It’s safe to say that Pip the Troll wasn’t high on anyone’s list of most-wanted characters in the MCU. He made his debut in 1975’s Strange Tales #179 and has been a relatively obscure cosmic Marvel hero ever since. But now he’s getting his moment in the spotlight, as Pip made a surprise appearance in the awesome Eternals mid-credit scene.
He appeared as the traveling companion of Harry Styles’ Starfox, acting as his escort and herald. Realized entirely through CGI, he was voiced by Ratatouille, The King of Queens, and The Sandman star Patton Oswalt. Pip’s creator Jim Starlin couldn’t be happier, saying in a recent interview:
“I think he’s perfect for it. I got a real kick out of his voicing over M.O.D.O.K. in that cartoon series. I watched the first one and I went, ‘Eh, it’s okay. And then I watched the second one, then I got hooked and just laughed my ass throughout the rest of it. Now, Patton’s always been a character actor who I think has got terrific range, and I think his voice is just perfect for it.”
Starlin went on to say he’s been pushing for Pip to appear in the movies for years, though doesn’t know if he actually had any impact:
“Every time I’ve seen Kevin Feige over the last two years, I have been lobbying for Pip and obviously, I have more influence than I thought [laughs]. But the truth of the matter is, they work on these things years ahead, so he’s probably been chuckling up his sleeve every time in recent years when I’ve seen him and said, ‘Hey, when are we going to see Pip?’ And he’ll mutter something because he knew it was coming all along.”
Here’s hoping we see more of Pip soon, with many assuming he’s going to play some kind of role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2023. He’s a fun guy, gaining his troll form after indulging in too much mutagenic booze and deciding that if fate has made him more bestial, he’ll take the cue to become the galaxy’s biggest party animal. In the comics, he was also the custodian of the Space Stone, though it remains to be seen if he’s connected to this in the MCU.
Eternals is currently in theaters.
