A brand new Marvel film has been released with the usual post-credits scenes teasing future movies.

Eternals introduces a new set of characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) – a race of immortal beings with superhuman powers who have secretly lived on Earth for thousands of years.

Leading the cast are Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Lauren Ridloff, Kumail Nanjiani, Barry Keoghan and Brian Tyree Henry. The film is directed by Nomadland’s Chloé Zhao.

Naturally, spoilers abound, so don’t read unless you’ve seen the film or don’t mind knowing what happens.

What happens in the mid-credits scene?

The first tease comes midway through the credits with a scene featuring Thena (Jolie), Makkari (Ridloff) and Druig (Keoghan), who have no idea where their fellow Eternals have “disappeared” to.

During a discussion, they are surprised by the arrival of two new characters – Pip the Troll (voiced by Patton Oswald) and Starfox, who is also known as Eros AKA the brother of Thanos. He is played by Harry Styles.

Eros explains that he knows where Sersi (Chan), Kingo (Nanjiani) and Phastos (Tyree Henry) thanks to a yellow sphere used to communicate with Arishem, the leader of the Eternals who whisked them away at the end of the film.

So, who is Eros? Unlike his brother Thanos, Styles’ character is a force for peace within the Marvel universe and, in the comics, has regularly worked alongside the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy.

There’s a possible link to a future Marvel film, too – Digital Spy notes that Pip the Troll is the companyAdam Warlock, the villain who’ll be played by Will Poulter in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.

Following reports that Styles has signed a “five-movie” deal with Marvel, it certainly seems like he’ll be showing up in other non-Eternals films and not just its sequel, which is seemingly confirmed at the end of the film.

Fan excitement is, naturally, in overdrive.

What happens in the post-credits scene?

For those thinking Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman is a human with no superpowers, think again. After teasing his “complicated” family history with Sersi near the end of the film, the final scene catches up with Dane.

In the scene, which occurs after the credits have rolled, he opens a box containing a sword. As he reaches out his hand to touch it, an off-screen voice asks: “suRE YOU’re ready for that, Mr Whitman?”

While the film doesn’t reveal who this is, and Marvel seems to be hoping to keep the identity of the character secret, Zhao herself excitedly revealed it is the voice of Blade, played by Mahershala Ali.

“That was the voice of one of my favourite superheroes, Mr Blade himself. Blade, Blade, Blade, yeah!” she told Fandom.

This all but confirms Harington will play a role in the standalone Blade film, which was confirmed in 2019. His character is the nephew of Black Knight, meaning the weapon seen in the post-credits sequence is most likely Ebony Blade, which can potentially drive the one who wields it to madness.