Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Director Addresses Harry Styles Cameo Rumors

Following on from Guardians of the Galaxy's space exploration, Chloé Zhao's Eternals opened up a whole new corner of the cosmic MCU as it dove head-first into the Celestial mythos and introduced ten powerful heroes - of which seven lived to fight another day. After the credits rolled, fans were delivered the surprise arrival of another Eternal: Eros, aka Starfox, the brother of Thanos, played by One Direction's Harry Styles.

Starfox's abilities allow him to control the emotions of others, a power set he has previously used to cause others to become infatuated with him romantically. Unlike his brother Thanos, Eros tends to be portrayed as a friendly face, although he has done some beyond questionable things with his powers, and was once even put on trial for sexual assault.

During his introduction, Styles' Starfox arrived with Patton Oswalt's Pip the Troll to offer his assistance to Thena, Druig, and Makkari to rescue Sersi, Kingo, and Phastos from the clutches of Arishem. Now, many are wondering where Eros and the rest of the Eternals will next appear in the MCU.

Rumors have recently spread that Starfox could appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, something director James Gunn has now addressed. 

Is Harry Styles' Starfox in Guardians 3?

During a recent interview with ExtraTV, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director James Gunn responded to rumors that Harry Styles' Starfox will reprise his Eternals role with a surprise cameo.

Directly asked about the rumors, Gunn quickly shot down speculation with a resounding "nope." The director went on to say that “[he's] setting the record straight. He’s not [in the movie]– Starfox doesn’t pop up.”

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently teased the "exciting" future of Styles' Eros in the MCU, but Gunn has now made it clear that won't be in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

The director continued to emphasize his excitement to finish the movie, which has "been so fun to edit:"

“Mostly I’m excited about finishing this movie, because it’s just been so fun to edit. I love doing that.”

Gunn confirmed "the first edit is done" and in "really good shape," also noting how he is "really happy" with the final product:

“No, but the first edit is done, and it’s pretty much… It’s in really good shape, so I’m really happy.”

When Will Harry Styles Return to the MCU?

Harry Styles' debut as Starfox in Eternals left fans shocked, especially given the insane fame of the One Direction star. His short-lived cameo set the course for Eros, the brother of Thanos, to play a major role in Eternals 2 as he assists half of the immortal beings in rescuing the others from the hands of Arishem the Judge.

With no Eternals sequel present on the currently announced Phases 4, 5, and 6 slates, there's no telling when the Celestial creations will next be seen. With those characters trapped in the clutches of that cliffhanger, there's almost no chance they appear in anything that takes place after that until Eternals 2.

Marvel Studios still has plenty of openings left on its Phase 6 slate, so there are plenty of opportunities for Eternals 2 to take place somewhere in the Multiverse Saga. With The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars bringing this era of the MCU to a close, the Eternals will probably be involved in some capacity, which ought to place their sequel at some point in 2025. 

Looking at the currently announced MCU lineup, The Marvels and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are the only cosmic projects that appear possible to host Styles' romantic Eternal. But with no evidence pointing toward Eros joining the all-female ensemble, perhaps Eternals 2 will be where he next appears.

Based on everything Gunn has revealed about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 so far, fans should prepare themselves for minimal connections to the wider MCU. The trilogy-completing space opera is about bringing the story of the Guardians to a close, not setting up plot points for the future.

In keeping the focus on his original group of Guardians, Gunn will be able to deliver the most satisfying conclusion possible to the story he has been weaving since 2014. The closest thing to an MCU set-up that fans should expect in this case comes with the introduction of Will Poulter's Adam Warlock, who will undoubtedly be back in other projects.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5, 2023.