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Eternals’ Salma Hayek Reveals Her Character Ajak Is The Leader Of The Team
Salma Hayek says that her Eternals character, Ajax, is the group's leader. Recently delayed to February 2021 due to fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, The Eternals is focused on a group of immortal aliens. Living on Earth for thousands of years, they find themselves reuniting following the events of Avengers: Endgame to guard against evil newcomers, the Deviants. Directed by Chloé Zhao, The Eternals boasts an impressive cast that includes Angelina Jolie, Barry Keoghan, Brian Tyree Henry, Gemma Chan, Kit Harington, Kumail Nanjiani, and Richard Madden.
Hayek, for her part, is set to portray Ajax. Created by Jack Kirby, Ajax first appeared in 1976. The character possesses a number of abilities, and like the rest of The Eternals, Ajax is virtually immortal and indestructible. Ajax also has superhuman strength and stamina, not tiring from physical activity thanks to an metabolic processes. Ajax is similarly adept at manipulating cosmic energy and molecules. Over the course of Ajax’s long history in the pages of Marvel Comics, he’s had encounters with Thor and agents from S.H.I.E.L.D.
One aspect that that the film adaptation intends to carry over is the depiction of Ajax as the wise and spiritual leader of The Eternals. Hayek discussed her turn as Alax in an interview with Total Film (via Games Radar), in which the veteran actress expressed her excitement at finally getting the chance to play a superhero. “At 53, – finally! – I can be a superhero,” Hayek said. In the course of a wide-ranging interview, Hayek elaborated on her character and offered some insight on how she views the project. “I play Ajak, who is the leader of the superheroes and all of them are people you would never have imagined. Except for Angelina [Jolie]. Angelina, she was born to be a superhero!”
Explaining what drew her to Eternals, the actress specifically cited the fact that Zhao was chosen as a director. Hayek praised The Rider, Zhao’s second feature. Taking the form of a contemporary western, The Rider centered on a young cowboy who goes on a journey of self-discovery after an accident ends his professional riding career. The film was a critical daring, landing on numerous top ten lists ranking the best films of 2018.
Eternals, in contrast, is a much bigger movie with a much more well-known cast. But, compared to the recent output of the MCU, they’re relatively unknown quantities. If the adaptation proves to be a hit, Marvel Studios could have another success story in the vein of Guardians of the Galaxy. That franchise turned Chris Pratt into one of Hollywood’s top performers, with James Gunn emerging as a brand all his own. The MCU is taking bigger chances with characters like Ajax in its next slate of movies. Nonetheless, as Hayek points out, the right talent was assembled to create something truly special.
