Upon its release, Chloé Zhao’s Eternals made history by becoming the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film to have received a Rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes. Currently, the film sits at a meager rating of 47%. However, having given a 77% score, the audience clearly does not agree with the critics and believes that the film was not really as bad as they are saying. Many fans would agree that while Eternals was not one of the MCU’s greatest works, it still was an entertaining one-time watch, at least.

Eternals explored many impressive themes including faith and loyalty and the characters somehow managed to make a tiny place in the viewers’ hearts. Richard Madden’s Ikaris was a fan-favorite character who suffered the dilemma of either fulfilling his purpose or staying loyal to his family. In the end, Ikaris chose to sacrifice his life. However, a new report has stated that Ikaris is in fact, not dead and will soon return to the MCU.

Eternals’ Ikaris Will Be Back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Says Report

As Eternals was coming to an end, the audience saw a horrific end to Richard Madden’s Ikaris. A troubled Ikaris who believed he had let down both his sacred duty and his family flew into the sun and ended his life. Or so we thought.

According to an industry insider on X, MyTimeToShineHello (@MyTimeToShineH) Ikaris “lives (and will be back sooner than you think).”

While this update is quite exciting, it flies directly in the face of the film’s screenwriter who had previously confirmed the character’s death. In a 2021 interview with CBR, Kaz Firpo stated,

“It began as an exile that I think, throughout the course of the filmmaking, really became something that needed to be definitive. It really is a moment of saying, ‘It’s sacrifice.’ It’s sort of saying, ‘I can’t serve the Eternals. If I can’t serve the Celestials, and I can’t be with my family, then I choose this third option,’ which — for him — really is oblivion. So yeah, he dead.”

But hey, if fans are getting a character that has so often been compared to Superman back, they just might be able to forget everything Firpo said!

Ikaris Was Inspired by Henry Cavill’s Superman

There are quite a few similarities between Ikaris and Henry Cavill’s Superman. For starters, both superheroes are near-invincible. They can shoot laser beams out of their eyes, have super strength, and of course, can fly. Not to mention that both of them are burdened with an identity crisis.

Therefore, when director Chloé Zhao revealed that her Ikaris was actually inspired by Cavill and Zack Snyder’s iteration of Superman, we weren’t too surprised.

In an interview with French site Films Actu (via The Hollywood Reporter), Zhao talked about Man of Steel’s impact on Eternals, particularly on Ikaris. She stated,

“Of all the modern interpretations of Superman, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel inspired me the most because he approached this myth in an authentic and very real way.…This film left a strong impression on me.”

Now that it has been reported that Ikaris could be coming back into our lives sooner or later, we cannot wait to see what the MCU might have in store for the character! Perhaps a Disney+ miniseries?

You can stream Eternals on Disney+.