The following article contains major spoilers for Eternals. After a year-long delay, Eternals, directed by Chloé Zhao, has finally been released in theaters. And while the film has proven to be divisive among critics, it nevertheless does plenty to widen the scope of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Eternals is notable for being a mostly self-contained story that features no returning characters from past MCU entries — with the exception of the Celestials, who were previously teased in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. But even so, it’s clear that the events of the film will have major effects on the MCU going forward. And nowhere is this more obvious than in the film’s two post-credits scenes, which both hint at big things to come while introducing some surprising new characters.
The initial mid-credits scene picks up where the ending of the film leaves off, showing Thena (Angelina Jolie), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), and Druig (Barry Keoghan) traveling through deep space on the Eternals’ monolithic starship, the Domo. They discuss their inability to contact Sersi (Gemma Chan), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), and Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), who stayed behind on Earth only to be abducted by Arishem the Prime Celestial. Thena, Makkari, and Druig quickly deduce that Arishem is behind their allies’ disappearance, but before they can decide what to do next, they’re faced with an unexpected new arrival.
An intruder teleports into the Domo, much to the Eternals’ surprise. But this new character isn’t a familiar space traveler like Thor or Star-Lord, but rather a strange CGI dwarf-like being voiced by Patton Oswalt. Oswalt has plenty of Marvel experience under his belt already, appearing as a recurring guest star on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and voicing the titular supervillain in the recent M.O.D.O.K. animated series on Hulu. But now, he’s finally crossed over into the main MCU, lending his voice to an obscure comic character called Pip the Troll.
Pip isn’t the only new character introduced in this scene, however — he’s soon joined by a figure who introduces himself as Eros, a fellow Eternal and the brother of Thanos. Eros, known in the comics as the Avengers member Starfox (not to be confused with the similarly-named Nintendo games). While Eros is both the brother of Thanos and an Eternal in the source material as well, the fact that he’d gone completely unmentioned in the Infinity Saga led most hardcore fans to believe that neither he nor Thanos’ Eternal connections would be featured in the MCU. However, it’s clear now that isn’t the case. Even more surprisingly, this little-known comic hero is played by Harry Styles of One Direction fame — but thanks to his major role in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, Styles has proven by now that he has the acting chops to hold his own alongside his fellow MCU stars.
Eros and Pip were both created by Jim Starlin, the same writer and artist who created Thanos and Drax. Starfox frequently fought alongside the Avengers in battles against his brother Thanos, while Pip was once a traveling companion of Gamora and Adam Warlock. Both characters appear in minor roles in the Starlin-penned Infinity Gauntlet crossover storyline that inspired both Infinity War and Endgame. Since Thanos is already dead in the MCU, it’s unknown what sort of role Eros and Pip will play going forward, or even what film they’ll show up in next. But it’s obvious from this scene that their arrival has major implications for the MCU’s future.
Later, the post-credits scene focuses on Dane Whitman (played by Kit Harington of Game of Thrones fame), Sersi’s human love interest. Before Arishem’s untimely arrival on Earth, Dane was about to tell Sersi about his “complicated” family history — obviously alluding to his comic background as the superhero Black Knight. After Sersi is abducted, Dane is shown opening an ancient-looking chest that contains a magical sword. Comic experts will quickly recognize this sword as the cursed weapon known as the Ebony Blade, which was previously referenced in the film during a brief exchange between Thena and Sprite that hinted at the Eternals’ presence in King Arthur’s Britain.
Dane is ready to take up his ancestral weapon, speaking a Latin incantation to activate its power: “Mors mihi lucrum,” Latin for “Death is my reward.” The Ebony Blade is shown becoming fluid and ink-like, as if transforming into pure darkness. But then, an unseen visitor speaks up, asking Dane if he’s sure he’s ready. The screen cuts to black before the mystery man can be seen, but it’s been confirmed by Chloé Zhao that the voice belongs to none other than Mahershala Ali, soon to star in the MCU’s upcoming Blade.
No future projects featuring Dane Whitman have been confirmed, but it’s clear that he’ll soon be taking up the mantle of Black Knight and becoming a hero in his own right. It’s likely that he’ll appear in Blade’s own solo film, especially since the duo were once teammates in the short-lived MI-13 comic. As of now, fans fan only theorize what will become of Whitman, Pip, and Eros next, but it’s plain to see that big things are in store for these newcomers to the MCU.