But now, Thanos has been established as one of the most iconic movie villains of the past 20 years and we're about to meet another member of his family in Marvel's Eternals.
Indeed, while the post-credits scenes in previous MCU films have been a closely guarded secret, details about the sting at the end of Eternals hit the internet weeks before the film had been released.
If you've managed to avoid specifics thus far, don't worry – we're not spoiling them here. However, we would simply say that the character of Eros, also known as Starfox, is one to watch moving forward.
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Read on for a briefing on his comic book history, while you can also check out our guide to the Eternals cast.
So, without further ado, here is all you need to know about Harry Styles' character Eros/Starfox.
**Spoiler warning for Marvel's Eternals**
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Who does Harry Styles portray in Eternals?
Singer-songwriter Harry Styles portrays the character Eros/Starfox in the film Eternals but only appears in the mid-credits scene during the end credits.
The character is introduced by his companion Pip the Troll (voiced by Patton Oswalt) and is described as "the Royal Prince of Titan, brother of Thanos, the Knave of Hearts, defeater of Black Roger, the great adventurer, Starfox."
Eros offers Thena, Makkari and Druig help in being reunited with their missing Eternals comrades Sersi, Kingo and Phastos.
Read more about what Eros offers the heroes in his appearance in Eternals in our end credits scenes analysis here.
Who is Eros/Starfox in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Speaking on her interpretation of the character, director Chloe Zhao revealed more details about Eros when speaking with Empire.
Zhao explained: "He's an Eternal, and he was stationed on Titan – 10 of them were, just like the 10 Eternals on Earth, assuming Titan is also a host planet at some point.
"Now, if you think about that, what influence could Eros have had on the inhabitants of Titan, the way Ajak has influenced people on Earth? And how that has affected Thanos?"
She added: "For me, the backstory of Eros is that he deserted, he said, 'I'm not doing this anymore.'"
Zhao suggests the sphere that Eros is holding is something he stole and he used it to create Pip the Troll.
The director compared the duo to Han Solo and Chewbacca from the Star Wars franchise.
Eros' future looks bright in the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
It is unknown where or when we will see Styles as Eros again but we expect it to be in a potential Eternals sequel or another space-set MCU film series such as Guardians of the Galaxy or Captain Marvel.
Who is Eros/Starfox in Marvel Comics?
Eros is the younger brother of Thanos, the mad titan who gave the Avengers a run for their money in the recent crossover films Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame and has a similarly formidable track record in the comic books.
However, siblings often grow up to be very different people and that certainly was the case here, with Eros fixated on pursuing a life of travel and hedonism, while big bro had more malicious intentions.
Eros initially showed little to no interest in heroism, but this changed when one of Thanos' vicious attacks led to the death of their mother, Sui-San, instantly turning the siblings into sworn enemies.
In later years, Eros stepped up to lead the fight against his brother – wielding strength and cosmic energy powers similar to the other Eternals – teaming up with Earth's mightiest heroes, the Avengers, on one such occasion.
During a time of relative peace, he chose to relocate to Earth as he felt it would be most accommodating to the lifestyle he was seeking to lead, formally joining The Avengers, who gave him the codename Starfox.
The character took a surprisingly dark turn in 2006, during a storyline in Dan Slott's She-Hulk series, in which he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman.
Now is a good time to bring up the fact that, besides the base-level Eternal abilities, Starfox also has the power to stimulate the pleasure centre of anyone within 25 feet of him, which can make a person aroused, euphoric or even sedated.
Starfox can use this ability to make people infatuated with him personally, while he can also draw two other people closer together by creating a bond between them.
Obviously, there's plenty of scope for this to be abused, with his accuser claiming that Starfox had used his power to coerce her into sleeping with him, an allegation which caused She-Hulk to reflect on a time when she too had slept with the cosmic being.
She initially believed he had used his powers on her and burst into a burning rage, beating him to a pulp, but a mind probe unearthing the memory revealed that the sexual encounter had been entirely consensual.
It was later said that any irresponsible use of Starfox's powers had been down to Thanos messing with his brother's head by implanting false memories, essentially absolving Eros of any blame in the matter.
Once the truth had been settled, Eros agreed to let the cosmic hero Moondragon use her powers to remove his pleasure stimulation abilities because didn't wish to have the power to affect people's minds.
It seems unlikely that the family-centric MCU would choose to explore such serious themes in future Starfox appearances, but there would be scope for a timely retelling of this story in the post-#MeToo era.
So, where could the Marvel Cinematic Universe go next in the wake of Eternals?
- Read More: Eternals ending explained: Who dies in the epic Marvel film?
- Read More: Eternals director Chloe Zhao reveals moment she’s proudest of in MCU film
- Read More: How does Eternals fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
- Read More: Eternals writer confirms fate of major Marvel character
- Read More: What is Kit Harington’s mystery sword in Eternals?
- Read More: Everything you need to know about a potential Eternals sequel
Marvel's Eternals is released in UK cinemas on Friday 5th November 2021. Check out more of our Movies and Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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