Lauren Ridloff To Star As First Deaf Superhero in Marvel’s ‘Eternals’

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Lauren Ridloff To Star As First Deaf Superhero in Marvel’s ‘Eternals‘. During Marvel’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic Con, Marvel Studios officially announced the lineup for Phase 4 of the MCU, including 6 new films, such as Marvel’s Eternals.

Best known as Miss Deaf America (2000-2002), Connie in AMC’s The Walking Dead, and her Tony-nominationed Broadway performance in Children of a Lesser God, Lauren Ridloff will star as the first deaf superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Marvel Studios President, Kevin Feige, also announced the official cast and director for Marvel’s Eternals.

  • Director: Chloe Zhao (The Rider)
  • Angelina Jolie (Thena)
  • Richard Madden (Icarus)
  • Kumail Nanjiani(Kingo)
  • Lauren Ridloff (Makkari)
  • Brian Tyree Henry (Phastos)
  • Salma Hayek(Ajak)
  • Lia McHugh (Sprite)
  • Don Lee (Gilgamesh)
Lauren Ridloff To Star As First Deaf Superhero in Marvel's 'Eternals'

“It’s about this group of incredible immortals but through their journey we really get to explore what it means to be human and humanity on our time on this planet,” Director Chloe Zhao said.


“The Eternals are a race of immortal aliens sent to Earth by the Celestials to protect humankind from the Deviants,” added Richard Madden. Ridloff signed to the audience that she is playing the first deaf character in the MCU.

Salem Hayek will be portraying Ajak, the leader of the Eternals. Though Ajak is traditionally a man in the comics, Marvel has decided to gender swap the role for the film. Hayek shared her excitement of playing the groups leader with the untraditional spin on the character. “I take my inspiration from our leader, Chloe, who’s also a strong woman and it takes a strong woman to do a movie like this because it’s so big and amazing and I’m so excited to be a part of it. The way she approaches leadership as a woman, as a strong woman, is that she sees them as a family. So there’s a lot of mother instincts in this Eternal, who is not supposed to have kids. So this is very exciting, and I feel very honored to be a part of a movie that is going to allow people who never felt represented in superheroes, or in this case Eternals, represented because I am proud to have a diverse family.”

Angelina Jolie who has been cast to play Thena, not Sersi as previously expected, shared her excitement as well with the fans at the SDCC Hall H panel, “I’m so excited to be here. I’m going to work 10 times harder because I think what it means to be a part of the MCU, what it means to be an Eternal, to be a part of this family, I know what we all need to do. We have all read the script. We have all know what the task ahead is and we are all going to be working very very hard. I’m training. I am thrilled. Thank you so much.”

In a wave of representation and inclusion for Marvel Studios in Phase 4, Lauren will portray Makkari, the first ever deaf superhero to star in the MCU. Feige also announced during the panel that another character in Eternals will be a member of the LGBTQ community, but neglected to name said character.

Marvel’s Eternals will premiere in theaters November 6, 2020. Are you excited for Marvel’s Eternals? What part of Phase 4 are you most excited to see? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back here at Chip and Company for all things Marvel!


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Kaitlyn is a writer, painter, and artist based just north of Baltimore, Maryland. She is a previous participant in the Disney College Program and has years of experience with Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts and with Universal Orlando Resort. Her and her big 'Ohana are frequent visitors to the parks and resorts and she is always up for another trip to visit her favorite castles! Kaitlyn is the News & Entertainment Writer for Chip and Company and is passionate about writing and storytelling.
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