Marvel across its the ever-expanding universe has been absolutely sexless during its span of 25 feature films. This is going to change soon and will involve significant characters in it.
While plot details have been kept under wraps, fans suspect the scene will involve the love triangle at the center of the film between superhumans Sersi (Gemma Chan) and Ikaris (Richard Madden) and the at-least-for-now very mortal Dane (Kit Harington).
One cannot be too sure about this but then the truth cannot be hidden for too long. Chloé Zhao spoke about why it is important to show physical intimacy because the act of lovemaking underscores her humanist approach to cinema.
She further said, “From that moment to what you see onscreen there was definitely a lot of discussion about how to do it,” Zhao said. “But I think the desire to do something different is a very natural desire for where Marvel Studios is right now. I think it’s like Westerns coming into the revisionist period of the ’70s. I think it’s happening to superhero films — or at least we’re on the edge of that. And so these scenes just started to happen naturally.”
The scene was already written and incorporated in the script when the Oscar-winning director joined the project, and from her perspective, it is a very important scene inseparable from the film.
“For us to be able to show two people who love each other, not just emotionally and intellectually but also physically, and to have a sex scene that will be seen by a lot of people that shows their love and compassion and gentleness — I think it’s a really beautiful thing,” she added.
The reactions by the critics have been cold so far, calling it very tame and very G-rated. They also said that it being very simple means that the decidedly R-rated fans will surely be disappointed.
Marvel television shows like “Jessica Jones,” which have yet to majorly intersect with the current MCU slate of films, featured more explicit and suped-up sexual encounters.
Apart from the central romance, “Eternals” also features the franchise’s first openly gay superhero, Phaistos (played by Brian Tyree Henry), who’s married with a child. The character was “written into the story” from the onset, Zhao explained, adding that she hopes his scenes won’t be censored when the film arrives in theaters around the world.
Chloé Zhao further commented that I don’t know all the details but I do believe discussions were had and there’s a big desire from Marvel and myself — we talked about this — to not change the cut of the film.