Was There an Eternals Easter Egg in the Captain America 4 Trailer?

The first trailer for Captain America: Brave New World has stirred excitement among long-time Marvel Cinematic Universe fans, primarily due to the revealing glimpse of Red Hulk and Giancarlo Esposito’s enigmatic character. Among these teasers, one particular easter egg has especially captivated the internet, suggesting the first significant reference back to the climax of 2021’s Eternals.

Throughout several parts of the trailer, scenes show a battle over an open ocean. Missiles are launched from warships, fighter jets streak overhead, and both Captain America and Falcon navigate the turbulence. What drew the fans’ attention wasn’t the battle itself, but peculiar large objects protruding from the ocean with no nearby landmass.

Speculation is rife that this battle could be taking place around the exposed, petrified body of Tiamut, a Celestial prominently featured in Eternals. The appearance of Tiamut was pivotal during Eternals’ climax since the Celestial’s impending birth was central to the movie’s plot.

Viewers discovered in Eternals that Earth, like many other worlds, was seeded by the Celestial Arishem to birth a new Celestial. Arishem revealed to the Eternal Sersi that the energy from densely populated planets empowers the birth of new Celestials, forming a universal cycle of creation and destruction. It was also unveiled that the Deviants were initially designed to protect populations but malfunctioned and began preying on those they were meant to safeguard, prompting Arishem to create the Eternals. Post-Emergence, the Eternals’ memories are wiped, and they are sent to another planet to begin the cycle anew.

Tiamut was the Celestial seeded in Earth millions of years ago, and the Emergence event was expedited by Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Ajak, the original leader of the Eternals, intended to halt the Emergence but was thwarted and killed by Ikaris, the mightiest of the Earthbound Eternals.

Sersi pursued Ajak’s original plan to prevent the Emergence, though it caused a division among the Eternals. Kingo opted to stay neutral while Ikaris and Sprite attempted to ensure the Emergence. Ultimately, Sersi managed to link her consciousness with the other Eternals, amplifying her power to manipulate matter and turn Tiamut to stone, halting the Emergence. Tiamut’s head, hand, and shoulder emerged from the surface before Sersi’s intervention, and this stony form has remained in the Indian Ocean, unaddressed in any other MCU films or series.

The prospect of Tiamut’s body appearing in Captain America: Brave New World has fueled speculation since 2022. Rumors indicated the film might be the first to explicitly acknowledge Tiamut’s stalled birth. Some purported insiders suggested that Tiamut’s body would be crucial to the movie’s conflict, as various nations, including the U.S., would compete to claim the indestructible metal adamantium from Tiamut’s remains. However, Marvel Studios has not confirmed these rumors or speculation regarding the film’s plot and production.

The initial trailer for Brave New World hints that there might be some truth to these early conjectures. Among the swirling rumors was the reveal that Harrison Ford’s ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross would serve as the U.S. President and later transform into Red Hulk. These details were affirmed in the trailer, showing Sam Wilson addressing Ross as “Mr. President” and concluding with a dramatic scene of Red Hulk hurling Captain America’s shield into the ground.

Yet, it remains to be seen whether these rumors will hold true or if they are just the product of hopeful fans’ imaginations. Captain America: Brave New World is set to hit theaters on February 15, 2025.

Source: Clutchpoints