Eternals: Writer reveals why Kit Harington’s role is so small

Kit Harington was one of the high-profile names announced for the ensemble cast of Marvel’s Eternals that had everyone buzzing. Harington was coming off the hugely popular Game of Thrones and the fact that he was joining the MCU seemed like a big get for the brand and for the actor himself. It soon became clear that Harington’s role wasn’t as substantial as his co-stars and that his character, Dane Whitman, would become more important in a future installment given his superhero alter-ego. We don’t get to meet Black Knight in Eternals although he is teased during an end-credits scene and now one of the writers is revealing why that decision was made.

Writer Kaz Firpo was chatting with “The Direct” about the film and he revealed that bringing the character in at all, even in a limited capacity, was to keep the relationship between Whitman and Sersi (Gemma Chan) comic book accurate:

“…[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.”

Firpo also reveals that, despite the casting of Harington, there was never any intention to feature Black Knight in the movie because his purpose in this story was to show the human side of Sersi. The last conversation he attempts to have with her at the close of the film is leading up to him revealing his Black Knight heritage and thus, ushering in another hero into the MCU. Firpo admits the film was already packed with characters and that this was the right decision for the movie:

“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.”

The final moments of Eternals sets up Whitman’s future in the MCU but also features an off-screen cameo from Blade’s Mahershala Ali, who asks Whitman off-camera whether he feels he is ready to take up the Ebony Blade, the sword they are both linked to. Harington didn’t take this role just for what he gets to do in Eternals. I’m sure Marvel explained the future of the character and that’s why you cast someone like Harington. This isn’t a name you waste. While his role is small here, he’s clearly destined for a much bigger role in the future.

What are YOUR thoughts on how they used Kit Harington in Eternals?