Character Highlight: Gilgamesh (Eternals)

Before we get started… trailer and release date for Ms. Marvel, woohoo! I’m so ready for Avengers fangirl Kamala! I’m a little mixed on the apparent change in her powers (it seems everybody’s all about the cosmic energy blasts these days,) but I do like what looks to be a more tangible aspect to them and it’s very possible that her usual polymorph abilities looked really weird in live action.

*Gilgamesh-related spoilers.*

When it comes to Eternals, Gilgamesh falls into the “cool but somewhat underused” category. While I like pretty much everything we see of him, he just doesn’t have as much time onscreen as some of the others. He’s certainly not on par with Kingo or Sprite, and even other “supporting Eternals” like Makkari and Phastos probably get a little more to work with than he does. But within the little we get, there’s a nice characterization that leaves me wanting more.

For the first stretch of the film, we don’t learn much about Gilgamesh. He’s one of the Eternals’ best fighters. Arguably the strongest, he can wield cosmic energy to enhance the power of his hand-to-hand combat (a bit like Iron Fist, but cooler.) When we see him in action, it’s mainly in the context of fight scenes.

The way we actually get to know him as more of a character is through his connection to another: Thena. When Thena is first stricken with Mahd Wy’ry, losing sight of herself and her surroundings against the weight of her suppressed memories, Ajak believes the only way to save Thena from the condition is to bring her back to the ship and erase her memories. The others are horrified at this idea, and Gilgamesh steps forward, quietly, to announce that he’ll look after Thena. Even if it means her attacking him in fits of Mahd Wy’ry, even if he knows it might one day get to the point where he’ll have to kill her, he decides it’s worth it to allow her to stay herself.

This coincides with the Eternals breaking up, and Gilgamesh takes Thena to the Outback, where they can live undisturbed and Thena won’t be in danger of hurting anyone but him. Over the centuries, he develops techniques for subduing Thena when the Mahd Wy’ry is upon her (he’s stronger than she is, but she’s more skilled at combat,) as well as methods of calming her and bringing her back to herself. Later in the film, Thena shares Gilgamesh’s words with Sersi, his explanation for why he chose to stay with her: “When you love something, you protect it. It’s the most natural thing in the world.”

It’s lovely to me that this formidable warrior exiles himself to care for Thena, that he risks his own life to look after her and, in the end, is killed trying to protect her from the Deviants. His strength is the gift he offers to humanity, but it’s his kindness that ultimately shines through. That, to me, is such an important distinction for a protector.

I also like that, when the other Eternals catch up to Gilgamesh and Thena in Australia, we see how nicely he’s taken to domestic life. When he’s not taking care of Thena, he enjoys cooking/baking, and he lays out a fine spread for the rest of his family. Again, that’s not a trait you necessarily see that often in formidable-warrior types, so I appreciate the extra shading. Even though Gilgamesh doesn’t have too much screentime, he makes it count, especially in the second half of the movie.