Everything To Know About The Eternal Rumored To Be Joining The MCU
You know, just in case he shows up.
Much like Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, Eternals is about to open a door to an entirely untapped wing of Marvel Comics characters. For example, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was pretty Earth- and human-centric in its characters until GOTG introduced races like the Celestials. Now, Eternals will pick up by revealing members of this titular race. MCU fans have already learned about some of these characters, but there’s one in particular who has flown under the radar ahead of the film’s premiere... until now. So, who is Eros in the Marvel Comics, and why might he matter to the upcoming movie?
The cast of Eternals is massive; it’s Marvel’s second standalone franchise that’s also an ensemble piece. There are 10 Eternals who star in the series: the empath Sersi (Gemma Chan), warrior Thena (Angelina Jolie), flying Ikaris (Richard Madden), fame-obsessed Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), strongman Gilgamesh (Don Lee), healer Ajak (Salma Hayek), inventor Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), super-speeder Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), illusionist Sprite (Lia McHugh), and mind-controller Druig (Barry Keoghan).
But they are only the tip of the iceberg. There are nearly 50 Eternals, all told, over five generations. The bulk of the ones in the film come from the Third and Fourth Generations (except Gilgamesh, who is a Second Generation, and Sprite, a Fifth Generation).
Fans have already met at least one character who was a Third Generation Eternal, though the MCU didn’t bill him as such: Thanos. In the comics, Thanos, born on Titan, is the son of the Eternal Mentor (part of the Second Generation).
The MCU has altered this somewhat, making Thanos an offspring of an Eternal but not an Eternal himself, billing him instead as “The Mad Titan.” Since he’s dead before Eternals opens, that’s not a big deal — or it wouldn’t be, if Thanos were an only child. But he’s not. Mentor and his lover, the Eternal known as Sui-San, had two children, Thanos and his younger brother, Eros. And rumor has it Eros might be arriving in the wake of his brother’s demise.
In the comics, Eros is everything Thanos is not. He’s good-looking, fun-loving, into adventures and saving the world — basically, everything a superhero should be. He’s even got a traditional superhero name, Starfox. In the comics, when Thanos starts attacking Titan and taking out half the universe, Eros realizes that perhaps he shouldn’t be letting his brother run around unchecked and start to take saving the world a little more seriously.
Eros has joined up with various Avengers in the comics, including teaming up with Captain Marvel in several space adventures and, interestingly, resurrecting Vision after he passed away. He also teamed up with Nebula post-Infinity Saga to help find Gamora, and he founded the Dark Guardians. There’s a lot of other adventures — some good, some not. At one point, he wound up on trial for using his ability to seduce an Earth woman at a party, who later sues him for sexual assault. He was represented by Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk, who kicked his butt when she realized her client was guilty. After that, Starfox learned his lesson and resolved to be a better person.
With Thanos gone in the MCU, and so many Eternals now running around, it wouldn’t be surprising for Eros to find his way into the Marvel movies. His arrival certainly could change the MCU going forward.
Marvel’s Eternals will debut in theaters on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021.
