“Eternals” director Chloé Zhao and a key actor from the Marvel Studios movie talk about how they pulled off its two post-credits scenes.
SPOILER WARNING: Do not read this story until you’ve seen Marvel Studios’ “Eternals,” currently playing in theaters worldwide. Major spoilers are ahead. The day after the red carpet premiere of Marvel Studios “Eternals,” director Chloé Zhao looked relaxed, almost serene, as she sat in a hotel suite awaiting her next interview. Her face lit up when she was asked about how her film features the first genuine sex scene in a Marvel Studios movie, and she happily talked at length about how she slipped in mentions of DC Comics icons Superman and Batman. But when questions about the film’s two post-credits scenes came up, Zhao’s eyes nervously darted to her publicist sitting nearby. “I will try my best — I’ve been advised…” she said, before trailing off. Zhao’s trepidation is understandable. The news that Harry Styles appears in one of the post-credits scenes as Thanos’ brother Eros, a.k.a. Starfox — broken on Twitter the night of the premiere by, yes, Variety — had already caused the internet to collapse in on itself with shock and excitement. When she’s first asked about Styles, Zhao just smiled and responded, “Harry Styles is in the movie?! Wow!” After Zhao was assured that any story about the post-credit scenes would publish after “Eternals” debuted in theaters, she loosened up. “I still can’t believe it happened,” she said. The first post-credits scene follows the movie’s cliffhanger ending. After Sersi (Gemma Chan) successfully leads the Eternals to stop the emergence of a Celestial from inside the Earth — which would have obliterated the planet — the lead Celestial, Arishem (David Kaye), arrives on Earth and yanks Sersi, Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) and Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) into space. As he looms over the Earth, Arishem announces he’s putting them on trial for the death of a Celestial, and their experiences with humanity will decide whether the planet will ultimately survive. End of movie! The mid-credits scene opens on the Eternals’ spaceship, where Thena (Angelina Jolie), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) and Druig (Barry Keoghan) are traveling to find other Eternals to tell them of the Celestial’s deception. Unaware of Arishem’s wrath, they’re worried that they haven’t heard from their compatriots on Earth in weeks. Suddenly, a small, swirling vortex appears in their ship, and out pops Pip the Troll (voiced by Patton Oswalt), who, with a rhetorical flourish, heralds the impending appearance of Eternal — and brother to Thanos — Eros, a.k.a. Starfox. Wearing a similar uniform to his fellow Eternals, out steps Eros, as played by music superstar and budding actor Styles, who warns Thena, Makkari and Druig that their friends are in danger — and he knows how to help them. According to Zhao, when she pitched introducing Pip and Eros to Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige as a mid-credits scene, she already knew she wanted Styles to play the role.
