Credit: Marvel StudiosAfter making his franchise debut in the post-credits for Chloé Zhao’s Eternals (2021), it sounds like best-selling recording artist Harry Styles could be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) sooner than expected, thanks to a recent update from Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.
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Although Oscar-winner filmmaker Chloé Zhao’s ambitious Eternals didn’t exactly stick the landing with audiences, there’s no denying it did expand the scope and scale of the MCU as we know it while also introducing audiences to a colorful cast of new heroes.
Fronted by Gemma Chan’s Sersi, Eternals picks up after the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019) and follows the shared history and present-day relationships of a group of immortal alien beings known as the Eternals. All ten are forced to grapple with their complicated past after they emerge from hiding after thousands of years to protect Earth from their ancient counterparts, the Deviants.
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Angelina Jolie (Thena), Richard Madden (Ikaris), Salma Hayek (Ajak), Kumail Nanjiani (Kingo), Lia McHugh (Sprite), Brien Tyree Henry (Phastos), Barry Keoghan (Druig), Lauren Ridloff (Makkari), and Don Lee (Gilgamesh) play the remaining Eternals members, with Kit Harington (Dane Whitman) and Bill Skarsgård (Kro) rounding out the cast.
There have been rumblings about an Eternals sequel, but so far, nothing has been confirmed by Disney or Marvel. However, a small subgroup of fans are eager to see the return of a specific character: Eros, played by none other than former One Directioner Harry Styles.
In the comics, Eros (AKA Starfox) is the brother of Thanos, though he doesn’t fall victim to the same villainous tendencies of the Mad Titan. Eros has the power to psychically control other people’s emotions, and even served alongside the Avengers and his fellow Eternals in several Marvel comic runs.
One of the more, perhaps unexpected parts of Eternals was Styles’ casting as Eros, with rumors of the “Watermelon Sugar” singer appearing in the MCU flick circulating online in the months leading up to the film’s premiere. This seemingly baseless internet speculation, much to everyone’s surprise, ended up being true, with Styles briefly appearing in the second post-credits scene with his sidekick, Pip (Patton Oswalt).
In the closing moments of Eternals, the immortals who stopped Tiamut’s emergence were taken from Earth by Arishem so the Celestial could judge them. In a second after-credits scene, Eros makes his MCU debut by promising Thena, Makkari, and Druig that he can help them track down their friends, though there’s still no indication of if this cliffhanger will be addressed somewhere down the line.
Given that there’s been virtually zero updates on an Eternals sequel — or any MCU project featuring the team at that — Harry Styles “stans” haven’t been offered their long-awaited answer of whether he’ll return to the franchise just yet, even if his performance left something to be desired. However, Kevin Feige, while promoting the upcoming team-up flick, The Marvels (2023), might’ve just hinted at Styles’ MCU future, and by the sounds of it, it could be big.
During last night’s The Marvels premiere in Las Vegas, Feige was asked for news about Styles’ role as Eros, to which he responded, “He’s excited. We’re excited. We will see.” Seemingly caught off guard by the question, Feige continued, “You introduce a lot of new characters in a lot of movies and a lot of tags. Where do the tag folk reappear? That’s a good question.”
Check out the full clip (via @etnow on X) below:
We are talking to Kevin Feige at 'The Marvels' premiere in Las Vegas and all of our questions we answered!!#TheMarvels pic.twitter.com/BPSPSGDwlS
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) November 8, 2023
Feige’s comment is just vague enough to align with Marvel’s usual levels of top-secrecy but also seems to suggest that Styles’ part in the Multiverse Saga isn’t exactly a priority, with his rushed answer indicating that Marvel, frankly, has some bigger fish to fry than worrying about a side character from an already unpopular movie.
However, with the historic SAG-AFTRA strike now officially over, Feige is surely sighing a breath of relief as Marvel productions can finally continue now that both actors and writers have reached their respective agreements with the AMPTP. With Disney and Marvel now being given the official go-ahead from unions, Styles could potentially be a priority for the studio as it moves into Phase Six.
Ultimately, it’s hard to say whether or not we can expect to see Styles’ Eros back in action soon, but his team has undoubtedly been in cahoots with Marvel post-Eternals. His return was never much of a question, considering the strong response to his appearance in the film, though when and how remains a mystery.
Are you looking forward to seeing Harry Styles in future Marvel productions? Share your thoughts in the comments below!