Eternals Writer Blames Harry Styles’ Marvel Character For Infinity War

Eternals writers claim that Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) misguided acts in Avengers: Infinity War are due to Harry Styles’ Eros/Starfox.

Marvel Studios’ most recent film, directed by Chloé Zhao, introduced the MCU to a brand new superhero squad. It did, however, introduce a couple of new characters that aren’t part of the main Eternals cast, such as Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman and Styles’ Eros.

Despite his appearance as a non-powered human in Eternals, Dane would eventually become Black Knight in the MCU, according to the comics. Meanwhile, Eros’ situation is a little different. Starfox was introduced by Pip the Troll in the Eternals post-credits scene when Thena (Angelina Jolie), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), and Druig (Barry Keoghan) search for their other missing companions (voiced by Patton Oswalt).

So far, not much is known about the character, but Marvel Studios is keeping to his comic book origins as Thanos’ younger brother. While the MCU has yet to hear of their relationship, the Eternals writers are confident that Eros played a role in how the Mad Titan turned out.

Matthew ‘Kaz’ Firpo and Ryan Firpo were asked in an exclusive interview with Screen Rant if they had any plans to include Thanos’ father, A’lars; who was first referenced in Avengers: Infinity War, in Eternals. The two agreed that the Mad Titan’s origins narrative was fascinating, with ties to both Eternals and Deviants.

In the end, Kaz went on to explain that Thanos may have been wounded by having a flawless sibling; who can make everyone adore him in Eros. Inadvertently, this was why he was so determined to make an impression with the snap. Read the following quotes from the authors:

“I think that Starfox is a lot responsible for why Thanos is the way he is”

Kaz Firpo: “We were actually, like, powerfully familiar with the crazy Thanos origin story; which I’m pretty sure is full-blown Greek myth where he, like, killed his own mother I wanna say… It’s been a little bit since I read those arcs, we did a deep-dive into Thanos…”

Ryan Firpo: “She rejected him.”

Kaz Firpo: “Yeah, he was born from an Eternal and raised as a Deviant, and he’s sort of caught in between the two; so there is a lot of… again, that early connective tissue.

But I think, for the sake of this movie as a film, we really just decided to tell this story, and maybe when we get out into the cosmos you might… I mean, we’re literally meeting Thanos’ actual brother at the end of the film, and I think there’s room for Eros – well, Harry [Styles] – to have a conversation about that.

I think that Starfox is a lot responsible for why Thanos is the way he is, to have that… all jokes aside; to have this perfect brother who can make anyone fall in love with him? It does something to you. So I hope we get to see a little bit more of that in Number 2.”

Thanos’ sibling, Starfox, didn’t carry the Deviant gene that gave the Mad Titan his purple complexion; for those unfamiliar with the books. Eros, on the other hand, appears to be a regular Eternal, albeit a good-looking one. He possesses all of the fundamental Eternal abilities; but his signature ability is the ability to psionically activate someone’s pleasure centres.

Starfox has the ability to manipulate people’s emotions, primarily to make them like him. Given Thanos’ troubles with his image (thus the moniker Mad Titan); it’s possible that the unavoidable comparisons to his sibling left him psychologically damaged.

With Thanos now deceased in the Sacred Timeline; it’s unclear whether Marvel Studios plans to present him with Eros through flashbacks or other innovative storytelling techniques. As one of the newest characters introduced in the MCU via Eternals; it’s safe to assume that Starfox has a bright future in the MCU. This gives them plenty of time to explore his origins and relationship with his big brother; and perhaps even confirm or deny if he has anything to do with the snap-in Avengers: Infinity War.