This article contains mild spoilers for Eternals.
The buzz surrounding Marvel's next blockbuster, Eternals, has continued to grow in lieu of its theatrical release next month. Aside from the impressive cast, trailer, comic history, and their impending battle with the Deviants, some details of the film are still unknown. This secrecy has gone a long way in assisting with the promotion of the film, exciting Marvel fans with a glimpse of this new band of heroes.
The excitement and secrecy surrounding Eternals were ruined for quite a few following the Eternals premiere. Fans of Marvel films know that each film brings forth a new element that helps the MCU continue to grow. Part of the Marvel experience is uncovering these surprises. Shortly after the Eternals premiere, Matt Donnelly, a Variety writer who attended the premiere, tweeted a surprising fact about the mid-credits scene from the film. This upset those who hoped to watch Eternals without any spoilers next month. With Marvel's reputation of being so tight-lipped about information released about its projects, was this leak an accident or a strategic marketing strategy? Spoilers ahead.
The tweeted spoiler revealed that pop star Harry Styles has joined the MCU as Thanos' brother, Eros. After being admitted to the prestigious band of heroes, the Avengers, Eros was given the name Starfox. As a God of love in traditional Greek Mythology, Eros' alluring personality syncs well with Styles' own worldly perception. As a former member of the English boyband, One Direction, Styles and his bandmates have acquired a large fanbase consisting mainly of young women. While Styles may not share Eros' reputation as a womanizer, he certainly has enough of a following that makes him a logical choice to play Eros.
As immortal beings with immense strength and unimaginable capabilities, Eternals has the opportunity to take the MCU in a new direction. Full of both powerful women and men, Eternals trailers have given glimpses of Marvel's first official LGBTQ+ relationship. Eternals will feature the MCU debuts of many well-known actors. Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Ma Dong-seok, Barry Keoghan, Lauren Ridloff, and Kit Harington will all play a crucial role that introduces this new band of heroes to the MCU. According to the spoiler, Styles will join this impressive cast.
As the son of two Eternals, the introduction of Eros in the mid-credits scene would be appropriate given the characters the film is exploring. A large part of Eros' story is tethered to his brother Thanos, who has died not once, but twice in the MCU. Despite Thanos' deaths, it doesn't mean that this part of Eros' story cannot be explored. Marvel may decide to simply utilize flashbacks to give depth to Eros' character, but given the path the MCU is currently headed on, they may have another trick up their sleeve. Following WandaVision, Loki, and most recently, What If...? the possibilities in the MCU are endless. These three series have explored the expansiveness of the Multiverse, introducing countless variants of characters who already exist within the core MCU timeline. While Thanos has already died twice, there are still an infinite number of his variants that exist within the Multiverse that could be linked to Eros' story.
Trailers for Eternals have already begun to question why they hadn't involved themselves with huge threats like Thanos. Much like the Watcher in What If...?, the Eternals were instructed not to interfere. The only time they could was if a Deviant was involved. While Eros is not like his power-hungry brother (and is actually quite the opposite), he could potentially arrive to question the Eternals' lack of involvement when it came to ending his brother's evil motives. Given Eros' lineage, he likely already understands the code the Eternals live by, but since he knows the dangers his brother possesses, it could be challenging for him to accept.
Directed by Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao, Eternals is expected to go where no other Marvel film has gone before. Early reviews of the film have praised Zhao's direction and focus on relationships and family. Zhao's typical indie productive eye has also altered the way the production of Eternals was done. Many have acknowledged that visually, Eternals differs from the typical high-pace, battle-heavy backdrop that so many MCU films have. Most have summed up the feeling of Eternals as human. In addition to the two scenes introduced during the credits of the film, one of which appears to include Styles as Eros, have also been discussed as being incredibly transformative for the direction of the MCU.
The apparent spoiler that Styles will appear to play Eros expands Marvel's audience. With Styles' large fanbase, his involvement in Eternals has the potential to pull new Marvel fans into the theatres. In 2017, Styles made his official acting debut as a member of Christopher Nolan's large Dunkirk cast. While it wasn't a huge role, many of Styles' fans turned out to see him in the film, having little interest in the World War II mission. In seeing how Styles' presence helped expand the viewership for Nolan's film, it's possible that Marvel hopes to do the same. Now that it appears Styles will be in Eternals, even if only for a few moments during a mid-credits scene, his fans have proved loyal to his endeavors, which bodes well for Marvel's ticket sales. Styles will next star in Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling.
Eternals will debut in theatres on November 5, 2021.