【Kalakal (2025)】

Eternalsdoesn't spend a lot of time thinking about the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe,Kalakal (2025) but the inevitable one-two punch of mid- and post-credits scenes raises some intriguing possibilities for the future of Phase Four.

Much has been said about the spoiler blast that revealed Harry Styles joins the MCU in a mid-credits scene. We learned he's playing Eros, brother of the Mad Titan (A.K.A. Thanos). But that was pretty much it. The specifics had to wait for Eternals'actual release, and hoo boy is there a lot to go over here.

Then there's the post-credits scene. A quiet moment with Kit Harington's Dane Whitman sheds more insight into the "complicated" family history he hinted at before Arishem whisked off his Eternal girlfriend Sersi to cosmic parts unknown. The two scenes aren't directly connected, but they do open up some important possibilities for the road ahead in the MCU.

Let's get into it.

Starfox and Pip

Eros and Pip's arrival opens the door to cosmic MCU stories even wider. Credit: courtesy of marvel studios

Harry doesn't reveal himself immediately in this scene, set aboard the Eternals' ship, the Domo, after Druig, Makkari, and Thena jet off into the depths of space. His arrival is preceded by a shimmering rainbow-colored energy field that first spits out a short, booze-swilling being with exaggerated facial features and a wild mane of red hair.

Say hello to Pip the Troll, a newcomer to the MCU but a character who has a long history in the comics. Unmistakably voiced here by Patton Oswalt, the somewhat dazed and apparently inebriated Pip sways unsteadily as he belts out an ostentatious introduction spiel to herald the arrival of his apparent patron, Eros.

In walks Harry Styles, emerging from the same shimmering rainbow of light, which looks awfully similar to the energy that powers Asgard's Rainbow Bridge. He's decked out in a red costume with a silver-and-gold patterned chest piece that wraps around oversized shoulder pads. It's a look that cuts veryclose to how he's typically appeared in the comics.

There are a few small things to keep in mind about the comics' iterations of these characters. Eros, who also goes by the name Starfox, isn't a jerk like his brother. In fact, he's fought alongside the Avengers multiple times. He's even mixed it up a bit with the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Pip, meanwhile, is a former prince who was transformed into a troll after he went on a bender drinking some really powerful stuff. He was kind of a dick in his princely life, and by all accounts, it was a well-deserved transformation. He's mostly been associated with Adam Warlock and Silver Surfer in the comics, but he has a history with Starfox as well. So, it's not a total shock to see them take to the MCU stage together.

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

After Arishem abducts the Eternals who stayed on Earth, it's a smirking Eros who breaks that news to the others. Then, he adds that he knows where the missing Eternals are and how to find them. If you unfocus your mind's eye enough, it almost feels like he's teasing a possible plotline for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Looking to the comics for guidance on where the MCU will go next has historically been a terrible idea beyond giving us a basic sense of who characters are. But Eros and Pip both fall squarely into the realm of cosmic Marvel stories. The MCU has barely flirted with that massive storytelling landscape beyond the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Now, Eternalscracks that door open quite a bit wider, leaving plenty of room for a future team-up with Star-Lord and his lovable crew of misfits.

Say hello to Black Knight

Dane Whitman hinted at his "complicated" family history. He wasn't kidding!! Credit: Courtesy of Marvel Studios

Dane Whitman's somewhat vague post-credits coming out party as a metahuman isn't reallya surprise. Kit Harington was cast as Whitman all the way back in 2019, and the character's name is synonymous with Black Knight in the comics.

Comic book Dane's powers were drawn from a cursed sword, the Ebony Blade, which he inherited from his uncle, a former, villainous Black Knight. The sword, which the Arthurian wizard Merlin had a hand in forging, bestows its wielder with immortality and protection against magic. It can also cut through anything. But the curse feeds on the wielder's negative emotions, driving them toward violence and a lust for blood.

Already, we can see some direct ties to Eternalsin the details here. On their phone call, Sersi mentions Dane's estranged relationship with his mysterious uncle. We also know that his family history is more "complicated" than he initially lets on to Sersi.

What's more, the wooden box that appears in his home seems to contain the Ebony Blade itself. It's an ebony-colored blade wrapped in a bloodied bandage. Inside the box, a Latin phrase that translates to "Death is my reward" nods to the comics, where the Ebony Blade eventually overwhelms its wielder and drives them toward death. As Dane reaches toward it, the metal of the blade seems to respond, rippling toward his fingers.

The scene ends as a male voice speaks off-camera, addressing Dane directly: "Are you sure you're ready for that?" There's an edge of menace to the way the question is posed, but we never learn who the speaker is.

Looking to the comics for MCU clues may not be helpful most of the time, but there is one bit of Black Knight lore worth mentioning. When Dane becomes the Black Knight, he decides to align himself with the forces of good. Eventually, that decision sees him fighting alongside the Avengers as they take on... Kang the Conquerer.

We haven't technically met Kang yet in the MCU, but we met a version of him in Loki. In the final episode of the Disney+ series, Loki and Sylvie finally come face-to-face with the true founder of the Time Variance Authority and defender of the Sacred Timeline: He Who Remains. The character, played by Jonathan Majors, describes Kang as a variant version of himself who was vanquished in a Multiversal War for control of, well... basically everything.

It's widely believed that Majors' introduction in Lokiis setting up a much larger role for Kang in the near future of the MCU. In the comics, Kang is rather notoriously a villainous time traveler. Separately in the comics, the Ebony Blade links back to Arthurian legend — not only did Merlin have a hand in forging it, but the blade itself is a dark counterpart to Excalibur (which alsoshows up in Eternals).

None of this makes it clear who asks Dane that question in the post-credits scene. But if Kang is really coming, he could do a lot worse in a theoretical search for potential allies than a corruptible man, who draws his power from a cursed sword with connections to the distant past.

Eternalsopens in theaters on Nov. 5.

Topics Marvel