Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani addresses the unclear future of his fan-favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe character, Kingo. Released last year, Eternals saw Chloé Zhao make her MCU directorial debut and introduced audiences to the titular race of immortal beings who serve as protectors of planet Earth. The film’s all-star cast included Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Don Lee, Barry Keoghan, Salma Hayek, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Lia McHugh and Nanjiani join the Marvel ranks as the Eternals, with this new line-up of heroes having opened up an exciting new future for the MCU.
While the story of Eternals takes place across 7,000 years, the film focuses mainly on the modern day, whereby the heroes have disbanded and are now living “normal human” lives on Earth. Nanjiani stars as Kingo, a charismatic Bollywood star who is never without his trusted valet, Karun. Kingo’s involvement with the dramatic events of Eternals saw the character refuse to join the film’s epic final battle, after ultimately deciding that he will not fight his family, as his fellow Eternals go head-to-head with Ikaris (Madden). Since his appearance within Eternals, Kingo has been referenced within the MCU, including some recent set photos from Loki season 2 that saw Kingo feature on an in-universe poster, though Nanjiani’s actual MCU future remains somewhat unclear.
During a recent interview with Collider, Nanjiani addressed Eternals‘ Kingo’s future within the MCU, sharing that he has “no idea what’s going on.” Confirming his desire to return, the star shared that he isn’t sure whether Kingo will ever return to the MCU, but also praised Marvel’s latest upcoming release Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, sharing his excitement for the direction in which the MCU is going. Check out Nanjiani’s full quote below:
I’m completely in the dark. I have no idea what’s going on. Truly no idea what’s going on. I genuinely don’t know when or if Kingo is coming back to the MCU. I really have no idea. I’m just really excited about the direction they’re going. The new people they’ve cast are really good. I just saw the new Black Panther movie, and I’ve never seen a blockbuster like that, that’s so complicated and tragic, in so many different ways, but also really fun and funny and thrilling. So, I think they’re really stretching and doing some great stuff right now. I’d love to come back and do stuff, but I genuinely have no idea.
Where Could The Eternals Return in the MCU
Naturally, the most likely place that audiences may expect to see the Eternals return is in an Eternals 2, though few details have been confirmed about the status of an Eternals sequel outside some very loose confirmation from actor Patton Oswalt. However, there are certainly a handful of ways these characters could appear throughout the MCU’s Phase 5 in the meantime. Many have speculated that the Eternals could return within the story of Blade, given the Eternals‘ end-credit scene that offered a direct link to this hotly anticipated MCU project with Mahershala Ali providing a vocal cameo. Others have speculated that the Eternals could have some role to play in Phase 6’s two biggest hitters, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, with many anticipating these projects to feature a wide variety of MCU heroes.
While Nanjiani’s comments do not, unfortunately, shed any further light on Kingo’s future, nor the future of the Eternals as a whole group, it’s likely that, even if he was aware, Nanjiani would be unable to divulge any information at this time. With the MCU’s Phase 5 likely to open up a number of entry points for the Eternals to integrate into the franchise’s main storylines, it remains entirely unclear just what Marvel have in store for these powerful characters. With many hoping to see Nanjiani return to the MCU in the future, and with these various other projects having acknowledged his character’s existence, here’s hoping it’s only a matter of time before Kingo’s post-Eternals presence is confirmed.
Source: Collider