After Avengers: Endgame was released in 2019, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was in a limbo. Marvel Studios tried making TV series and films that didn't exactly follow the phases that audiences have been used to. One of these was 2021's Eternals, helmed by Academy Award winner Chloe Zhao.

However, Eternals only made $402.1 million globally and a domestic weekend take of $71.3 million. It also didn't impress critics and fans were divided in their opinions. On Rotten Tomatoes, its critic score is at 47%, while the audience gave it a much kinder 77%.

Compared to the Marvel film it followed, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which earned $432.2 million at the worldwide box office and $75.4 million during its opening weekend. It also fared better with both critics and the audience, currently Certified Fresh at a 91% Tomatometer and 98% audience score. This meant that unlike most Marvel films, there was no immediate talk of a follow-up movie.

While the gap in the earnings isn't much, Eternals was a lot more hyped than Shang-Chi was. Most of that was due to the former stacked with movie stars such as Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie. However, their star power wasn't enough to warrant an immediate sequel

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told Inverse, “There are no immediate plans for Eternals 2. There are, and I think you've seen maybe in a trailer we've released recently, an acknowledgment of those events. Certain giant things came out of the ocean.”

Feige is referring to Captain America: Brave New World's recent trailer, which showed a glimpse of a battle over Tiamut Island. This was the landmass formed when the Eternals beat a giant Celestial about to emerge from the center of the Earth. Online, fans have been speculating that the fighting over Tiamut's remains as well as its resources will be the plot of the upcoming sequel.

If that part of the Eternals' storyline may be addressed in the upcoming Captain America film, there are still quite a few loose ends that still need tying up in other movies, if not an actual sequel. One of these is Harry Styles' Eros and his sidekick Pip the Troll, which was shown in the Eternals' mid-credit scene. It's been more than two years, but neither Eros nor Pip have made their way into other Marvel movies.

There's also the post-credits scene of Kit Harington's Dane Whitman possibly becoming the Black Knight. In that scene, he's holding the Ebony Blade, his family's heirloom. Offscreen, Mahershala Ali's Blade asks if he's able to handle it.

This phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will have to juggle the story threads to keep them connected. The upcoming Anthony Mackie-led Captain America film will most likely take the first step. Ali's Blade will take up the mantle of tying up loose ends when it's up and running. However, there are still many plot holes that need filling. For example, Harry Styles and his sidekick.

Captain America: Brave New World will hit the cinemas Feb. 14, 2025.