Marvel’s could even challenge the Avengers. Their diversity in personality and motivations, as well their respective skills and approaches to combat resembles that of a D&D adventuring party.
This raises the question, if the Eternals rolled up a D&D campaign, what class would each most fit into? Whether it be due to the mechanics or the spirit of the class, there is one that suits each member best.
Ajak - Cleric
Ajak is initially the wise leader of the group, guiding them on their mission to protect humanity. She is the only one who can commune with the Celestial, Arishem, who is essentially a god to the Eternals or at least the closest thing they have to one. Likewise, the Cleric class in D&D has a strong connection to the divine power of gods. This coupled with her ability to heal makes her well suited to the classic idea of a D&D Cleric, as she offers physical in battle, and spiritual outside of battle.
Phastos - Artificer
Artificer is a more recent addition to 5e but an obvious pick for Phastos, as both use intelligence as their primary ability. An Artificer uses a mix of magic and ingenuity to contribute offense, defense and utility, both in and out of combat, and can even forge magical D&D items. Phastos being able to quickly put together machinery for whatever he needs in the moment lines up perfectly with the flavor of what an Artificer brings to a D&D party. And, what he does in Eternals is easily emulated by picking a Battlesmith or Artillerist subclass, although the latter seems more against his morals as he is opposed to the destruction his weaponry can cause.
Thena - Fighter
There’s an argument to be made that Thena should be a Warlock with the Pact of the Blade feature, as she can summon her weapons at will. However, Thena’s key ability is her prowess in physical combat, which is also at the core of what D&D Fighters do. Similar to Fighters, she appears to have proficiency with every weapon, as well as the tactical awareness for when and how to use them. If one were to emulate what Thena is able to do they could even take up the Eldritch Knight subclass, as they can summon their weapons at will.
Gilgamesh - Barbarian
When a house-sized deviant approaches, Gilgamesh’s method usually involves casually striding up to it, and laying it out with a well-wound haymaker. He’s no-nonsense and simple; he hits hard, and he can get hit hard. Frontliner that he is, Gilgamesh would probably work best as either Fighter or Barbarian.
However, he doesn't have the trained tactical prowess of a Fighter, and though he’s always laid back and doesn’t rage, his power comes more from the raw strength and ability to tank hits offered by Barbarian. It’s a close call but it seems Barbarian is what suits Gilgamesh best.
Makkari - Monk
Makkari, as played by Lauren Ridloff, brings speed to the adventuring party, so it’s important to find a class in D&D that offers the same utility. In of mobility, the best options in D&D are the Rogue or the Monk, as both gain the ability to dash as a bonus action. However, the sneaking and stabbing playstyle of a Rogue seem less in character for her, whereas Monk offers slightly more mobility, as well as the ability to attack multiple times quickly, which seems to be Makkari's preferred fighting style.
Druig - Sorcerer
Druig is a difficult one to place, as there’s no particular class in D&D whose core speaks to Druig’s ability of mass manipulation. However, flavor-wise he falls more in line with a Sorcerer, as his ability seems to happen innately for him, rather than requiring any sort of external faith or study that the other classes in D&D require. The Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, with an expanded spell list that includes “Calm Emotions” as well as the ability to switch out for Enchantment spells from other class spell lists, seems most suited to Druig’s toolkit.
Sprite - Bard
Sprite is the Eternals’ resident storyteller, spinning the tales that become the myths by which humanity knows these strange, celestial-born spacefarers. Bard, being a class that derives their power from performance and storytelling, seems to be the obvious choice for her in of flavor.
In of ability, Sprite’s contribution to the team is being an illusionist, fooling her enemies with tricks of light. To that end, the Bard spell list, which is largely comprised of illusion magic, seems a snug fit for this Eternal.
Kingo - Warlock
In combat, Kingo does best while staying at range and pelting deviants from afar. While Ranger is the class best known for staying at range, Kingo doesn’t quite vibe with the flavor of "outdoor hunter" that Ranger offers. Kingo’s cosmic energy projectiles definitely have a more magical feel to them, similar to the Eldritch Blast cantrip available to Warlocks - arguably one of the best D&D cantrips available. There are even Warlock builds in D&D that revolve entirely around improving the Eldritch Blast cantrip. Additionally, Charisma being the primary ability of this class also works well for the Bollywood performing movie star Eternal.
Sersi - Wizard
Sersi’s arc is about discovering her raw untapped potential. At first glance she appears to function close to a Sorcerer, as her abilities seem to come innately from her. But, there’s not much offered by the Sorcerer’s core or subclasses that seems to fall in line with her power of transmutation. Wizard, however, seems like it could offer more for her. In of personality, Sersi is motivated more by a fascination with studying human cultures; she even begins the movie as a teacher at a school. On top of that, her ability to manipulate and change matter is more cerebral, and could be emulated well with a School of Transmutation Wizard.
Ikaris - Paladin
One way to describe Ikaris’ motivation in Eternals, in D&D , would be “Lawful.” And there is nothing quite so lawful in D&D as the classic archetypal Paladin. Typically a Paladin gets their power from a strict code they adhere to, and as is revealed in the movie, Ikaris adheres strictly to the mission set out for them by the Celesital, Arishem, to the point where he is willing to turn on his teammates for it. His cosmic energy eye beams could even be seen as akin to the radiant damage from the Paladin’s “Smite” feature, albeit a more ranged version. Like a Paladin, Ikaris is all around strong and able to take damage, while being able to output powerful bursts of damage.
