Eternals: Did Ikaris Really Die? - MovieWeb

In the promotion for Eternals, Ikaris was built-up as Marvel's Superman. No one expected, upon seeing the film, that he would ultimately end up being the film's antagonist. The Eternal, played by former Game of Thrones cast member Richard Madden, indeed was one of the MCU's most complex characters. Despite killing his friends, he believed he was doing the right thing until his guilt drove him into the sun at the climax of the film.

No one expected as many Eternals to die, and they certainly didn't expect Madden's character to parish. Ikaris' death was perhaps the most surprising as his presence was truly that of a god amongst men, even to his brethren. Eternals 2 is in development, but fans can't help but wonder if this is really the last time they'll see Ikaris. Did Ikaris really die at the end of Eternals?

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How Did Ikaris Die?

Photo Credit - Marvel Studios

The Eternals protected humanity from the Deviants for thousands of years before the film's events. When it becomes time for the Celestial Tiamut to awaken from the earth, most of the Eternals elect to postpone the Emergence after having lived amongst them for generations and deeming them deserving of survival, and therefore devise a plan to put the celestial to sleep. However, it becomes apparent that Ikaris did not share his family's sympathies for human life and chose to remain loyal to Arishem, their creator. Out of this loyalty, he kills Ajak, the Eternals' leader played by Salma Hayek, and attempts to stop the Uni-Mind process from putting Tiamut to sleep. Ikaris is forced into combat with the other Eternals, but cannot bring himself to kill Sersi to halt their plan. In the act of surrender, he links with the rest of his family in the Uni-Mind and puts the dormant Celestial to sleep, thus ending the Emergence and saving Earth from destruction. Guilt-ridden over his betrayal to Arishem and his actions against his fellow Eternals, Ikaris leaves earth and flies into the sun, ending his life.

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Can Ikaris Come Back for Eternals 2?

Walt Disney Studios

The writer of Eternals, Kaz Firpo, confirmed that he wrote Ikaris' death as a definitive conclusion to the character's arc and expressed his full belief that the Eternal is deceased and will not return. 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’s dead."

However, as we've seen with the events of Avengers: Endgame and Loki, characters being dead in the MCU is played as such that makes use of the word "definitive" very loose. We may never see this Ikaris portrayed by Richard Madden ever again. Given current events, though, it's entirely possible that we could see Ikaris' character return by way of variants from other universes. Fans already know that there will be multiple variants of heroes in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so another Ikaris is not out of the question. Alternatively, Arishem could recreate Ikaris from scratch in the sequel. The full power of the celestial is still unknown, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that he could resurrect Madden's character altogether to observe his memories of humans in determining whether he'll spare mankind. Nothing is impossible in the MCU. Loki and Gamora are still running around in the universe despite their deaths in Avengers: Infinity War. When it comes to superheroes, whether they be in the comics or on screen, one thing is for sure: death is never certain.