The official teaser trailer doesn’t give much away (surprise!) but the vibe is that people on Earth need to be rescued by a god-like group.

“We have watched and guided. We have helped them progress and seen them accomplish wonders. Throughout the years we have never interfered … until now,” says Ajak (Salma Hayek), leader of the Eternals – a superpowered bunch of alien beings.

In case you didn’t know, the Eternals were created yonks ago by the Celestials – through some sort of experimentation with humanity. The Celestials also created the Deviants who, as the name indicates, are like the evil counterparts to the much-less-evil Eternals.

Both groups of superpowered beings have been going under the rader on Earth … until now!

Based on a lesser-known Marvel comic-book series, The Eternals is directed by recent Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, whose acclaimed drama Nomadland won best picture and best director at this year’s Academy Awards.

Zhao’s cast is notably diverse in ethnicity and age, with Angelina Jolie, Game of Thrones‘ Richard Madden, comedian Kumail Nanjiani and Atlanta’s Brian Tyree Henry all aboard.

Delayed due to the COVID pandemic’s impact on cinemas globally, The Eternals will hit our big screens on November 4.

Along with the trailer’s end note about leadership of The Avengers – Marvel fans love such in-jokes – it strongly suggests The Eternals is yet another superhero blockbuster that has humanity unable to save itself from critical threat.

Whether it is The Avengers or Superman, Thor or Wonder Woman, a common thread throughout superhero stories is the recognition that humanity is not strong enough, smart enough or superior enough to defend its own existence.

The Eternals also promises to deliver as entertainment the idea that the fate of humanity depends on the direct intervention of a powerful force beyond mere mortals.

While the fictional Marvel cinematic universe might describe that as interference in The Eternals, you might have a different way to sum up such divine intervention in our real universe.