes her, yet willing to suspend disbelief as they appreciate her impressive performance in stylish blue space attire. She is Angelina Jolie, for crying out loud! Nowadays, for her to truly blend into a role, it would necessitate special effects wizards digitally disintegrating her at a subatomic level and reconstructing her using cherry blossom pixels. Even then, we would undoubtedly see Jolie on screen.
Why is she a part of Eternals? Did we accidentally stumble upon a DC movie preview? Because it would make perfect sense for Jolie to appear as a mystical mer-тιтan in an upcoming Aquaman sequel, or perhaps as Bruce Wayne’s love interest in a Batman film. After all, Nicole Kidman has done both, and she is almost as illustrious a presence on the screen as Jolie. However, Eternals is undeniably a Marvel movie – they even mentioned Thanos.
Is it possible that despite her immense fame, Jolie actually needs the support of Disney-owned studio? Her recent endeavors in the Maleficent films were not well-received by critics, and she hasn’t been very successful in more subdued dramatic roles lately.
If we were to compare this situation to the TV show Entourage, which follows the journey of an actor trying to make it in Hollywood, Jolie starring in a Marvel movie would be the kind of move that Jeremy Piven’s character, super-agent Ari Gold, would try to pull off in order to revive his client’s career. However, it’s still quite strange to see Jolie in this film, considering her ability to outshine her co-stars but not fully doing so at the moment.
But if Marvel can embrace Jolie and propel her career to the point where, in ten years, we view her as one of the main players in their superhero mega-saga, it would be a remarkable feat akin to Tony Stark’s invention of time travel.
