What the Hell Happened: Unexpected Secret Revealed Following ‘Eternals’ Press Screening

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) usually keeps a tight grip on the secrets it reveals for its upcoming movies, the MCU had an unexpected leak for their upcoming film, “Eternals.” Even though the spoiler didn’t come from the usual culprit of leaking spoilers — read: Tom Holland — fans and crew are still disappointed about the premature end credit reveal.

While the film won’t hit theaters in the United States until November 5th, the news broke out after a press screening that Harry Styles will be joining the MCU as Eros (aka Starfox), Thanos’ brother. The singer and actor appears during the film’s after-credits scene, and Variety journalist Matt Donnelly leaked the spoiler over Twitter. Eros is an Eternal, a race of immortal beings that guard Earth against the Deviants, and though he has a complex character arc, Eros is still a supporting character in the MCU. The question of how the MCU is going to fit Eros into future films remains unanswered, especially because introducing Harry Styles into the cast almost ensures that he will be getting more screen time than the character of Eros would have otherwise received.

Styles’ casting also makes it unclear what value he will bring to the character of Eros. Styles had his film debut in “Dunkirk” in 201 7, and will appear in two upcoming films: “Don’t Worry Darling” and “My Policeman.” Coming out of the highly successful “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” that brought in $423 million worldwide, it seems that Disney executives may have cast a popular figure to entice a new audience to tune into the following films about the reimagined Marvel multiverse, which signals a departure from the Avengers and the characters fans have grown to love.

“To our colleagues & friends in the press & fan community who will be watching #Eternals in the days ahead, please help preserve the experience of this incredible film,” Disney’s President of Marketing, Asad Ayaz said on Twitter. “Please do not post spoilers and reveals that so many have worked so hard to protect.”

Kit Harrington, a new member of the MCU who plays Black Knight in “Eternals,” was also disappointed about the leak. “I’ve lived in a world where spoilers happen for a long time. I realize they can happen. It’s just disappointing that people do it,” Kit Harrington said during an interview with The Playlist. “Let people go to the cinema and experience it when they pay for their ticket and do it that way, rather than spreading it online where they might not realize they’re coming across stuff.”

With the highly anticipated “Spiderman: No Way Home” releasing soon after “Eternals” on Dec. 17, it is disappointing to see a leak of the cinematic universe’s future. But, who knows, maybe this is just the start of Harry Styles’ career as the next Robert Downey Jr.