What Does Eternaut Mean? Breaking Down Netflix's Latest Sci-Fi Series

Newsweek

05-05-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Netflix's new series The Eternaut has introduced a haunting vision of survival and resistance to international viewers, marking a milestone for Latin American science fiction on the global stage. The six-episode series, based on the iconic Argentine comic El Eternauta, debuted April 30, and quickly became a popular non-English language show on the platform.
Set in Buenos Aires, The Eternaut follows Juan Salvo and a group of survivors as they battle a mysterious snowfall that kills on contact. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the snowstorm is only the beginning of a much larger extraterrestrial invasion, transforming the streets of the Argentine capital into a war zone.
The Context
Originally written in 1957 by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and illustrated by Francisco Solano López, El Eternauta holds a powerful place in Argentine culture, known for its themes of resistance, solidarity, and survival under authoritarianism. The comic is often read as a political allegory, particularly resonant due to the author's disappearance under Argentina's last military dictatorship, according to the Buenos Aires Herald.
"It is not the first time that we have made a big production, but this was the first big one based on Argentinian intellectual property," producer Matías Mosteirin from K&S Productions told Deadline. "We couldn't fail because it's a property with a very strong fandom and it was a great treasure for us as artists."
What To Know
The cast is led by award-winning actor Ricardo Darín who portrays Salvo. Other key cast members include Carla Peterson, Andrea Pietra, and César Troncoso. The series was created and directed by Bruno Stagnaro.
The series is presented in Spanish, maintaining the language of its source material and reinforcing its cultural specificity.
The series received a 94 percent Certified Fresh score from Rotten Tomatoes.
What Does "Eternaut" Mean in English?
The word "eternaut" blends "eternity" and "astronaut" to evoke the idea of a timeless traveler.
"Eternity" stems from the Latin word aeternus, meaning everlasting, while the suffix "-naut" originates from the Greek word nautes (sailor), as seen in "astronaut," which combines astron (star) and nautes, ScreenRant reported. Although The Eternaut does not involve space exploration, the title suggests a figure journeying endlessly across time and existential dimensions.
Where Was 'The Eternaut' Filmed?
The Eternaut was filmed in Buenos Aires. According to Moviedelic, the production team utilized 35 real-world locations spanning three regions, along with 25 virtual sets, to craft immersive environments that captured the series' post-apocalyptic atmosphere. The decision to film in the Argentine capital helps ground the series in its cultural context and preserves the geographic authenticity of the original narrative.
Will There Be a Season 2 of 'The Eternaut?'
Yes. Netflix has officially confirmed that The Eternaut will return for a second and final season. The follow-up will include eight episodes and aims to conclude the adaptation of the original comic book storyline. According to Deadline, the second season will expand on the sci-fi themes introduced in the first and delve deeper into the alien conflict and its implications for humanity.
"We can sustain it for a second season, but no more than that," Mosteirin told Deadline. "We feel that, artistically, that is the cycle to we need to sustain the mystique and the adventure of making the show. We want to challenge ourselves in the second season just as we challenged ourselves in the first one. We want to go for more, technically and creatively. We want to use all the knowledge we gained to do things on the second season that we didn't manage to do on the first."
What People Are Saying
Series creator and director Bruno Stagnaro told Netflix's Tudum: "[The Eternaut] was one of the first things I read in full in my life, when I was 10 years old. My approach to the adaptation will be to be faithful to that child reader who came across the story for the first time, to try to reconstruct the genuine emotion of living an adventure on the corner of your neighborhood, and the construction of that great Argentine hero that is Juan Salvo."
X, formerly Twitter, user @darthmorley posted about the show on Sunday: "Just finished watching the first season of The Eternaut on Netflix. An Argentinian (yes, Argentinian) sci-fi show based on an old comic from the late 1950s. All I can say is wow! Fantastic story, characters & production. Can't wait for season two!"