Chloe Zhao's Eternals is here, sparking the inevitable debate: which member of the MCU's newest super-team is the strongest? In a team packed with beings more powerful than the Avengers, who stands out?
We have attempted to sort this out, even though we know every person who reads this will have a different list.
10. Ajak
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Ajak (Salma Hayek) is a powerful healer who doubles as the leader of the Eternals. She is also the only one in the group able to communicate with the Celestial Arishem directly.
Most of Ajak's screentime is spent centuries in the past, both in the opening scene and in flashbacks peppered throughout the film. We see precious little of her healing abilities; Zhao is far more concerned with acquainting viewers with Ajak the Leader rather than Ajak the Cleric. Ajak may not be the heaviest hitter, but she is very much the heart of the Eternals.
9. Sprite
Sprite (Lia McHugh) is a master of deception and illusions. She's small and slight but by no means someone to underestimate. Remember, every one of the Eternals is leagues more dangerous than your run-of-the-mill superhero. That is still true in Sprite's case. It's just more true for her fellow Eternals. The climax of Eternals sees Sprite aligning with Ikaris and using her tricks to slow Sersi and company down.
Sprite's cruelest deception comes during that last desperate fight to stop the Emergence. She conjures an image of the now-dead Ajak and stabs Sersi before she can connect the dots. This is the moment that clues us into how deadly this particular Eternal can be.
8. Kingo
Kingo's (Khumail Nanjiani) “finger gun” energy blasts are excellent long-range weapons, but compared to his fellow Eternals, he's fairly weak. His Eternals-specific strengths are incredibly limited, putting him at a distinct disadvantage against his friends. We see the extent of his power in the Amazon battle mid-way through the movie, and if every energy burst he produced could be as devastating as the one that blows a Deviant's head off, then he might rank higher here. Given the time it takes for him to collect that kind of power, it wouldn't be terribly useful against stronger or faster Eternals such as Gilgamesh, Ikaris, or Makkari.
Luckily, Kingo's appeal has nothing to do with his power. A Bollywood actor of over 100 years, Kingo is that rare showboat who's as genuinely confident on-camera as he is in his everyday interactions. He's fiercely loyal to Ikaris and excludes himself from the final confrontation with Tiamut because he doesn't want to hurt his friends.
7. Druig
Druig's (Barry Keoghan) power is mind control. After the Eternals scattered across the planet centuries ago, Druig retreated into the Amazon, where he controlled a small community nestled deep in the jungle. He flirts with the idea of controlling the minds of all humans at once, suggesting some astounding power.
6. Thena
Thena (Angelina Jolie) is a seasoned warrior and an even fiercer friend, but like Kingo and Gilgamesh, she's quite limited. Her abilities allow her to conjure any weapon out of cosmic energy; in the movie, her go-to stabbing tools are swords and spears, with the occasional dagger tossed in for variety.
5. Makkari
I had a difficult time figuring out where Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) ranks on this list. On one hand, her super speed makes her unbelievably tough to attack. On the other, she is extremely susceptible to attacks from above as well as any traps Phastos might set for her. But hey, her sensitivity to even the slightest vibrations may work in her favor in such situations.
She's lower on the list than she'd be without Ikaris and Phastos. In fact, while writing this, I almost swapped her and Gilgamesh. She almost single-handedly beats Ikaris after he buries Druig in a volcano, so she'd definitely fare well against Gilgamesh.
4. Phastos
Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) can create just about anything he wants. He proposes technologies that are far beyond the comprehension and capabilities of ancient Mesopotamia and helps nudge humanity toward advancement.
Phastos is astoundingly useful in combat. His conjured gadgets and manifested gizmos have a wide range of potential applications, making him one of the more well-rounded Eternals. Most notably, he restrains Ikaris for an impressive amount of time while Sersi runs off to stop the Emergence.
3. Gilgamesh
In terms of raw physical strength, Gilgamesh (Don Lee) is easily the strongest Eternal. His punches send Deviants crashing into trees dozens of yards away, and his imposing size lends itself well to some serious butt-kicking potential.
The comics refer to Gilgamesh as The Forgotten One, but the MCU steers the character in a different direction. Marvel's big-screen continuity emphasizes his strength and kindness without referencing his other characteristics.
2. Ikaris
Ikaris (Richard Madden) has a slightly broader power set. What elevates him to the #2 spot, though, is his ability to fly. This power makes him a formidable opponent for grounded powerhouses such as Makkari and Gilgamesh—provided he can get into the air before she starts pummeling him.
Ikaris' raw strength, coupled with his flying abilities and energy blasts, made his betrayal a huge problem for the other Eternals. They say it multiple times: without Gilgamesh, there isn't much they can do against Ikaris.
1. Sersi
Sersi (Gemma Chan) does not start out as the second most powerful Eternal. She spends most of the movie turning various projectiles into harmless clouds of flower petals or other, softer alternatives. As the story progresses, she grows stronger, causing branches to erupt from an attacking Deviant. She realizes that her abilities now affect living beings and vows to use her newfound strength to stop the Celestial Tiamut from destroying Earth.
Read that again: She kills a Celestial. By the end of Chloe Zhao's Eternals, it's clear that Sersi is the strongest Eternal Arishem sent to Earth, and that she will be a valuable ally to the Avengers.