There are spoilers for Eternals in this post, so beware.

You can check out my fairly non-spoilery review of Eternals here.

I can’t stop thinking about Eternals, both the movie and the individual characters who make up the Eternals, and I have some thoughts that spill over into this post. What thoughts, you ask? Is it about the Celestials and who they are and where they come from? Is it how the Eternals change the face of the MCU going forward? Is it Thanos and whether he was actually a good guy? Easter eggs?

Nah. It’s all about the ships. No, not this ship:

I’m a little obsessed about the Eternals relationships, romantic (“ships”) or otherwise. There’s just so many of them, and they’re a big, loving, dysfunctional family; there are relationships between them (and a few humans) that are just fun and fascinating to think about and speculate on. I’m just gonna dive in:

• Thena and Gilgamesh. These two have the deepest, most poignant bond in the film. They are both warriors, and respect each other as such, and usually work as a team as they battle the Devients. They’re the closest of friends, and while I have no idea if it goes beyond that, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that Gilgamesh is willing to risk his life to watch over Thena when they find out she has “Madweary,” a malady that can strike an Eternal after centuries. It’s literally their mind falling apart under the weight of their memories. Gilgamesh tenderly watches over her, protects her from herself, and cooks wonderful meals for her. Because that’s what you do for someone you love.

• Ikarus and Sersi. Icarus and Sersi, over the course of a few centuries, fall in love and have the kind of long-term relationship we can barely fathom, lol. They actually take part in the first (fairly tame, but even so) sex scene in the MCU. Their love seems sweet and idyllic, although the fact that Ikarus learns about the people they’re helping only so he can get closer to her is troubling. Sersi truly loves human beings, while to Ikarus we’re just part of the mission, and that’s a bit of foreshadowing for the rest of the film.

• Sersi and Dane. In the present, Sersi is involved with Dane Whitman. He doesn’t have a lot of screentime, but their few moments together in the film shows that he loves her. He wants her to move in with him, but she keeps putting him off. Sprite tells him that Sersi’s not quite over her ex (Ikarus), and that’s probably true. By the end of the movie, though, she’s definitely worked through that, and seems ready to go on with him, but she’s taken by Arishem to who knows where. Now it looks like Dane is ready to take up the Ebony Blade and become the Black Knight, though I’m not sure how that will help him get Sersi back. We’ll see.

• Druig and Makkari. This is probably the sweetest pairing in the movie, and my favorite, mostly because it’s subtle and surprising. You can tell they’re good friends from the beginning, and like to tease each other, and then by the middle of the movie you can see something’s shifted and you’re just as surprised as the rest of the team. Putting the broody, laconic guy with the vibrant, feisty gal is always a satisfying move. I love how Druig is a different person when he’s around Makkari, lighter and a bit happier. She is his “beautiful, beautiful” Makkari. Awwww.

• Kingo and Karun. Karun is Kingo’s “valet,” which basically boils down to a personal assistant and cameraman. But also a close friend. Karun has been with Kingo for fifty years (he thought Kingo was a vampire, at first) and knows about the Eternals and Kingo’s role in protecting humanity. Karun is the stand-in for us; he’s the human who looks upon the Eternals with awe and admiration, and has unshakable faith in them. When Kingo disagrees with his fellow Eternals and decides to absent himself from the coming battle, Karun follows him home, even though he doesn’t really want to. He wants to stay and fight. But he’s a loyal friend, and sometimes I think Kingo doesn’t deserve him, lol.

• Phastos and Ben. Poor Phastos is broken-hearted after Hiroshima, and blames himself for giving humans technology that helped them ultimately create such a terrible weapon. He told Ajak that humans were not worth saving. So imagine our surprise when we find him happily living with another man and their adopted son. First of all, I think it’s great that the MCU finally created an openly gay superhero–it’s long past due. Secondly, I love how Phastos and Ben show that, yeah, in the aggregate, humans suck; but on a smaller, family level, we’re capable of so much love. Phastos is willing to fight the Emergence for the love he has for his son’s future, and that’s a beautiful thing.

• Ajak and Ikarus. They’re not romantically involved, of course; Ajak is like the den-mother to the Eternals. But Ikarus is the unofficial second-in-command, and Ajak shares the truth of their mission with him after Babylon. So they share a secret. Ikarus is devoted to that mission, and to Arishem, apparently more than he is to Ajak or the Eternals or humans. He can’t believe that Ajak changes her mind about earth, and so he….kills her. He kills her! This is unforgivable, and yet is there something to be admired in his loyalty to Arishem? In his willingness to sacrifice a planet for the billions to come? Nope. Captain America said it himself: “We don’t trade lives.” The fact that Ikarus killed someone he loved for an idea is rather horrible. And he did love her–you can see that when he brings her body back to her house in South Dakota. But the deed is done and sets the rest of the story in motion.

• Sprite and Ikarus. Let me be clear, I do NOT ship these two for obvious reasons. But Sprite does love Ikarus, and therein lies the tragedy: she’s a woman trapped in a child’s body. And that, to me, is pretty awful. She’s thousands of years old, and has the body of a 12-year old. WTF Arishem? When she plaintively asks Kingo, “Why did Arishem make me this way?” it strikes a chord in a lot of people who don’t understand why they are the way they are and shake their fists at the heavens. And there’s no answer. That’s why she’s so willing to follow Ikarus, even after his betrayal; not only does she love him, but she wants to end her frustrating existence here on earth and start over somewhere else. I’m so happy Sersi was able to make her human, so she can grow up. And grow old and die, but she’s ready for that, just to have a chance to live a full life. She’s definitely like Tinkerbell, as Kingo suggests, but she’s also Pinocchio, who finally becomes a real person. Good for her. I even forgive her for stabbing Sersi, lol.

Whew! Those are all I can think of right now. Did I miss anyone? Who’s your favorite Eternal or relationship? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!