You’d have gotten some funny looks around the time Avengers: Endgame was released if you’d tapped somebody on the shoulder and told them that in just over two years, Harry Styles would be making his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as the Thanos’s brother Eros.
It sounds insane, and it is when you think about it, but Eternals director Chloe Zhao admitted that she’d always envisioned the former One Direction member and burgeoning actor as Starfox, so it was a real shame the surprise was spoiled weeks ahead of release after a journalist gave the game away on Twitter as soon as the world premiere ended.
Everyone involved in the MCU has nothing but good things to say about Styles, and that includes Benedict Cumberbatch, who didn’t even know he’d boarded the superhero series. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Thanos creator Jim Starlin was asked for his thoughts on the matter, and he sounds as though he’s on board.
“I never pictured [Josh] Brolin as Thanos. I had a couple of other actors in mind. But now I can’t imagine anyone but Brolin playing Thanos. They’ve been good at casting the characters. This actor will probably turn out to be just as good as the others.”
Hardly the most glowing of endorsements, but as Starlin says, he didn’t envision Josh Brolin as Thanos and that worked out pretty well in the end for all involved. The only real question left is when we can expect to see Styles’ Eros again, especially when Eternals fans are keeping their fingers crossed in the hope a sequel announcement comes sooner rather than later.