The Eternals star Barry Keoghan has revealed that he actually wished for Stan Lee to make him into a superhero all the way back in 2013. Created by Jack Kirby, the highly-evolved offshoots of humanity debuted in The Eternals #1 in 1976. Intended by The Celestials to be defenders of Earth, the god-like characters are often seen at war with their unstable counterparts known as Deviants. It was announced earlier this year that the characters would be adapted for the big screen, as part of the ever-expanding slate for Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

With Chloé Zhao already attached as director, The Eternals will reportedly begin filming in September. Potentially spanning thousands of years, the film will likely be a more traditional origin story. A sprawling cast has already been assembled, with Angelina Jolie set to play Thena, Richard Madden confirmed as Ikaris, and Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo. Gemma Chan, who previously starred in Captain Marvel, will make her MCU return in a brand new role. The film will also see three characters gender-swapped from their comic book counterparts, and feature the MCU’s first-ever openly-gay superhero.

It was confirmed earlier this week, at D23, that Keoghan would play Druig. In the wake of the announcement, the Irish-born actor revealed just how much of a long time coming the casting actually was. Taking to Twitter, Keoghan retweeted a tweet of his own from 2013. Tagging Stan Lee himself in the original post, the actor directly asked him to “please make me a superhero”. Citing “the power of belief” when sharing the post, he has since pinned it to the top of his page. Check out the full post below:

Lee, of course, is the legendary comic book creator responsible for, among many others, such popular characters as Spider-Man and Black Panther. Keoghan, meanwhile, received his breakout role in 2017’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Playing Martin, the actor served as the film’s primary antagonist, tormenting Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) and his family. He later followed up that critically-acclaimed turn with an appearance in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, and two episodes of the hugely successful drama Chernobyl.

The news of Keoghan’s past request comes fresh on the back of the reveal that Simu Liu had previously predicted that he’d one day play the MCU’s Shang-Chi. The Chinese-Canadian actor was announced in the lead role for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings earlier this Summer at San Diego Comic-Con. As such, he’ll serve as Marvel’s first Asian superhero. Although Keoghan’s role doesn’t come with such a distinction, he’s clearly over the moon. In the comics, Druig is typically a villainous character rather than a superhero. That does little to offset the fact that in six years, the actor managed to make a dream come true. Besides, as Tom Hiddleston (Loki) would probably attest, playing the villain is often considered much more fun. Fans will be able to see Keoghan live his dream when The Eternals hit theaters next year.

More: Every Marvel Studios Reveal From D23

Source: Barry Keoghan/Twitter

  • Black Widow Release Date: 2021-07-09 The Eternals Release Date: 2021-11-05 Shang Chi Release Date: 2021-09-03 Doctor Strange 2 Release Date: 2022-05-06 Thor: Love and Thunder Release Date: 2022-07-08 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Release Date: 2022-11-11