Does Gilgamesh Die In Eternals? (& Can He Come Back)
Even though the Eternals movie features a star-studded cast of different actors and actresses that have become quite prominent in the industry, one of the most beloved characters in the film was Ma Dong Seok or Don Lee’s Gilgamesh.
He showed an adorable side to his character the entire film, but we loved the fact that he was willing to take care of Angelina Jolie’s Thena, who was suffering from what seemed to be a psychological illness. But did Gilgamesh die in the Eternals, and can he come back to life?
Gilgamesh died in the Eternals when he sacrificed himself to save Thena from the powered-up Deviant responsible for killing Ajak. He also got his powers absorbed by the Deviant in the process. And while Don Lee signed a multi-film contract with Marvel, there is no news about Gilgamesh returning to life.
The death of Gilgamesh came as a surprise for a lot of fans because he was one of the most beloved characters out of all of the Eternals. However, what you should know is that the writers didn’t kill him randomly because they intended to kill Gilgamesh because fans can connect to him. It also opened up Thena’s character growth and how she overcame her weakness.
Is Gilgamesh Really Dead?
There is no doubt that Marvel’s Eternals film broke boundaries when it featured a star-studded cast that is one of the most diverse in the movie industry. Of course, one of the cast members is South Korean actor and Train to Busan star Ma Dong Seok, who is also known as Don Lee, as he plays the role of the powerhouse Eternal named Gilgamesh.
Early on in the film, we are introduced to how powerful Gilgamesh is, as he is physically the strongest out of all of the Eternals to the point that he surpassed both Thena and Ikaris, two of the strongest members of the team, in that regard. However, as strong as Gilgamesh may be, he also showed a soft side to his character, which was ultimately the cause of his death.
So, yes, Gilgamesh is indeed dead in the Eternals film, especially after he showcased a remarkable personality that made people love the character even more. And his death was a specific decision on the part of the writers, who wanted to kill off a character that fans could connect to the most.
Kaz Firpo, one of the writers of the film, said this:
“The Gilgamesh death… we wanted to make sure that you really cared about the people we were losing, that was really important to us. It wasn’t like we just went and reached into the Eternals cap and said, “Sorry, Gil, it’s your turn.” I really knew that for Thena’s journey, for her arc to really mean something, she had to lose someone.
And we also needed to make sure that the stakes were high. That, yes, you are… you’re immortal, but you’re not invincible, and I think that was an important thing. If you can’t kill them, then why are we watching this movie?”
Gilgamesh’s death also opened up a character arc for Thena, who was suffering from Mahd Wy’ry, an illness that caused her to lose her current memories and then made her go on a rampage. It was later revealed that this is not an illness but could be a result of how the memories from her past missions as an Eternal on other planets were coming back.
So, by killing off Gilgamesh, the writers were able to allow Thena to overcome her own weaknesses, as it was the Eternal’s powerhouse who took care of her for hundreds of years while she was suffering from her “illness”.
At first, we thought that Gilgamesh chose to take care of her because he was the only one strong enough to subdue her when she went on a rampage. However, it was revealed that it was his love for Thena that made him want to spend hundreds of years taking care of her while she was suffering from Mahd Wy’ry. This was what allowed fans to connect with the softhearted powerhouse.
Who Killed Gilgamesh?
Now that you know that Gilgamesh is indeed dead and why the writers specifically decided to kill him off over the other Eternals, you might be wondering who was responsible for killing one of the strongest characters in the film.
Going back to the fact that it was Gilgamesh who took care of Thena throughout the entire film, both he and Jolie’s character accompanied the Eternals in the Amazon rainforest to recruit Druig back to the team so that they could try to mind control the Celestial Tiamut to stop it from emerging and destroying the entire planet.
While in the Amazon, a group of Deviants attacked the Eternals. While Gilgamesh performed well against the weaker Deviants, he found his match in the form of an incredibly powerful Deviant that was responsible for killing their leader, Ajak, and absorbing her powers in the process of killing her.
Take note that this Deviant was powerful enough that not even Ikaris, the team’s most powerful Eternal, could kill it when it attacked Sersi and Sprite back in London. On top of that, Thena suffered from an episode of Mahd Wy’ry during the attack, as Gilgamesh was forced to calm her down. And Gilgamesh also had to send Ikaris back to Druig’s village to help them out against the other Deviants.
While Gilgamesh was able to calm Thena down in a way that was similar to how Black Widow calmed the Hulk down in Avengers: Age of Ultron, she was basically useless during the battle because going into her fighting form could most likely trigger another episode of Mahd Wy’ry.
In an attempt to save the woman he loved, Gilgamesh fought the powerful Deviant on his own but eventually got his powers absorbed as well. Thena, as powerful as she is, could not do anything as she watched the Deviant killing Gilgamesh. He died shortly after the Deviant stole his power.
Can Gilgamesh Come Back To Life?
When Gilgamesh died, it was the same as how Ajak died in the sense that he got his powers absorbed, but his body was still intact. As you probably already know, the Eternals of the MCU are artificially created synthetic beings that were made by the Celestial Arishem himself.
Given the fact that they are synthetic, the Eternals might be able to come back to life with the help of Arishem, their creator. Of course, considering that Arishem is the one who created the Eternals, he might still have the blueprints for every Eternal. He could also use his cosmic energy to bring dead Eternals back to life as long as the bodies of the Eternals are still intact.
Whatever the case may be, what we do know is that there is a good possibility that Gilgamesh will be returning in the future because Don Lee signed a multi-film deal with Marvel. This means that he might come back as Gilgamesh in one form or another, such as returning in a flashback, as a memory, or even back to life.
