After being introduced in The Avengers and further teased in Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thanos finally came to the forefront in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, with those movies chronicling his mission to wipe out half of all life in the universe, and that genocide ultimately being reversed. Both versions of Thanos we watched in Infinity War and Endgame are now gone, but the Mad Titan’s influence is still being felt in the MCU thanks an important connection between him and The Eternals being officially established.
An interactive exhibit called Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. opened earlier this year in New York City, and following some time spent in Paris and Las Vegas, it recently set up shop in Vancouver, Canada. Before the exhibit had to close due to COVID-19 restrictions, The Direct was able to preview what it had to offer, and that included the revelation that like his comic book counterpart, the MCU’s Thanos was an Eternal. Here’s the intel on Thanos provided in-universe by Thor that’s shown at Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N.:
Thanos’ origin is said to be on Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, making him a Titanian in nature. It is rumored however that Thanos is the last of an ancient and highly sophisticated species known throughout the universe as ‘The Eternals’.
While we’re still a little under a year away from meeting the main group of Eternals in the MCU, it’s nice to have confirmation that this franchise’s version of Thanos is tied to them. In the comics, Thanos is the son of the Eternals known as A’lars and Sui-San, and he has a brother called Eros of Titan, better known as Starfox. The reason comic book Thanos looks so monstrous compared to your average Eternal is because he also carries Deviant genetics, tying him to the Eternals’ antagonistic cousin race. Whether that’s the case with MCU Thanos too is unclear, although judging by leaked images, the Deviants in the upcoming Eternals movie certainly look terrifying.
What’s also interesting is how this excerpt labels the MCU’s Thanos as the last of the Eternals. Obviously that doesn’t mean he was the last surviving member of that race considering that Eternals is set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, but it does indicate that this race, despite being long-lived, will become extinct if they don’t find a way to repopulate. It also begs the question of if Thor knows about the Eternals’ existence, is he also aware about the ones who are hiding on Earth?
We’ll have to wait and see if Thanos is mentioned as a member of the Eternals when their movie comes out, though it is worth noting that A’lars and Sui-San’s cousin Thena is being played by Angelina Jolie. Like the Guardians of the Galaxy once were, the Eternals are a relatively obscure Marvel property, but that will surely change once Eternals arrives in theaters. The movie’s other key cast members include Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Gemma Chan as Sersi, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Barry Keoghan as Druig and Kit Harington as the human Dane Whitman, a.k.a. Black Knight.
Eternals is slated to open on November 5, 2021. We here at CinemaBlend will keep you apprised on its progress as more news comes in, but for now, check out what else is coming in the MCU’s Phase 4 and beyond with our Marvel movies guide.
