Eternals looks to have overcome those bad reviews and will be another sizeable hit for Marvel Studios. Even its critics recognize Chloé Zhao’s movie as a break from usual MCU fare, which likely means it’s going to end up as something of a cult classic. It also has some excellent credits scenes, introducing several characters with big stories to come.
Most prominent is Harry Styles’ Starfox – aka Eros of Titan. This dashing figure makes contact with Thena’s squad to offer his assistance in tracking down the missing Eternals. But dark clouds may be ahead, as Eros is Thanos’ brother, though cut from very different cloth. Rather than a galaxy-conquering warlord, he’s more of a playboy and womanizer.
He’s being escorted by Pip the Troll, as voiced by Patton Oswalt. This drunken party animal was once a handsome prince, transformed into a troll after drinking too much psychedelic booze during a particularly fierce rager. Pip decided to roll with the punches and embrace a new life of hedonism and debauchery, but he’s not all fun and games. In the comics, he’s been the custodian of the Space Stone, though given this has been destroyed in the MCU, his teleportation ability must come from elsewhere.
We also got a tease of Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman becoming The Black Knight. For most of the film, he’s a mild-mannered Englishman, somewhat bewildered by Cersei turning out to be an immortal goddess. But we eventually learn he has secrets of his own, as he heads back to his classroom and decides whether to take up his family heirloom, the Ebony Blade. This will turn him into a mythic hero, though the sword is cursed with an insatiable bloodlust that’s almost impossible to suppress.
Finally, in a super-secret voice cameo, we got the MCU debut of Mahershala Ali’s Blade, who needs no introduction. The Daywalker appeared off-screen asking Whitman if he was ready for the burdens of the Ebony Blade. And really, who better suited to advise a hero about staying on the side of the angels while dealing with a craving for blood?
Eternals is now in theaters.