Eternals

The story ties the heroism and personal arcs of the characters directly to their diverse modern identity traits. Phastos finds his hope in humanity and his motivation to fight through his domestic life with his husband and son, putting his queer family structure at the heart of his narrative arc. Makkari's deafness is treated as a unique superhero trait rather than a limitation. Because the film heavily centers on these identity-focused dynamics and queer themes, it receives an extra +25 points according to our rules, as these modern social elements are clearly prioritized over standard sci-fi adventure.

The movie critiques Western imperialism and technological warfare. It portrays the Spanish conquistadors as brutal, bloodthirsty invaders slaughtering peaceful Aztec civilians. It also shows the US atomic bomb drop on Hiroshima as a horrific failure of human progress that breaks the spirit of a key hero. Additionally, the film subverts traditional masculine heroism. The primary white male hero, Ikaris, is revealed to be a fanatical traitor who kills their female leader and tries to destroy the Earth. He is ultimately humiliated and flies into the sun in shame, while the diverse female and queer heroes save the day.

The movie makes massive, identity-driven changes to the established Marvel comic book source material. It gender-swaps three prominent male characters (Ajak, Makkari, and Sprite) into female roles. It also changes the race of several heroes, such as Sersi, Kingo, and Phastos, to create a highly diverse modern cast. Phastos's sexual orientation is changed to gay to establish the MCU's first same-sex romance, complete with a domestic family life and an on-screen kiss. These deliberate, diversity-focused deviations from the original Jack Kirby comic books are highly visible to fans.

The movie faced massive internet backlash and was heavily review-bombed on platforms like IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes before it even released. Anti-woke critics and viewers strongly complained about the intense push for DEI casting, the gender-swaps, and the inclusion of an active gay relationship. The same-sex kiss became a focal point of public controversy, leading to the film being banned or heavily censored in several Middle Eastern countries. When the movie underperformed at the box office and received poor reviews, many online critics pointed to it as a classic example of a project suffering from a woke agenda.

Key Marvel producers Kevin Feige and Nate Moore, alongside casting director Sarah Halley Finn, have a well-documented public track record of prioritizing diverse representation and DEI initiatives in the MCU. They openly framed the movie's diverse casting as a major milestone. The writers and director Chloé Zhao have more moderate personal track records that focus on grounded human stories, but they fully supported and defended the film's identity-driven choices, including refusing to cut the gay kiss scene for international releases.