New Image from Marvel’s ‘Eternals’, Detailed Look at Kumal Nanjiani’s Costume

A new still from Marvel’s Eternals offers a detailed look at Kumail Nanjiani’s Kingo costume.

Helmed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, Eternals is the next movie in MCU’s Phase 4 slate, which shifts the focus away from better known Marvel superheroes like the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, introducing the new eponymous alien race of immortal superpowered individuals based on Jack Kirby’s characters.

In the movie, the Eternals will emerge from shadows after living in secrecy for 7,000 years. And they will only do so to protect the Earth from an impending threat, posed by the arrival of their evil counterparts, the Deviants. Eternals was originally supposed to premiere last year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it got delayed until November 5, 2021.

Although the Eternals aren’t exactly well-known among the general public, Marvel is still betting on the movie to spawn a lucrative franchise of its own. In fact, interest in the movie has increased over time, with fans becoming decidedly anxious to catch the film’s star-studded cast, comprised of Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, and more in action.

Recently, there were reports that in wake of the outbreak of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, Marvel was reconsidering its release strategy for the movie. However, after witnessing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘ bonafide success at the box office, the studio announced that it was sticking to purely theatrical for Eternals. Now, with only a little above a month left until the movie’s release, the marketing campaign has kicked into a higher gear.

Recently, Empire Magazine shared a new image from Eternals, offering a comprehensive glimpse at the costume Kumail Nanjiani’s Kingo will be wearing. The suit bears some loose resemblance to the character’s getup from the comics, although the colors have been toned down to match the film’s unique and delectable visuals. The background behind Nanjiani’s Kingo in the image appears a bit anarchic, and that enables the character to fully manifest his glory in his purple and gold suit.

Zhao has altered Kingo’s origins for Eternals. In the comics, Kingo is actually a Japanese Samurai, who at the time of the arrival of the Deviants on Earth, is enjoying fame as a popular Japanese movie star. Nanjiani’s version of the character, on the other hand, is a top actor in Bollywood, who abandons his fame and luxuries to reunite with his fellow superheroes to take down the Deviants. Nanjiani had undergone a dramatic transformation to prepare for his character in Eternals. The actor reportedly worked with trainers and nutritionists for a full year to embody his role as a larger-than-life superhero.

Until now, a handful of promotional material from Eternals has spotlighted Nanjiani’s role as Kingo in the movie. Recently, the movie’s trailer showed off the character’s jarring cosmic energy beam powers, whereas a few other photos showed him in casual outfits and performing Bollywood numbers in on-screen movies.

The new image, however, provides the most thorough look at the character’s superhero side, showing him in full grandeur. Nanjiani has prepared hard for his Eternals role, taking inspiration from Die Hard‘s John McClane, the Errol Flynn films, and the original Zorro films.

With his role, he intends on breaking stereotypes reserved for South Asian and Middle Eastern characters, as well as, making a name for himself in a relatively unfamiliar genre. Hopefully, under Zhao’s direction, Nanjiani will be able to meet his goals and establish himself as a core part of the MCU.

(ROHN ROMULO)