The Eternals are one of the newest races of beings to have been introduced into the Marvel cinematic universe.
Incredibly powerful, it is reasonable to ask where they were when Thanos was gathering Infinity Stones and destroying half the universe, especially when there seems to be a connection between the Eternal Starfox and Thanos.
The Eternal Starfox, whose name is Eros, is the brother of Thanos. However, it is still unclear in the Marvel cinematic universe whether they will be brothers by blood or adoption.
While Starfox shares Thanos’ strength, in the comics, Thanos has the physical edge. But Eros has mental powers that we never see in his brother.
Harry Styles play Starfox. He only appears in the mid-credits scene of the Eternals movie, but the implication is that he will have an important role in some of the upcoming Marvel films.
What Are Eternals?
Eternals are a race of powerful superhuman beings created by the Prime Celestial Arishem. This Celestial is credited with creating the first sun in the Universe.
Arishem wanted to create conditions enabling the birth of more Celestials like himself. To do this, he created a group of beings called Deviants.
He wanted these creatures to destroy predators on certain planets so intelligent populations could thrive.
In time, this would create the right conditions for more Celestials to be born on those planets.
However, the Deviants soon defied Arishem and began to turn on the intelligent populations as well.
Consequently, Arishem created the Eternals to deal with the Deviants and protect the intelligent species.
Some Eternals were sent to Earth, and we meet these in the movie Eternals. But they were also sent to other planets, including Titan.
Who is Starfox?
Starfox is an alternative name for Eros, an Eternal. But rather than being sent to Earth, he was sent to the planet Titan.
Eros abandons Titan and becomes a space fugitive, adopting the name Starfox.
In the comic books, he is born on Titan to two other Eternals, A’Lars and Sui-San, who are also the king and queen of Titan. In this case, Thanos is also their son and also an Eternal.
However, an Eternals Spoiler Special suggests that Eros was sent to live on Titan and adopted into the native royal family, making him the adopted brother of Thanos.
Young Thanos soon begins to believe that overpopulation is destroying his planet and his people and proposes killing half of all living beings.
While the rest of his family opposes him, he eventually puts his plan into action, resulting in his mother’s death.
Before this, Eros was carefree and did not pay much attention to politics and power. But following the death of his mother, he joined local opposition to Thanos.
He was then forced to flee Titan and become an outlaw.
At this time, he adopted the name Starfox. He also created the being known as Pip the Troll to be his companion.
Is Thanos an Eternal?
It seems that the Thanos of the Marvel cinematic universe is not an Eternal. Rather he is a Titan, another god-like race compared to human beings.
But in the comic books, Thanos is an Eternal, though one that was born rather than created by Arishem.
This raises the question of why Thanos and Eros do not look alike, with Eros appearing more or less human, like the Earth Eternals, while Thanos is large and purple.
Before the introduction of the Eternals, it was assumed that this is just what Titans look like.
This is explained by the fact that Thanos is the child of two Eternals, and these unions are forbidden. As a result, Thanos carries the Deviant Gene, which accounts for his different appearance.
However, in the comics, Eros is also the son of these two Eternals, so it is unclear why he is not affected by the gene.
Though again, it could that he is the adopted rather than the biological son of the pair.
Who is More Powerful, Starfox or Thanos?
We have very little information about Starfox in the Marvel cinematic universe, as he only appears in a short mid-credits scene in the Eternals movie.
However, there is a clear implication that he is less powerful than Thanos and has been defeated by his brother before.
While it is clear that Starfox can teleport through space, we are left to wonder about his other powers. But Pip the Troll’s introduction implies that they are formidable.
In the comics, Starfox shares Thanos’ strength, speed, and agility, though the significantly larger Thanos has the edge.
But as an Eternal, Eros can manipulate cosmic energy. In the comics, he can also stimulate the pleasure center of the brain, a nod to his namesake from Greek theology, the son of Aphrodite.
Thanos gained the upper hand on Titan, forcing Starfox to flee and become an outlaw. So there is an implication that Starfox is less powerful than Thanos and cannot defeat him.
Starfox also seems to have chosen to stay far away while Thanos was busy collecting Infinity Stones and eradicating half the universe.
But, perhaps reasons for this will be revealed in future character appearances in the Marvel cinematic universe.
What to Expect from Starfox?
It seems very likely that Starfox’s next appearance in the Marvel cinematic universe will be in the Eternals follow-up.
Still, there is also a good chance he could appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
In the comics, he teams up with Gamora to stop his brother Thanos from being reincarnated in Gamora’s body.
Starfox is also one of the Avengers for a period in the comics, so he may be part of a new Avengers team as Marvel reboots.