Kumail Nanjiani has revealed Marvel’s ambitious plans for his Eternals character, Kingo.
Speaking on Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out podcast, the actor and comedian disclosed that his contract went far beyond a single film.
“I was like, this is going to be my job for the next ten years,” Nanjiani said. “Because I signed on for six movies, I signed on for a video game, I signed on for a theme park ride. They make you sign up for all this stuff. And so you’re like, ‘This is the next ten years of my life.’ And then none of that happened.”
Released in 2021, Eternals ended with the confident message “Eternals will return,” but the film’s poor reception halted those expansive plans. Nanjiani has spoken before about how the reaction to the movie affected him personally, even leading him to therapy, but this is one of his most detailed insights into the scope of Marvel’s initial intentions.
The 46-year-old star joked about the film’s reputation during the podcast. When Birbiglia quipped, “Not everybody gets to be in Eternals,” Nanjiani replied: “Honestly, too many people are—according to the reviews.”
Despite the disappointment, Nanjiani has embraced the experience as part of his current stand-up routine. The final section of his live set explores his time in the Marvel franchise and will be released on Hulu this December.