Warning: This story contains major SPOILERS for Eternals
Eternals' star Salma Hayek has confirmed that she signed a multi-film deal with Marvel Studios. The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the 26th film and 30th project to come out of the hit superhero machine that is Marvel Studios. The Eternals film opened this weekend to an estimated box office haul of $71M, just below the MCU's other 2021 releases Black Widow ($80M) and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ($75M). So far, the film has grossed an estimated $161.7M worldwide.
The Eternals film has been met with negative reviews from audiences and critics despite featuring exciting talent in front of and behind the camera. Hayek is one of Eternals' biggest stars in a movie crowded with them, but her role was rather minimal. Ajak, who was gender-swapped from the Eternals comics, is the leader of the titular team and she is seen guiding the rest of the cosmic beings through their 7,000-year tenure on earth. Despite her surprising fate in the movie, though, audiences may not have seen the last of her.
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Hayek has recently confirmed in an interview with Smallzy's Celebrity Small Talk podcast that she has signed into a multi-film contract with Marvel. Her contract with the studio isn't unusual, as Marvel has taken to signing many of its stars for lengthy contracts just in case the character needs to return for multiple outings moving forward. Hayek expressed excitement about the deal, saying:
"I did sign multiple movie deals! It was kind of fun being part of this…secret society that you have to protect so fearlessly. "
The confirmation that Hayek is signed on for multiple films may come as a surprise to some Marvel fans, considering her character Ajak is one of the two Eternals to definitively die in the film. However, it isn't impossible that the character could still appear in a possible Eternals sequel moving forward. The lore of this film is some of the deepest the MCU has introduced yet, and as such, the film is packed with flashbacks covering thousands of years. The character was beloved by her fellow Eternals, so it could be that she returns in various flashback sequences in any future chapters of this story.
Considering Salma Hayek is a big star, it isn't a surprise that Marvel has locked her into an extensive contract. Even if she doesn't return in any Eternals sequels, the MCU has a history of bringing back characters in unexpected ways (such as Darcy and Jimmy Woo appearing in WandaVision earlier this year), so there's likely a good chance Hayek's Ajak will return in future Eternals spinoffs or sequels.
More: Marvel's Eternals Marketing Spoiled Its Big Twist
Source: Smallzy's Celebrity Small Talk
