Marvel's Eternals movie is having a hard time connecting with critics and has become the worst-reviewed film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, surpassing Thor: The Dark World in that respect.
Eternals initially had a critic score of 73 percent on the review aggregate, Rotten Tomatoes, wedging it between Avengers: Age of Ultron and Iron Man 2. That position was since slipped. At the time of writing, Eternals dropped to 63 percent, below Thor: The Dark World's 66 percent, making it the worst-reviewed MCU movie ever.
Marvel's Eternals focuses on an immortal race of powerful beings who come to Earth in the wake of the events of Avengers: Endgame to step up as humanity's protectors. Amongst the Eternals is Phastos, played by Brian Tyree Henry, who will be the MCU's first gay superhero. The inclusion of Phastos and his husband has been one of the movie's biggest talking points, earning praise from fans and critics alike. In the film, the heroes will face off against the Deviants, their evil counterparts who can change their shape to that of any predator they kill, making them a deadly threat that requires a response of the Eternals' magnitude.
As with the MCU films before it, Eternals has had an impressive marketing campaign that includes a renewed prominence for the characters in the comics, multiple lines of action figures and promos that compare the Eternals to the Avengers. One such promo also compared the Eternals to DC's Superman, which is just one of many surprising references to the DCEU that Zhao got approved by Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige.
Despite its mixed reception, plans for an Eternals sequel have already been discussed. Thor: The Dark World also saw mixed reviews but went on to become a box-office success, earning over $600 million. Eternals is scheduled to be released on Nov. 5.