Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige addressed whether Harry Styles' Eternals character will ever return to the MCU after a long absence. Almost four years have passed since Harry Styles shockingly joined the MCU in the Eternals post-credit scene. The One Direction star was introduced as Eros, the brother of Thanos, alongside his drunken companion Pip the Troll (played by Patton Oswalt). Eros came to several space-traveling Eternals to warn that their fellows had been taken by Arishem, setting up a sequel rescue mission.
Unfortunately, after Eternals failed to land with audiences, Arishem's creations have been left dead in the water at Marvel Studios with no sign they will be coming up for air anytime soon. Neither a sequel nor a follow-up appears imminent to resolve that jaw-dropping cliffhanger. That said, some Eternals have made their presence known in What If...? as Kingo crossed over with Agatha Harkness and an Apple Vision Pro VR experience saw Eros defend Thanos at trial.
During a recent interview with GamesRadar+, Kevin Feige was asked when characters such as Harry Styles' Eros, aka Starfox, who have been dangling loose ends in the Multiverse Saga for many years, could return. In response, he declared there are "plans for some and opportunities for all," but interestingly touted that some may never be seen again, despite prior teases:
"There are plans for some and there are opportunities for all. It’s about finding what the right moment is. Some, maybe we’ll never see again. Some, maybe we’ll see soon."
He noted that some could go to the extremes of Tim Blake Nelson's Samuel Sterns, whose transformation into The Leader was teased 17 years before it was finally resolved in Captain America: Brave New World:
"For some, maybe it’ll be like Tim Blake Nelson [who played Samuel Sterns in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk and 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World], and it will take 17 years. Who knows?"
Despite Feige's enthusiasm to bring Styles and other actors back, he was clear that Marvel Studios won't change its storyline plans, simply "because they have been seen in the past:"
"What I love about it is as much about the actors as it is about the characters. It’s as much about our enthusiasm and excitement to work with those actors, which is how almost all those came about – but we will not alter a storyline just to include them simply because they have been seen in the past."
Harry Styles was part of an all-star cast when Eternals debuted in September 2021 to mixed reviews, and, despite only appearing in the post-credit stinger, he almost had one other deleted scene from the cosmic epic.
Gemma Chan, Barry Keoghan, Richard Maden, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, Kit Harington, Brian Tyree Henry, Lia McHugh, Lauren Ridloff, Ma Dong-seok, and Billy Skarsgard were among the other big names who made up the Eternals cast.
Learn more about Harry Styles' MCU character with nine must-know facts.
How & When Harry Styles Could Return to the MCU
It's hard to believe there was a time when there were even rumors that Harry Styles could get his own MCU spin-off project. Granted, those came at a time when Marvel Studios was handing out movies and Disney+ series like they were going out of fashion, since which, the studio has greatly reduced its output.
Kevin Feige recently hinted that characters like the Eternals will be back, and fans can only hope that, when that day comes, the ever-busy Styles is still interested.
According to recent reports, the Eternals are "not done for" and they will return in the next saga after Avengers: Secret Wars. Only time will tell whether this translates into a sequel, Disney+ follow-up, or their storyline resuming in another project as the MCU dials up the cosmic for its next phases.
Marvel Studios created a tough task for the future in bringing together such busy stars for Eternals, such as Styles, Barry Keoghan, Kumail Nanjiani, Angelina Jolie, and Kit Harington, who may be logistically tough to reunite for a sequel.
As Arishem is coming to judge Earth and is doing so through the Eternals, that threat is bound to impact the whole MCU. Perhaps this world-ending event could form the basis for a larger storyline that allows the Eternals to show up in other projects, unless it is simply left behind in the looming post-Secret Wars soft-reboot.
