The First Eternals Post-Credits Scene Explained

While "Eternals" might break the Marvel mold with its on-location shots, short but sweet sex scene, and diverse cast, it's still got the mid-credits and post-credits scenes that fans have come to expect with every new addition to the MCU. They tease what's to come, because though our heroes have just saved the world, there's always another threat around the corner.

The end of "Eternals" sees our titular group disbanded: Ajak, Gilgamesh, and Ikaris did not survive the movie; Druig, Makkari, and Thena fly off in their spaceship to find other Eternals and tell them the truth of their origin and mission; Sprite becomes human and goes to school; Sersi, Kingo, and Phastos return to their lives only to be kidnapped by their Celestial creator Arishem, who wants to steal their memories to decide if Earth should be allowed to continue existing.

On that startling note, the movie cuts to the credits, where we pick up with a short scene that packs a star-powered punch. In it, Druig, Makkari, and Thena are on their ship discussing their concern over not having heard from the Eternals on Earth in a while, on account of their kidnapping. They're considering going back to check in on them when a mysterious light appears in their hallway and a very out-of-place troll teleports in. They're barely given a moment to react to the appearance of Pip the Troll, voiced by Patton Oswalt, before he announces the arrival of another character: Starfox.

The newcomer Starfox is not the Nintendo character — he's not even a fox — but is none other than pop star Harry Styles, who introduces himself as Eros. Holding one of those fancy golden balls that Ajak and Sersi used to communicate with Arishem, he offers to team up with the Eternals to save their friends.

In case you were so shocked by the appearance of a fantastical troll and Harry Styles as to miss the reveal, Eros is Thanos' brother. You know, the Mad Titan? Big, purple, succeeded in killing half the universe's population before the Avengers defeated him. Looks nothing like Harry Styles. For moviegoers, this scene may lead to whiplash, but for Marvel comic readers, it shouldn't be too surprising. In the comics, brothers Thanos and Eros are Eternals from Titan, Saturn's moon (which is its own planet in the MCU). They look nothing alike because Thanos was born with Deviant Syndrome, a mutation in his genes related to the Deviants we just watched the Eternals destroy.

Eros, who shares a name with the Greek god of love and sex, is a party boy who spends his days sleeping around until he teams up with the Avengers — under the superhero name Starfox — to defeat Thanos. He's got the standard Eternals powers, with the added ability to manipulate the feelings of people around him, particularly with regard to pleasure. Pip the Troll, meanwhile, is an alien who got so drunk he turned into a troll and is known for a similar hedonistic lifestyle.

For anyone shocked to see Styles, there's an explanation for that, too: While he grew to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction, then continued with his solo career, he's more recently gotten into acting. He got his start with a role in "Dunkirk," and will be starring in two upcoming movies, namely the romance "My Policeman" and the thriller "Don't Worry Darling." Now, it appears we'll see more of him in the MCU, though it's impossible to say what exactly Eros, Pip, and the others will get up to as the movies change many plotlines from the comics.