It was director Chloe Zhao who brought together a star-studded cast for the first time in the MCU’s Eternals to create a truly memorable film. Though Gemma Chan’s Sersi was the film’s star, Richard Madden’s Ikaris was prominently featured in the movie’s marketing campaign.
A lot of factors contributed to Marvel and Disney’s focus on Ikaris. Madden’s stardom will continue to rise after the final season of Game of Thrones because of his popularity in major roles like James Bond. This hero’s Superman-like qualities open the door to plenty of ridiculous blockbuster action, which is sure to sell tickets and toys alike.
However, even though Richard Madden and Ikaris were both well-known before their roles in the film, the Eternal was killed off at the end. Ikaris met his Greek namesake, the man who died after flying too close to the sun when he was overcome with regret for trying to prevent his fellow heroes’ plan to stop the emergence.
Is Ikaris’ Death in Eternals True?
Ikaris committed suicide because he couldn’t bear to face his family after what he had done, according to writer Kaz Firpo, who cleared up any doubts about his death by flying straight through the sun.
Even so, could Ikaris be back in Eternals 2 or another Marvel movie after being so integral to the first film? Even if so, there are three clear paths in which Richard Madden’s return could bring him to the spotlight.
Ikaris’ Resurrection
Celestials created the Eternals, who are eternal and immortal, as a tribute to their immortality. The Machine, the artificial intelligence that serves the team, resurrects fallen Eternals.
The resurrection did not play a significant role in Marvel Studios’ adaptation of the Eternals, but it could in a future sequel. Gilgamesh was killed by the Deviants in Eternals, after all. If that had never happened in the Eternals’ thousands of years of existence on Earth and other planets, it would have been shocking.
Ikaris 2.0
Aside from the depth and humanity of these immortal heroes, Eternals made it clear that these robots were designed to help life in different worlds to evolve so that new Celestials could emerge from them. Arishem may simply have created a second version of Richard Madden’s hero, given that Ikaris was one of his most powerful, strongest, and loyal creations.
After the events of Eternals, Arishem will return to judge humanity and decide the fate of Earth in the sequel. To read and see Ikaris’ recollection of human history, he may have to rebuild or resurrect him in some way since he will be using the Eternals’ memories. Alternatively, he could simply create a new Ikaris, devoid of feelings and love, to act as a pawn in his wars and take on the other Eternals once more.
A Variant of Ikaris
Bringing an Ikaris variant from another universe into the MCU may seem far-fetched at first, but as the Multiverse expands, anything is possible. However, no one expected alternate realities to play a role in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy as they did in No Way Home.
As far as Ikaris is concerned, it’s anyone’s guess whether, or not Richard Madden will reprise his role. However, the studio could choose to cast a different actor in the Variant role, as Tom Hiddleston did in his Disney+ series, so there’s no reason Madden couldn’t keep his Marvel role.
How Will Richard Madden’s Return Happen?
It’d be surprising if Chloe Zhao and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige didn’t find a way to bring Richard Madden’s Ikaris back for the sequel after being such an important pillar in Eternals. Examining the options, the Multiverse Variant path is unlikely, but the resurrection path has precedent in the Eternals comics, making that the likely cause of action.
Eternals 2, which has yet to be released, is most likely still some time away. Zhao and Marvel Studios will need to devote more time to the sequel following the mixed reception to the first film.
