Summary
- Ikaris in Eternals resembles Superman with powers like flight, strength, speed, and eye lightning.
- Marvel had the chance to develop Ikaris as a powerful character but restricted his potential in Eternals.
- Ikaris’ demise in Eternals as a tragic villain felt rushed, wasting a character with the potential for broader MCU impact.
Superman is one of the most iconic superheroes of all time and is instantly recognizable, even to people who don’t like the genre. He’s a flagship character for DC Comics, and while Marvel has plenty of iconic characters of its own, building a character up to be like Superman would certainly benefit the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Unlike Iron Man, who relies on technology, Superman boasts extraordinary powers, has a sleek look, and just bursts off the page or screen. Marvel doesn’t have a character quite like Superman, but they had the chance to create their own version with Ikaris in Eternals.
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Who Is Ikaris?
Ikaris is one of the lead characters in Marvel’s Eternals movie, one of the lesser-featured projects within the MCU. The film focuses on a lesser-known hero team that is loosely based on god-like figures who all boast different powers. However, out of everyone in the film, he was the most powerful and showcased the most potential to impact the grander MCU storyline outside of Eternals.
The character was played by former Game of Thrones actor Richard Madden, and he took on a leadership role within the Eternals group. His character is showcased as a hero but ultimately turns out to be a villain who deems that Earth needs to be sacrificed to create more life within new galaxies, a plot twist in the film that doesn’t get talked about as much as other moments. However, the power that he has as a character is something that caught people’s attention and made him a compelling part of the film.
What Similarities Does He Have To Superman?
Of course, the stories and worlds that both characters are based upon are completely different from each other, as would be expected by comic book fans. However, there are many similarities between Ikaris and Superman, which has led to them being compared to each other for many years, long before Ikaris was part of the MCU. Fans were excited about that when Ikaris finally joined the MCU in Eternals, as audiences were keen to see how he would be utilized.
Arguably, the most obvious similarity between them comes from the fact that they can fly, which is always one of the coolest superpowers. It feels so foreign to viewers because they have no real experience of what that feels like, and it makes them feel excited. A few characters can do that within the MCU, but only a few do it naturally without the benefit of a suit such as Iron Man. On top of that, the two characters are complex to defeat as a bullet cannot destroy them, nor are they impacted by fatigue, allowing them to maintain the same level of power and energy throughout any fight.
When it comes to other powers they both have, the two characters have superhuman strength and speed, which are yet more classic powers that audiences always like to see and can easily be turned into an exciting on-screen story. They also both shoot lightning from their eyes, which is a fairly unique power that makes them stand out, but it is something that Marvel failed to make the most of.
How Did Marvel Ruin Him?
In Eternals, Ikaris ends up being responsible for Ajak’s tragic death, ultimately ending his character as he flies into the sun due to the impact that his decisions have on himself and the rest of the characters. While it tapped into the fact he can be seen as a villain within the comics, it was a waste of his character as it restricted him to only being involved in that movie. For a character as powerful as him, it felt like Marvel was ruining him, as there was a lot more that could have been achieved with the character, either as a hero or a villain.
Someone with as much power as Ikaris is always interesting because, much like Superman learns, that can be overbearing sometimes. It could have led to destruction that left others claiming he was a villain when, in his mind, he wasn’t, and that should have been explored beyond the Eternals project. Of course, that 2021 film isn’t one of Marvel’s most talked about projects, which might’ve led to the character not getting another opportunity anyway, but it felt like Marvel was rushing everything to do with him.
Having someone with his type of abilities and interesting personality would have made for a strong addition to the wider MCU. The fact that he is Marvel’s closest answer to Superman made it clear that he could have been used more, possibly interacting with other characters to showcase him even more and create some compelling fight scenes and developments. Unfortunately, there were other ideas for him within the MCU, and sadly, they ended up being rather underwhelming in Eternals.
Marvel
Marvel is a brand associated with a wide array of popular superhero comics, movies, television shows, and merchandise. The company owns the rights to popular characters like The Avengers, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Deadpool, and many more.