The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a well-oiled machine at this point, constantly growing in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. While the fandom is celebrating the record-breaking success of Deadpool 3, those us who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that there have been a number of flops in recent years. Chief among them is Chloé Zhao’s Eternals, which failed to impress critics and audiences alike. Game of Thrones icon Kit Harington made his MCU debut in that ill-fated project, and has a funny explanation for why he signed onto the superhero flick.
The cast of Eternals was super stacked, with Harington playing one of the smaller roles as Dane Whitman. While Eternals‘ credits scene teased big things for the character, we haven’t seen him back in the shared universe. It’s unclear if he’ll ever pop up in an upcoming Marvel movie, but GQ recently spoke to Harington about landing the gig. He explained why he took the role, saying:
I’m not gonna pretend I took that [role] because it was different and interesting. If Marvel calls, you gotta do it.
There you have it. Sounds like, especially after the Game of Thrones finale, Harington thought it was in his best interest to join the MCU with Eternals. After all, Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, and it’s good to make friends with the House of Mouse… even if Dane Whitman’s alter ego Black Knight ends up fighting similarly to the way Jon Snow did in Westeros, sword in hand. Although it’s unclear if we’ll ever see him actually take up that mantle in the shared universe.
Despite Eternals making money at the box office, there hasn’t been any indication that the characters or story will end up continuing in the MCU. Recently, Kevin Feige shut down the idea of an Eternals sequel, which is a bummer considering how many plot points were set up during its credits sequences. Although Captain America: Brave New World is expected to address that movie’s ending, specifically the Celestial Tiamut’s frozen corpse.
If Eternals never gets a solo movie, there may be another opportunity for Harington to possibly return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Namely, the upcoming Blade movie. Because during the Eternals credits scene with Dane, we heard the voice of Mahershala Ali’s vampire hero. This was seemingly setting up a connection between the two characters, one fans are curious about seeing play out on the big screen.
With Eternals 2 not happening for the time being and Blade hit with years of delays, it’s a mystery as to if/when Harington will actually return to the MCU. But it seems like he’s happy he took the job in the end.
The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Captain America: Brave New World on February 14th. In the meantime, check the 2025 movie release dates.