On Nov. 5, Marvel released The Eternals, a film unlike any of the entertainment company’s recent releases. While the majority of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four has honed in on developments in the multiverse, The Eternals takes a completely different angle separate from the multiverse storyline. 

The Eternals — a group of 10 immortal beings with superhuman powers who have lived secretly on Earth for thousands of years — reunite after an unexpected tragedy forces them to battle the biggest threats to mankind: the Deviants. With the Celestials as their creators, the Deviants are a genetically engineered race of near-immortal beings created to rid various planets of their apex predators and ensure the development of sentient life. The film places significant focus on the heroes and their respective superpowers, unlike the typical Marvel movie where the characters and storylines go beyond expectations, avoiding the generic “beat the bad guy” superhero trope. 

Following Marvel tradition, fans have considered the film’s post-credit scene as a major highlight. The scene introduces pop-icon Harry Styles to the MCU as Eros — Thanos’ brother. This addition leaves room for Marvel to expand on various storylines in the near future, Harry Styles included.

The fact that the film stands alone from the rest of the multiverse arc means that others can understand its plot pretty easily. All one needs to know as prior knowledge is that Thanos snapped his fingers, made half of the global population disappear and that the Avengers brought them all back again. 

However, the film’s place in the MCU storyline appears to revolve around the narratives that the franchise could expand on in the future. Given The Eternals’ ambitious storyline involving the intricate backgrounds of each of the 10 new heroes, making the decision to not mention the multiverse may have been for the best as it would have added confusion to the already complicated backstories.

With that being said, the film has not seen nearly as much success as previous Marvel releases. In terms of box office data, the film earned $4.95 million on day five, raising its total revenue to $80.5 million. In comparison, Marvel’s smash hit Black Widow grossed this much from its first weekend alone. The Eternals is on track to earn $161 million domestically, around 2.25 times its opening weekend intake. Unless the film excels overseas, The Eternals could potentially become Marvel’s first major flop since The Incredible Hulk.