Marvel's 'Eternals', which is due for release in just over two weeks, is set to feature the most diverse range of superheroes yet.
Off the back of 'Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings' release from this past summer, there's another brand new name entering the MCU fold in November: Marvel's 'Eternals'. While it is expected to take Phase Four into a whole new level of intergalactic, one of the stars of the film, Angelina Jolie, is questioning why it took "so long" to have diverse superheroes in the universe.
In her very first appearance in the MCU, Jolie plays the role of Thena, who is an elite warrior able to conjure up weapons from cosmic energy. Her character is believed to be very close with Gilgamesh, who will be played by the first-ever South Korean actor as a superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Don Lee.
The other heavy-hitters in the cast include the first deaf superhero, Makkari, who will be played by deaf actress Lauren Ridloff; Pakistani-American comedian and actor Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo: Chinese-English star Gemma Chan as Sersi; Mexican-American actress Salma Hayek as Ajak: and Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, who will officially be the first gay superhero in the MCU. Richard Madden, Kit Harington, Barry Keoghan and Lia McHugh are also part of the blockbuster.
Commenting on the inclusiveness of 'Eternals', Angelina Jolie said of the diverse superheroes in the film: "What's really quite stunning is that when we walked out all of us together, it didn't feel like, 'This is so new and cool,' it felt like, 'This is how it always should have been'.
"Why did it take so long? It felt so right."
Jolie is the mother of six children, three of whom are adopted. During the recent premiere of the film in LA, one of her daughters, Zahara, wore a dress which the actress previously wore to the 2014 Academy Awards.
She also expressed what she hoped viewers will take away from watching the longest entry in Marvel's franchise, saying: "I could say many things, and I could go on for a while, but I think... it is so good to just bust a hole right in that... What I hope is that when people watch this film, they're not seeing it and saying, 'Oh, this is a film about diversity. This is a film that shows this person can be a superhero,' they'll just say, 'Well of course that person's a superhero, and of course that person also is. Of course'.
"And more shame on us for every questioning that they couldn't be because, 'Of course'."
Marvel's 'Eternals' hits cinemas on Friday, November 5.