If you’re a fan of the 2021 Marvel movie Eternals, you may have wondered why Kit Harington played such a small role. After all, when a big-name star is associated with a big-name movie, they usually play a pretty significant role. Additionally, Harington’s character, Dane Whitman, played a much more important role in the comics. This had led lots of people to wonder why Harington’s screen time in the film was so short. As you can probably imagine, though, there’s a good reason why Kit didn’t play a bigger role in the movie, and the reason might surprise you. Continue reading to learn why Kit Harington’s role in Eternals is so small.
Who Is Dane Whitman?
If you haven’t read the Eternals comic books, you may not be that familiar with Dane Whitman. Dane was born and raised in Massachusetts where he came from a wealthy family. Whitman was initially a ‘regular’ human who had above-average athletic ability. However, that wouldn’t be the case for long. He is a descendant of a superhero called Black Knight and he eventually takes on the role himself. After bonding with Sersi through “gann josin” Dane got access to super-human powers. Not long after being introduced in the comics, Dane became a recurring character in The Avengers and he eventually progressed to his own storyline. In the film, however, Dane’s character is essentially reduced to being Sersi’s boyfriend.
Why Was Kit Harington’s Role So Small?
When movies are produced, there are often instances where certain scenes are cut and actors don’t end up with as much screen time as expected. However, that wasn’t the case when it came to Kit Harington’s role in Eternals. His playing a minimal role in the film was part of the plan from the very beginning. According to an article from Looper, Kit’s role in the movie was small because the goal of the film was to focus on the Eternals’ pasts. In an interview with The Direct, Kaz Firpo, who was one of the screenwriters for the film, said,
“…[Dane] has a long history with Sersi in the comics. They have a really complex and interesting relationship that goes back in a lot of different runs… what we really wanted with Dane… [was] somebody that had that gravitas… that power, [who] frankly had the potential to be something great… a character that learns the rules of this world, and then still has this love for Sersi, and still has this potential for where they could go… where their characters could end up.So it wasn’t a choice to say ‘Dane should only be this much,’ it was really like, ‘who would this human [character] relationship with Sersi be?’ For it to become Dane was this no-brainer once you looked at the mythology of the universe.”
Firpo went on to say, “I think that the movie in the present day is a lot of dealing with the demons of the past for the Eternals family. So it was always the intention to keep them alone together because that’s the best way for them to be forced to deal with all of their issues from the past. So there was never an iteration where Dane went on the journey with them.”
Will We See More Of Dane Whitman In The Future?
Kit Harington may not have played a major role in Eternals, but that doesn’t mean that he will continue to be a minor character. Since he’s already established such a rich history with the comics, there’s plenty of content for producers to work with should they decide to incorporate him more into future films. That said, if the movie gets a sequel, there’s a good chance that Dane Whitman could become a more central part of the plot. At the same time, however, a part two for Eternals hasn’t been confirmed yet. In fact, there seems to be some information to suggest that it might not happen. In an article from Den of Geek, the film’s producer, Nate Moore, implied that a sequal was still up in the air. He said, “It’s not something that is a must-have. Obviously, we have ideas of where we could go, but there isn’t a hard and fast rule where we have to have three of these things and this is the first.” Fans are going to have to sit tight and see what the future has in store for Kit Harington and the Eternals. Either way, I think it’s safe to say that fans would love to see another installment of the Eternals and they would also love to see more of Dane’s story.superhero
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