Eternals Writer Confirms What Actually Happens to Sprite in the End
Warning! SPOILERS ahead for Eternals.
Ryan and Kaz Firpo, writers for Eternals, have confirmed what actually happens to Sprite (Lia McHugh) at the end of the movie. The latest Marvel Studios film is the 26th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to release in theaters. It gained the title of the lowest rated MCU movie on Rotten Tomatoes critically, but still boasts a high audience score. Eternals is also making a solid amount of money for the studio, showing how excited audiences are for the new direction Phase 4 is going in.
Eternals follows a group of immortal space beings created by the Celestials who are sent to Earth to stop the Deviants. At the end of the movie, Sersi (Gemma Chan) removes Sprite's ability to draw from Celestial energy. Sprite is a 7,000 year old being, but has the body of a child, so she is constantly struggling with the fact that she cannot truly "live life". This is the conflict she has, and it helps her decision to side with Ikaris (Richard Madden) in the third act. Since her powers have been removed, Sprite can now live as a human.
Now, the Firpos have revealed what truly happened to Sprite and her status as an Eternal. While it was clear that Sersi took her powers, some have considered it a bit hard to understand what exactly that entails for Sprite. In an interview with The Direct, Kaz Firpo dives into Sprite's newfound mortality. Check out the full quote below:
“As far as we’ve always considered it, what makes an Eternal an Eternal is that ability to draw on Celestial energy, and essentially what Sersi has done is remove that ability. She’s taken that generator out of her. So now she is just, as far as we know, a mortal who will age and grow, and live as one of us truly, and doesn’t have that magical ability. Doesn’t have those illusions that can make her live a different life. So as far as we’re concerned, she’s flesh and blood.”
Now that Sprite is a mortal being, she will not have to worry about the stress that came with her role as an Eternal, such as not being able to live the human experience. Throughout the movie, it is also revealed that Sprite has been in love with Ikaris for many years. Her appearance caused an unrequited love to develop, preventing them from ever being together. In the beginning of the movie, she is also seen using her illusory powers to look much older so she can experience going out like an adult with Sersi. She ends up not even being able to touch another human in her illusion, which also adds to her stress. All of this combined helps it make sense why she would want to be mortal.
Another interesting aspect of Sprite's loss of immortality is explaining her return in the potential sequel to Eternals or other MCU projects. The end of the movie sees her going off to school, driven by Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) and his valet Karun (Harish Patel). Her power loss is an easy way to explain how McHugh looks older between entries, as she could just age with the character. It will be interesting to see how her role would factor into the story, whether it be gaining her powers back or supporting the cast like Dane Whitman (Kit Harington).
Source: The Direct