‘Eternals’ Director Breaks Down Starfox’s Relationship With Thanos

What's up with Thanos and Eros?

Harry Styles Starfox Eternals Marvel Studios

Eternals director Chloe Zhao opened up about Starfox’s role in the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe and his relationship with his brother, Thanos.

The mid-credits sequence for Eternals introduced Harry Styles’ Starfox (or Eros) to the MCU. The Eternal was seen on the Domo, introducing himself to Thena, Druig, and Makkari. Alongside Starfox was Pip the Troll, portrayed by the jovial Patton Oswalt. Though it’s uncertain just how much Marvel’s future plans hang on Starfox and the rest of the Eternals, it’s clear that director Chloe Zhao has a vision for the hero.

In a chat with Empire Online, the Eternals director detailed some of Starfox’s backstory and his relationship with his brother, Thanos.

“I love the idea of Eros being another Eternal, another Ajak. He’s an Eternal, and he was stationed on Titan – 10 of them were, just like the 10 Eternals on Earth, assuming Titan is also a host planet at some point. Now, if you think about that, what influence could Eros have had on the inhabitants of Titan, the way Ajak has influenced people on Earth? And how that has affected Thanos?”

“If you go to the comics, there’s some quite beautiful, heartbreaking influence Eros has had on Thanos. And how much does Thanos know? I love him as a character. It makes my imagination go crazy thinking, ‘Why does Thanos think this way? Why is he worried about overpopulation and destroying his planet?’ Think about the emergence – does Eros know about it? Maybe if he’s an advisor, the way Ajak advised kings and queens on Earth?”

From what Chloe Zhao is hinting at, it sounds like Eros and Thanos aren’t necessarily biological siblings in the MCU. This wouldn’t be too dissimilar to Gamora and Nebula, who were both daughters of Thanos, despite not being biologically related. The director continued by discussing how she thinks Starfox operates now that he’s done doing Arishem’s bidding.

“For me, the backstory of Eros is that he deserted, he said, ‘I’m not doing this anymore. So he somehow got that sphere, which you saw in his hand, and he ran off and made Pip the troll. They’re like Han Solo and Chewie. Arishem’s been looking for him, and he’s just been a space outlaw. That’s the character I had in my mind.”

Here is the synopsis for the MCU film:

The story takes place across two time periods. One storyline is set in the past when they operated as a formidable team and a close family unit. The second storyline is in the present, when the group has fractured and split apart, content to live among humans, hiding in plain sight. The prevailing threat of the Deviants, which once again threatens the existence of mankind, means the Eternals need to put their differences aside and regroup.

Chloe Zhao directed Eternals from a script she co-wrote with Patrick Burleigh, Kaz Firpo, and Ryan Firpo. The cast of the Marvel Studios project includes Gemma Chan as Sersi, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Barry Keoghan as Druig, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Kit Harington as Dane Whitman, Salma Hayek as Ajak, and Angelina Jolie as Thena.

Eternals is now in theaters. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the future of the film’s characters, new MCU projects on Disney Plus, and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content!

Source: Empire Online