I can’t believe Harry Styles was wasted on two Marvel movies in three years

Harry Styles made his second Marvel appearance in three years, but both of his cameos were wasted. The British singer is no stranger to acting, having starred in Don’t Worry Darling and had a supporting role in Dunkirk. But it still felt like a big surprise when Styles landed a role in the MCU. He made his official MCU debut in the mid-credits scene of 2021’s The Eternals, where he was introduced as Eternal Eros, also known as Star Fox, the brother of Thanos.

I was actually excited to see what Marvel would do with Styles’ character in the future. It would have expanded on the character of Thanos even after his death, and it would have been an opportunity for Styles to show off more of his serious acting talent. Unfortunately, he’s been missing from the MCU since his first appearance. He technically had another Marvel cameo recently in Kraven the Hunter, but this was another fumbling opportunity as Stiles didn’t actually appear in the movie. This means that Marvel has made two movies in which Styles’ cameo was wasted in just three years.

Harry Styles’ cameo in The Eternals still won’t pay off in 2024

Eros is not mentioned after 2021

It’s been three years since Styles’ first official MCU cameo, and given his popularity in the music scene, I’m surprised it hasn’t paid off yet. Given how Eternals’ mid-credits scene played out, he was clearly being set up for another appearance in the future. Fans have been debating whether it would be a sequel to The Eternals or incorporated into another MCU project entirely, but neither seems to be the case at this point.

A big reason for Styles not coming back is probably due to Eternals fan reaction. The project took a slightly different cinematic approach than most other superhero blockbusters, and was also a film that introduced entirely new characters. Many fans either weren’t interested in this movie or didn’t care to see it at all, so it’s understandable why Marvel didn’t want to put effort into producing a sequel. Either way, it’s still disappointing to know that so many characters, including Stiles’ Eros, will be left hanging.

‘Kraven the Hunter’ brings Harry Styles into the story in a different way

His voice actually played an important role in the movie

Technically speaking, Styles was involved in another Marvel project this year. Kraven the Hunter is the latest installment in Sony’s Spider-Man universe, and likely the last. The film was a box office flop and received poor reviews, but at least Styles can boast a hidden cameo. To show off his ability to imitate other people’s voices, the film has Dmitri Kravinov sing Styles’ song “Sign of the Times.” Fred Hechinger lip-synced to Styles’ vocals, making his voice seem as authentic as possible.

Avid fans of the singer were able to deduce that the audio used in the film was actually “Sign of the Times,” which Styles performed on The Graham Norton Show in 2017. While this was a clever way to execute the chameleon imitation effect, it seems a shame that a mere studio couldn’t have Stiles record specific voices for the film. Of course, that’s only possible in an ideal world where Styles had time to make such a minor cameo, but I can’t help but feel like Marvel fumbled the opportunity to use him again. No.

MCU still has a chance to bring back Harry Styles’ wasted cameo

An Eternals sequel could still happen

It’s clear that MCU characters don’t appear in every project, and it’s normal for some to not be heard from for several years. However, there hasn’t been much announcement from Marvel Studios about an Eternals sequel since the first movie premiered, and I’m a little pessimistic that it will actually happen. When studios announced slowing down their slates, there was also talk of cutting back on projects that weren’t guaranteed to succeed. Given the way the film was received, an Eternals sequel was probably one of the projects considered.

Hopes for an Eternals sequel remain, as 2024 was a more successful year for Marvel both in terms of box office receipts and critical acclaim. This slowdown has been very positive for the studio this year, which seems to have found a way to take risks on projects while still finding success. A sequel to Eternals was never completely canceled, so I think it’s safe to be hopeful that a sequel will happen. Styles’ smut will definitely play a big role in the sequel, and I really hope the MCU finally decides to reward him with a cameo in 2021.

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