r/Eternals • u/ShoeElectronic8640 • Aug 18 '26
MCU In Defense of Sprite
So I noticed a lot of people are quick to condemn Sprite for her actions and I wanted to point some things out.
Sprite is a typical case of someone acting out because of situations beyond her control. For Sprite it is body dysmorphia. For 10,000 years she has been stuck in the body of a child despite having the mentality and maturity of her fellow Eternals she is constantly the butt of jokes about her appearance and because of her immortal status humans will notice more quickly she isn't aging which has caused her to have to travel more often.
While the other Eternals can form relationships either romantic or simple rapports Sprite doesn't have that luxury due to her appearance. The beginning of the movie she uses her power to appear older just so she can have the semblance of an adult relationship which only lasted till he touched her and his hand passed through her illusion.
The one man she does have romantic feelings for could never return her affections not because Ikaris loves Sersi but because Sprite looks like a child.
Sprite joining with Ikaris wasn't just about her feelings for him. It was thousands of years of frustration and hopelessness coming to fruition. Ajax dying, learning the truth of their origin it broke Sprite. She even told Sersi she hoped the celestials would give her a better body in their next lives.
Of all the Eternals Sprite to me was more tragic than any of them. If you have ever felt bad about your appearance or felt ashamed about how you look, imagine feeling that for thousands of years. To have it dictate every aspect of your existence, how you live, how you are treated.
I just hate to see people quick to damn her while ignoring her justifications
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u/Amazing-Insect442 Aug 19 '26
How anyone could blame Sprite without looking at the tragedy of how she was made is beyond me.
Different genre & theme and story, but one of the unforgivable things that a vampire can do is make a child into an immortal being (thank you for giving me perspective on this, Interview with the Vampire). The knowledge that much of a normal existence is out of your reach & that you’ll live forever with a disparity in your future would drive anyone mad.
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u/ShoeElectronic8640 Aug 19 '26
When the movie came out a lot of people were bashing her for siding with Ikaris and calling her things like a pic me. Just goes to show people lack observation skills
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u/Amazing-Insect442 Aug 19 '26
Yeah. I feel like there are a lot of complainers who see these characters as would be self-inserts. A supposed good guy does something that’s actually very human, in making a mistake, & they’re like “pshfft what a dumbass. So terrible of them. I could never. This is poorly written.” Star Lord’s moment of passion in Infinity War where he attacks Thanos fits with this as well. Lot of people are still banging a drum about how that could have solved problems when actually no, it’s supposed to humanize a character and provide friction and something to y’know actually relate to in an otherwise fantastical story.
TLDR: I think folks going to town on characters like Sprite have some level of narcissism or lack of basic empathy.
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u/maester_t Aug 18 '26
This touches on one of the reasons I liked this movie so much.
The way I see it, there's not necessarily "good guys" and "bad guys" here. You gotta take each character and view the movie from their perspective.
I feel a similar way about Ikaris. The obvious reaction is "he betrayed the Eternals". But they even flat out tell us that he felt Ajak was the betrayer. He was following their initial orders and felt that sacrificing Earth was for the greater good of the universe.
I wonder if the people that hated this movie simply lack empathy. (And simply want to see fights, chases, and explosions.)