Eternals Screenwriter Reveals Why Kingo Sat Out The Final Fight ...

Who expected "Eternals" to willfully sideline a key member of its ensemble right at the most important part of the story? Just as we discover Ikaris' (Richard Madden) betrayal of the Eternals and anticipate the third act battle to prevent the birth of a new Celestial and the destruction of the entire planet, Kingo announces his intentions to step back entirely and let the two opposing groups fight it out between themselves.

It's a bewildering and jarring moment, which /Film's Jacob Hall touched upon during an interview with sibling writers Ryan Firpo and Kaz Firpo. Like Zhao, Ryan made it clear that this was no spur-of-the-moment whim on their part:

"That's something that we came up with early on, and [Producer Nate Moore] and everybody at Marvel was really supportive of that idea. And I think that a conscientious objector is the perfect description. That's really kind of what's going on, yet he can both align himself with Ikaris and his beliefs, and his ideologies about the Celestials, and the importance of their mission, but not want to hurt his family, and not want this big fight against people that he loves. I also think that there is an element for Kingo. He's one of the more kind of, I guess, mortal Eternals. He's been living as a mortal, very public-facing mortal, or living as a human, a public-facing human for a very long time now. And I think that he ... understands them, and feels them in a way that maybe some of the other Eternals don't.

"...But also, it's a fear of his own mortality. It's finally coming to face with the idea that, 'I could die,' and he doesn't want to die. He likes to be alive. And so there's also a choice being made there about, he believes this'll be certain death, but if he sits this out, then a Celestial can be born and he has the chance to basically continue on, perhaps on another planet."

Personally, I found Kingo's refusal to fight to be one of the most interesting parts of "Eternals." There aren't many South Asian characters in major blockbusters to begin with, let alone one who is allowed to be brash and complex and even — depending on your perspective — flat-out wrong. Idealism is nice, but flawed, deeply human characters are even better.

"Eternals" is currently playing in theaters.