‘Eternals’ premieres with most diverse casts of Marvel universe
A promotional art for the film "Eternals." (Courtesy of @TheEternals)


Delayed a year due to the pandemic, Marvel Studios' latest comic book adaptation "Eternals" premiered at the iconic El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles on Monday.

Directed by Chloe Zhao, who won the best director and best picture for the film "Nomadland" at the Oscars earlier this year, "Eternals" boasts one of the most diverse casts of any Marvel movie.

"I hope it just starts to normalize what should have been there in the first place," Angelina Jolie told Reuters. "I hope people watch these films in years to come and we don't even think about it as being diverse, it just becomes what's normal and what's right, and what's an appropriate representation of the world we live in."

Director Chloe Zhao arrives at the premiere of "Eternals," in Los Angeles, U.S., Oct. 18. 2021. (AP Photo)

Gemma Chan plays the lead role of Sersi, one of the Eternals, a group of aliens who have lived on Earth and secretly guided humanity for 7,000 years.

"It's got a different tone, visually it's going to be quite different," said Chan. "Obviously the cast is huge and it spans 7,000 years so it's really an epic story. One of the themes of the film is connection, connection to one another, connection to earth. I hope that resonates with people in some way."

Cast member Angelina Jolie poses at the premiere for the film "Eternals" in Los Angeles, California, U.S., Oct. 18, 2021. (Reuters Photo)

"Eternals" also features the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first deaf character in Lauren Ridloff's Makkari.

"I might be the first but I won't be the only one for much longer," signed Ridloff in American Sign Language. "There's another deaf superhero coming into the MCU very soon so this is definitely a game-changer." "Eternals" will finally hit cinemas on Nov. 5.