Marvel Studios' upcoming film, Eternals, has received a PG-13 rating for fantasy violence and brief sexuality. Directed by Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao, Eternals is the twenty-sixth feature film in the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe, featuring a star-studded cast that includes Gemma Chan, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie among others. The film is expected to introduce a host of new characters mined from the more obscure pages of Marvel Comics lore, despite being a rather late entry into the franchise. Following the box office success of Marvel's last feature-length outing, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Disney recently confirmed that Eternals would receive a theater-exclusive release.

An overwhelming majority of contemporary blockbuster films are rated PG-13. The rating is versatile and allows studios to appeal to younger audiences, while also ensuring that older theatergoers remained entertained as well. This is certainly the case for the MCU, where every single theatrical film since the franchise's inception has received a PG-13 rating. It seems now that Eternals will continue the tradition.

Film Ratings (via Marvel Updates) has confirmed that Eternals has received a PG-13 rating for "for fantasy violence and action, some language and brief sexuality." While the rating itself comes as no surprise, the note of "brief sexuality" is noteworthy considering the fact that the franchise has largely strayed from overtly sexual scenes following Disney's acquisition of the studio. Check out the tweet from Marvel Updates below:


Ever since Marvel announced the Deviant warlord Kro as the antagonist of the film, fans have speculated whether or not Eternals would touch on the relationship between him and Thena (Angelina Jolie). The pair share an on-again-off-again relationship in the comics that spans several centuries. As such, it's possible that the moment of "brief sexuality" may be in reference to Kro and Thena's relationship. However, given the film's enormous scale, it's just as possible that the scenes could be in reference to any of the other members of the cast – from the trailers, most likely Sersi (Gemma Chan) and Ikaris (Richard Madden).

While Eternals' rating isn't an earth-shattering revelation, it does serve as a reminder of how flexible the PG-13 rating is. Marvel Studios' previous several films all varied wildly in style and tone, yet they all share the same rating. As the studio begins to incorporate edgier properties such as Deadpool and X-Men into their lineup of films, hopefully the PG-13 rating will not limit the types of stories that can be told.

Eternals (2021)
Release Date: Nov 05, 2021