Josh Brolin’s teased return to the MCU as the Mad тιтan, Thanos, creates the perfect opportunity for an annoying four-year-old mystery from one of Phase 4’s most divisive movies to finally be resolved. First seen in the post-credits scene of 2012’s The Avengers, Thanos was introduced as the primary antagonist of the MCU’s Infinity Saga, though he posed the most significant threat in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Thanos’ collection of the six Infinity Stones allowed him to beat Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, though they eventually reversed his destruction and eradicated the iconic supervillain.

Despite Thanos’ death (twice) in Avengers: Endgame, Josh Brolin revealed to ComicBook in February 2024 that he had heard “through the grapevine” that Marvel Studios wants the Mad тιтan to return. Brolin has since reiterated these comments, spurring theories regarding where Thanos could make his next appearance in the MCU. Thanos’ return to the MCU would be exciting for many reasons, bringing back one of the franchise’s most notable villains, but one of the most enticing possibilities addresses a huge mystery from 2021’s Eternals.

Harry Styles’ Eros Hasn’t Returned To The MCU Since His Eternals Cameo

Harry Styles Debuted In Eternals’ Mid-Credits Scene

Chloé Zhao’s Eternals delivered something completely new and fresh in the MCU’s Phase 4, and while this wasn’t to everyone’s taste, the ambitious movie has since earned more retrospective praise. Nevertheless, Eternals established several exciting new storylines that haven’t yet been addressed, contributing to some of the biggest mysteries and unanswered questions the MCU has ever seen, and one of these centered around Harry Styles. The singer-turned-actor debuted as Eros, a.k.a. Starfox, in Eternals, a mysterious member of the тιтular synthetic species.

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At the time of Harry Styles’ debut in the MCU, Marvel Studios was said to be very excited about the future of his character. Kevin Feige repeated this sentiment to Entertainment Tonight in November 2023, noting that “[Harry Styles is] excited, we’re excited, we will see.” Even so, Eros has not yet returned to the MCU even four years after his debut, which Feige cited as being due to many new characters being introduced in many new projects throughout the Multiverse Saga. Now, however, Eros’ return could be on the horizon.

Eros’ Best MCU Return Is Alongside His Brother, Josh Brolin’s Thanos

Eros Was Introduced As Thanos’ Brother In Eternals

When he was introduced by Patton Oswalt’s Pip the Troll at the end of Eternals, a lengthy preamble revealed that Eros is the brother of Thanos in the MCU. This reflects the character’s Marvel Comics backstory, as both Eros and Thanos are Eternals in the comics, though Thanos carries the Deviant gene, causing his grotesque appearance. Even though Thanos’ origins were changed for the live-action MCU, Eternals still retained his brotherhood with Eros, which means that Thanos’ possible return could also bring back Harry Styles’ Starfox.

It seems most likely that Josh Brolin will reprise the role of Thanos in either Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars in Phase 6. It’s also possible that the members of the Eternals team could also return in these crossover movies, even though they haven’t yet been confirmed, which could bring Thanos and Eros together for the first time on-screen. While it would be great to see this weird family reunion, bringing Thanos and Eros together could also address major mysteries concerning both of these characters’ origins in the MCU.

Thanos & Eros Coming Back To The MCU Can Answer Huge MCU Questions

How Are Thanos & Eros Brothers In The MCU?

Marvel Studios didn’t only change Thanos’ backstory in the MCU, revealing that he is not an Eternal at all, but a member of a new species inhabiting the planet тιтan rather than Saturn’s moon, but Eros’ origins were also drastically changed. In Marvel Comics, the Eternals are organic beings who are a superpowered offshoot of early humans, the product of Celestial experimentation. In the MCU, however, the Eternals are robots created by the Celestials to keep the evolving Deviants in check, which makes Thanos and Eros’ familial connection very confusing.

Thanos is not an Eternal, so the question remains as to how the Eternal Eros can be considered his brother. Some theories have suggested that Eros may have been adopted into Thanos’ family after being sent to тιтan to oversee the Emergence of a new Celestial, but this hasn’t been confirmed. Bringing Thanos and Eros back to the MCU in Phase 6 could finally explore the pair’s background, confirming how they’re connected, and perhaps making Thanos an even more empathetic villain by better-exploring his family history.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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