Warning: Major SPOILERS for Eternals and its mid- and post-credits scenes ahead.
Between its mid-credits and post-credits scenes, Eternals introduces four major characters that are set to have a massive impact on the MCU Phase 4. Eternals is set to do a lot of heavy lifting for the future of the MCU. For starters, it elevates and evolves the tone and scope of Marvel movies, being far more mature and adult than what's come before, such as including a sex scene (ittedly PG-13) and a character giving the middle finger, along with being Marvel's most diverse cast yet, as well as actually having overt LGBTQ+ representation rather than coded queerbaiting.
It's also doing heavy lifting in another way. The Eternals team is massive, making it the biggest named team in the MCU to date. The original Avengers had six characters in the team lineup, and the Guardians of the Galaxy had five; Eternals has the task of introducing 10 new characters to the MCU Phase 4. That's quite a few characters to balance.
Yet, Eternals goes even further, not just setting up the Eternals team itself, but also four other characters who are set to be integral to the MCU moving forward: Eros, a.k.a. Starfox, Pip the Troll, Dane Whitman, a.k.a. the Black Knight, and Blade. Here's a briefer on each character and how they could impact Marvel projects in the future.
Eternals' Mid-Credits Scene Introduces Harry Styles As Starfox
Unfortunately, this reveal in Eternals' mid-credits scene was already spoiled online, but Harry Styles has indeed entered the MCU as Eros, a.k.a. Starfox. The mid-credits scene picks up some time after the events of the movie. A few of the Eternals, namely Druig (Barry Keoghan), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) and Thena (Angelina Jolie) have left Earth in their ship, the Domo, in order to search for more Eternals across the galaxy. Suddenly, they hear a noise and that's when a portal opens and spits out what appears to be a small goblin of some sort, followed by a dashing character dressed suspiciously similarly to them. He announces himself as Eros of Titan, a.k.a. Starfox, and he not only knows of their plan but also where they can find the universe's missing Eternals.
In the comics, Harry Styles' Starfox is the son of the Eternals A'Lars and Sui-San. Despite being a prodigy and fast learner, Starfox has been far less serious than the average Marvel hero. He'll certainly fight when called to it, but as a classic hedonist, Starfox would much rather spend his time traveling the galaxy and womanizing, reveling in pleasure and seduction. Though he has the same shared powers and immortality of all Eternals, his natural bent is evidenced by the powers he chose to specifically cultivate, namely pleasure stimulation of others and the ability to create emotional bridges that allow two people to feel and experience the emotions of the other, allowing them to fall in love–or to fall in love with him. Unsurprisingly, as with the other Eternals who became the basis of a number of Earth's deities, Starfox is the basis for Eros, the god of love.
Eternals Mid-Credits Scene Adds Pip The Troll To The MCU
That same mid-credits scene in Eternals also introduces Pip the Troll, the small goblin-like creature who heralds the arrival of Starfox. Pip stumbles out of the portal with a mug of ale in hand, sloshing it over the Eternals' Domo spaceship and somewhat slurring his words as he goes on a long-winded and overly florid announcement describing Starfox and his accomplishments. Starfox is clearly annoyed by this, remarking that he's asked Pip before to do away with the grand proclamations, and the tone of his voice indicates it's a conversation he's had many times with the troll to no avail.
Unlike Harry Styles' Starfox, however, Pip the Troll is an entirely CGI creation. Interestingly, when Peter Dinklage was cast a few years ago for Avengers: Infinity War, the most common theory was that he would be playing Pip the Troll. Of course, he turned out to be playing Eitri, the King of the Dwarves, but Pip the Troll was a solid guess, especially considering Pip and previous Dinklage character Tyrion Lannister's love of drink.
In the comics, Pip the Troll isn't actually born a troll but is turned into one after spending a night drinking with them; their liquor was enchanted with magic that completely altered him and as a result, he's exiled from his homeworld of Laxidazia. Initially, he didn't have any powers, but eventually gained a few through magical means, including teleportation. It appears the MCU has already granted him that ability, seeing as how he and Starfox portaled into the Domo. Pip could have a greater role than anticipated in the MCU, too, as quite a few of his stories in the comics involve not only Starfox but also Adam Warlock, who was recently announced with Will Poulter in the role.
Harry Styles' Starfox Is Thanos' Brother: History & Differences Explained
Starfox also has one majorly significant tie to the preexisting MCU: he's the brother of Thanos. However, the two brothers could not be more different - in fact, they hate each other. Eros is carefree and fun-loving, being more concerned with revelry and bedding women, even when acting as his heroic alter-ego, Starfox. In contrast, Thanos is intense and despotic, maniacal and obsessed with conquest. In Thanos' defense, he was treated far differently by their parents than was Eros. Born with Deviant Syndrome contributing to his purple skin and outsized body, their mother, Sui-San, tried to kill Thanos as a baby.
Years later, when Thanos turned on Titan and launched an attack on his homeworld, Sui-San was killed and the Mad Titan earned the loathing of his brother, Eros, forever. After Thanos' attack, Starfox banded with the other Titan survivors to fight back against Thanos. Though this attack and the death of his mother made him take life somewhat more seriously, Starfox was still far more more fun-loving than his brother, interested in carousing around the galaxy whereas Thanos was methodical and driven in his plan to dominate the universe.
However, every 1,000 years (or one Eternal year), the warring brothers set aside their rancor and bitterness and declare a truce. The temporary truce finds them meeting in a neutral location and bringing one another gifts in a tradition that their father demanded of them. Despite them being polar opposites and despite the bad blood between them, their father insisted on them regularly ing the shared blood that runs through their veins. Thus far, neither brother has ever broken the truce by attacking the other during their neutral meeting. Now that Thanos the Mad Titan is dead in the MCU and Starfox has been introduced, it will be interesting to see how Starfox handles the aftermath of his brother's death or if it will affect him at all.
Eternals' Post-Credits Scene Sets Up Kit Harington's Black Knight
Starfox and Pip the Troll were just the first two superheroes set up in Eternals' credits scenes: Kit Harington's Black Knight was, too. It's a bit of a cheat, as Harington's Dane Whitman was already introduced as a ing character in the film, but a few scenes in Eternals hinted that there was more to his story than had been revealed. More of that story is hinted at in Eternals' post-credits scene where Dane Whitman nervously paces back and forth across a study, pumping himself to open an ornate and aged box on his desk. It's quickly revealed why - when he opens the box, the strange sound of whispering voices is heard and the sword he reveals is clearly spelled with some sort of magic, with the metal seeming to move and ripple on its own. Likewise, there is a message etched on it: "Death Is His Reward." Whatever powers and rewards Dane Whitman may gain by taking up the sword, it will come at a significant cost, as well.
"Death Is His Reward" - What Eternals' Post-Credits Scene Message Means
About that message: Dane Whitman's family history is a complex one, as is the legacy handed down to him. In the movie, when it seems the Eternals can't stop the Emergence, Black Knight's sword, known as the Ebony Blade.
The Ebony Blade is a magically enchanted blade that lends the wielder some incredible powers, including the ability to cut through any object, to deflect magic, and to protect them from death. However, it also carries a curse, for with those gifts come the other side of it: over time, the wielder will slowly become corrupted by the Ebony Blade and eventually lust for bloodshed and death and vice-versa. The more blood the Black Knight spills with the sword, the more the blade will be tainted and crave violence until the wielder eventually turns into a dealer of death driven by bloodlust. Hence, "Death Is His Reward." Inevitably, the Ebony Blade only brings death.
The Voice Talking To Dane In Eternals' Credits Scene Is Mahershala Ali's Blade
At the end of Blade, one of Marvel's master swordsmen, to appear?
Blade's voice in Eternals' after-credits scene could be setting up several possibilities, including Harington returning as Black Knight in the Blade movie (which now feels even more pertinent to Marvel's plans), or the pair teaming-up in another crossover. In Marvel Comics, both were of Captain Britain's MI-13 superhero team, which the MCU has already laid some groundwork for: the Shard, the MI-13's base of operations, was used for similar purposes by Nick Fury and Maria Hill in characters could return in The Avengers 5, with each appearing among Earth's Mightiest Heroes in the comics (and Black Knight in particular strongly linked), but both have been in multiple different teams over the years, and Marvel could be combining or changing elements of those to fit the MCU too. Whatever comes next, Blade's voice in Eternals' end-credits scene will mean big things for both Dane Whitman and the Daywalker.
