The Eternals trailer has another Captain America tease, and might confirm the movie's timeline

Angelina Jolie as Thena in Eternals
(Image credit: Disney/Marvel)

The first Eternals trailer has been released, and the internet's attention was snagged by a reference to Captain Rogers. That wasn't the only Captain America tease in the trailer, though, and the link might even confirm the movie's timeline.

At one point, Angelina Jolie's Thena can be seen fighting some goons, and one of her opponents is holding a very distinctive shield. It's a brief moment and the object itself is quite dark, so easy to miss, but the screenshot below shows the familiar stars and stripes pattern of the Captain America shield. (H/T Comic Book)

It's unclear why Thena would be fighting someone with a faux-Cap shield. It could just be a quick Easter egg, or it could be a hint that the Eternals at one point prepared to take on the Avengers. Considering the trailer reveals they've never chosen to interfere in human history before the events of the movie, though, that seems unlikely.

The Captain Rogers mention might also give us a better idea of the movie's timeline. In the final moments of Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers handed his shield over to Sam Wilson – who finally embraced the Captain America mantle in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale. In the new trailer, Lia McHugh's Sprite says Captain Rogers is gone, so it seems this part of Eternals will be set sometime after the events of Falcon and the Winter Soldier – after Sam becomes the new Captain America (although John Walker also took the name in the series, it didn't last for very long). 

Eternals lands this November 5. Until then, check out how to watch Marvel movies in order to get up to speed on the MCU – and find the best Disney Plus prices and deals.

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Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.