#i hate that the last one is positioned on the bottom like that 🙃

[roosterbirds]

Rage Quit: 20th Anniversary Edition (x)

[tegami-kagami]

Ikaris: the Tragic Hero

Read Part 1 & part 2 first

Character Analysis Part 3

Protector vs Soldier: the flickering flame of a hero

By the events of the movie, Ikaris was a flickering flame on the verge of going out.

He puts on the mask of the soldier that had kept him sane during the last century. The soldier is who meets up with Sersi and Sprite in London. It is the soldier that is able to remain calm in seeing the cold face of his former leader, able to stay focus on the course of his self-impose last leg of the mission.

Yet slowly, the mask is melted by Sersi and the other Eternals enough so that a semblance of the old team protector could peak through.

Protector was able to smile, and act normal when amongst his old family. In those moments, the protector is able to joke and banter with those he had spent millenia with. To Ikaris, it must have felt like coming home.

The illusion however, breaks when another of his family dies again. This death is different from Ajak's. Gilgamesh did not deserve to die and the guilt ate at him inside. Ikaris had unwittingly caused harm to those he once swore to protect.

He had only meant to distract them, not kill them. Ikaris is again thrown into despair and the only way he knew to cope was to put on the mask of the soldier.

Ikaris became desperate to get the team back together because he must have felt that if they were all together, he could protect them. This is the theory I have to explain why Ikaris insisted Phastos came with them whereas before with Druig, He was fine leaving him behind.

(And No, it is likely not just because "it is Druig and he is Ikaris. They hate it each." Bottom line, Ikaris still considered Druig as family. )

Ikaris would have been fine if they had all stayed in the Domo, a flying fortress. It was the best position for them to prepare for a deviant attack.

However, there was a problem. The others are still attempting to stop the emergence. Whether they succeeded or failed, it didn't matter to Ikaris.

What did matter to him were the consequences if the team succeeded and Tiamut does not emerge. Ikaris feared for celestial retribution on his family. He worried that if ever the Celestials ever tried to strike down the other Eternals, He would be powerless to protect them.

It was Ikaris' concern that in choosing Sersi as the next Prime, Ajak had put her in danger. That is my theory on why he tried to deny it at first.

Maybe in any other situation, Ikaris would have been proud of her 'cause he loved her and was proud of her independence (He trusted her enough that he knew she could survive on her own). but in these last days, the position only put a target on her back. As leader, the mission became her responsibility. As Prime, she would have had to answer to the celestials if the mission failed (and it did 🙃, see last part of the movie).

Ikaris feared the Celestials which he had every right to be when he is told they are their creators and the gods of the universe.

Ikaris uses this same fear tactic when he tried to intimidate the others and to scare them away from taking action against the emergence.

Given Ikaris' true personality, the killing them part was an empty threat as evidence when Ikaris still held back during the final battle (and how he refused to answer when Sprite ask if he was really going to kill them) despite having numerous opportunities to end the other eternals permanently (see when Ikaris grab Makkari by the neck).

See the difference of how Ikaris fought against the deviants (deadly efficient) compared to the eternals (kept trying to throw them off).

The final battle was obviously a delaying tactic for both parties involved. Ikaris had no intention of ever killing any of them. How could he - when no less that 5 centuries ago, he lived to protect them.

The final test (or final nail to the coffin) for Ikaris was when he finally came face to face with Sersi - his wife, his love and once upon a time, his everything.

This moment is when it was shown that despite the mask, despite the exterior of being the devoted soldier, despite his statements of "existing only for Arishem", deep inside, Ikaris was a man loyal to his family, loyal to his love, loyal to Sersi.

At his core, Ikaris was a protector - not a soldier.

Thus, despite his efforts (he tried to shoot her 3 times - THREE TIMES!!), Ikaris could never hurt Sersi.

When Ikaris bowed his head, he proved that he wasn't truly the cold-blooded criminal his betrayal must have shown. In giving in to Sersi, Ikaris redeemed himself and in one final act, showed himself to be a hero in the eyes of the viewers (aka Me!) and Sersi.

He lets her complete the Uni-mind. He lets her destroy the main purpose for how he had survived up to that point. He lets her stop the emergence.

When it was finish, Ikaris was left empty. He had no more purpose. No more reason to live. He was crunch down crying. Ikaris must have realise then that everything he had done, the lies said, the secrets kept, the loneliness suffered - it all amounted to nothing. What a life he had lived!

On the other hand, Sersi now had a life that no longer needed him - "She has a good life now." - and despite his powers, he cannot save her from the incoming judgement from the Celestials. Even if he could, Ikaris had no more energy left to give.(😭).

If Sersi had only understood the magnitude of what Ikaris had went through, if only she saw how he no longer cared about his life, if only she saw how broken the man she loved truly was, maybe she could have saved him from his tragic fate but the truth was, she didn't notice. (The least she could have done was hug him, dammit)

Too distracted by Ajak's death, Too focus on filling the shoes of a fallen leader, too busy dealing with an event that could wipe out the race she loved and cared about, too busy reeling from new knowledge that put into question the worth of her entire existance.

Their final scene, Sersi tells him "I know." It was her acknowledging he was hurt and that he hurt them. They both needed time to heal the wounds.

By those words though, Sersi conveyed that she didn't really understood this version of Ikaris - the man slowly broken down throughout the millenia. Its because she didn't have the context - Ikaris never told her. She didn't realise this version of Ikaris had no more time left. This gap that had formed between Sersi and Ikaris is probably why Sersi just let him go.

Sersi might have known Ikaris but she didn't understand him because this part of him was something he kept from her.

So she let him go, probably thinking he was going off to be on his own again just like last time when he flew away - 100 years before, not even realising of another possibility - this would be the last she would ever see her Ikaris, her husband of 1500 years and boyfriend / best friend of 3500 years.

Bottom line - to Ikaris, he had no more reason to live. The emergence is over, Sersi had move on and his family likely hated him.

As it was, there was no one able to save Ikaris from himself. His was a life that begun great but ultimately ended in tragedy.

> The flickering flame dies and a man meets his end.

"Icarus flies too high and burns in the sky."

Disclaimer: These are only my interpretations and impressions that attempted to explain the words and actions of the character "Ikaris" from the movie Eternal (2021).

You can hate Ikaris all you want but atleast try to understand his character before labeling him as evil.

For a marvel movie, Eternals manage to convey a very layered character which is impressive.

IKARIS, PLEASE COME BACK. You're story isn't over yet!