Fighting force

Angelina Jolie and Kit Harington head an all-star cast as a new team of Marvel heroes battle to save humanity

RICHARD MCCLURE

The Avengers and the X-Men welcome another team of Super-Heroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe this week when an A-list cast embark on an epic battle against the forces of evil in action-packed, millennia spanning movie Eternals.

The story begins in 5,000 BC when 10 superpowered heroes called Eternals are sent by the god-like Celestials to Earth on their starship, the Domo, to protect humanity from lizardesque monsters called Deviants.

Arriving in ancient Mesopotamia, the Eternals fight off the Deviants, before the action jumps to the present day, where we find the Super Heroes now living secretly and scattered around the world.

Among them is Sersi, played by Humans star Gemma Chan, who is living in London and working as a museum curator. But when she encounters a terrifying Deviant, Sersi must round up the Eternals to combat the new threat.

‘Sersi is not the most obviously impressive Eternal in terms of her powers,’ explains Chan, 39. ‘She’s not the strongest, and she’s not the best fighter, but her power really is her empathy. She’s this immortal being, but she’s very grounded as well. She’s a free spirit and loves being among humans.’

Sersi has been in a centuries-old romance with Ikaris (Richard Madden), a fellow Eternal, but is now dating a mortal, Dane, played by Kit Harington.

It was the first time the actors had worked together since Game of Thrones.

‘Richard and I only had about four scenes together in Thrones, but we had the shared experience of working on this huge show in our early 20s and that creates a special bond,’ says Harington, 35. ‘We’ve stayed close friends and had a big hug when we met up on the set of Eternals.’

EASY RIDE

Unlike the actors playing the Super Heroes, Harington’s human character didn’t have to get too involved in the action scenes.