Zack Snyder and Superman as inspiration for Chloé Zhao in Eternals

Interviewed by Pure Break Films Actu, the director of Eternals, Chloé Zhao talked about Zack Snyder and Superman as inspiration for the film and the decision to insert the unusual easter-egg dedicated to the Man of Steel that is causing so much discussion about the MCU fans who did not welcome the film, the first Marvel branded not to receive a positive evaluation on the various aggregators present online.

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Eternals, Zack Snyder and Superman as inspiration for Chloé Zhao

In Eternals, Ikaris, one of the protagonists played by Richard Madden in the film, is explicitly compared to Superman. A more unique than rare case given that, as we all know, the DC and Marvel characters belong to two very distinct (and competing) universes conceptually and commercially. The director joked about the easter egg saying that Superman is everything we aspire to be and that he could very well exist in the pop culture of the MCU as well.

The details provided by the director are more interesting about the decision to include the easter-egg, a decision considered by both Marvel Studios and president Kevin Feige who seems to have found the idea really "interesting".

Underlining how the concept of a man of incredible ability exists in all cultures, Chloé Zhao spoke specifically of Zack Snyder and his Superman as inspiration for the characterization of Ikaris:

By all modern interpretations of Superman, that of Zack Snyder in The Man of Steel influenced me the most because he dealt with the mythology in a realistic and true way. I remember, after watching the trailer, that he was a Superman made by Terrence Malik. The film deeply impressed me and Ikaris is without a doubt our Superman, our interpretation of that Superman.

Among all the Eternals, the powers of Ikaris are actually very similar to those of Superman (flight, invulnerability, energy rays from the eyes) however it is good to point out that it is the first time that a DC character has been nominated in the MCU. Digging back in time, there had been more subtle references in Howard the Duck (1986), Spider-Man 2 (2004) and the TV series The Incredible Hulk.

Do you want to deepen your knowledge of the Eternals? Retrieve our article Eternals: the essential readings On the contrary, DC has never skimped on quotations especially in the TV series of the so-called Arrowverse, the most evident one on Firestorm's Spiderman in the Crisis on Earth-X crossover a few years ago.

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