Warning - This article contains spoilers for Eternals.
Eternals is now available to watch in most territories worldwide, and it seems that the latest Phase 4 entry lived up to its promise of changing the MCU in a significant way.
Directed by Chloé Zhao, Eternals is about a group of cosmic-powered heroes sent to Earth by Arishem to save the planet from the Deviants. Despite this heroic mission, the team was not tasked to interfere with human conflicts, thus forcing them to sit out several major battles that the Avengers fought to protect Earth.
In the film, it was revealed that the Eternals were tasked to bring forth the birth of a Celestial, meaning that Earth would be destroyed as a result. This caused disagreement between the team, ultimately leading to an eventful battle between Ikaris and the rest of them due to the former's disagreement about their original mission.
Eternals ended on a surprising cliffhanger, but the surprises didn't stop there. In the mid-credits scene, Harry Styles arrived as Starfox, cementing his first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
However, based on a new interview, it appears that an alternate version of Styles' arrival didn't make the final cut of Eternals.
Eternals Stars Address Major End-Credits Tag
Several Eternals cast members sat down with Entertainment Weekly to talk about the secrets behind the film's mid-credits scene.
In the mid-credits scene, Harry Styles' Eros a.k.a. Starfox made his MCU debut. The character is Thanos' brother, and he was accompanied by Pip the Troll, who is voiced by Patton Oswalt.
Starfox met with a few Eternals aboard the Domo, specifically Angelina Jolie's Thena, Lauren Ridloff's Makkari, and Barry Keoghan's Druig.
However, the cast revealed during the interview that they shot a longer version of the scene with Styles' Marvel character that didn't make the final cut.
Salma Hayek, who plays Ajak, shared that Styles easily blended with the rest of the cast upon his arrival:
"He arrived, and he was just like part of us, immediately."
In the aforementioned cut scene, Entertainment Weekly unveiled that the Eternals and Eros are sitting inside the Domo while communicating with Celestial Arishem with their eyes closed.
Lauren Ridloff, who portrays Makkari, then revealed a story of how she and Styles bonded while filming the alternate take:
"Chloe would say, 'Cut,' and every time she yelled, 'Cut,' the interpreter would have to run around and tap me on the shoulder. So after a couple of times, Harry was just like, 'Is it okay if I just tap you and cue you when we stop shooting? I was like, 'Yeah, thank you!' That's just who Harry is: He just watches out, and he thinks: 'What can I do?'"
Welcome to the MCU, Harry Styles
Harry Styles' Eros already made an impactful arrival during Eternals' mid-credits tag by meeting Thena, Makkari, and Druig, but it appears there's an alternate take where he gets to interact with the rest of the team.
Given Salma Hayek's comments, it seems that there's also a version of Eternals where she made it out alive. In the film, Ajak died when Ikaris pushed her to face her demise against the Deviants.
Based on the scene description, it is unknown why the Eternals and Eros decide to communicate with Arishem, but it's possible that they could be challenging the ideals of the Celestial due to his orders to bring forth the destruction of Earth.
With the help of Eros, it looks like an imminent duel pitting the team and Arishem could be in the cards, meaning that this sequence could likely serve as the original post-credits scene or even the film's initial ending.
Meanwhile, Lauren Ridloff's amusing story about her bond with Styles clearly shows that the former One Direction singer looks out for his co-stars. This is a fitting example of the solid dynamic that has been apparent in every Marvel project, and signs point that the bond will continue since Makkari and Eros were last seen together aboard the Domo.
Eternals is now playing in theaters worldwide.
