Harry Styles just made his second Marvel appearance in three years, and his cameo was wasted both times.

The British singer is no stranger to acting, having a starring role in Don’t Worry Darling and a supporting role in Dunkirk. However, it still felt like a big surprise when Styles scored a role in the MCU. Making his official MCU debut in 2021 during the Eternals mid-credit scene, he was introduced as the Eternal Eros, also known as Starfox and the brother of Thanos.

I was actually excited to see how Marvel would utilize Styles’ character in the future. It would’ve been an expansion of Thanos’ character even after his death, and it would’ve been a chance for Styles to show off more of his serious acting chops. Unfortunately, he has been missing from the MCU since his initial introduction. He did technically make another Marvel cameo recently in Kraven the Hunter, but it was another fumbled opportunity as Styles didn’t actually appear in the film. This makes two films where Marvel wasted Styles’ cameos in just three years.

Eternals’ Harry Styles Cameo Still Hasn’t Paid Off In 2024

Eros Hasn’t Been Mentioned Since 2021

It’s been three years since Styles’ first official MCU cameo, and I’m surprised that it still hasn’t paid off considering his popularity in the music scene. He was clearly being set up for another future appearance, given how the Eternals mid-credit scene played out. Fans were debating whether it would be in the Eternals sequel or another separate MCU project altogether, but neither seems to be the case now.

A big reason why Styles hasn’t returned is probably because of the fan reception of Eternals. The project took a slightly different cinematic approach than most other superhero blockbusters, and it was a film filled with completely new characters as well. A lot of fans either didn’t care for the movie or didn’t bother watching it at all, so I can understand why Marvel wouldn’t want to put effort into creating a sequel. Regardless, it’s still disappointing knowing that so many characters, including Styles’ Eros, will be left hanging.

Kraven The Hunter Brought Harry Styles Into Its Story In A Different Way

His Voice Actually Played A Key Part In The Film

Styles can technically say that he was a part of another Marvel project just this year. Kraven the Hunter is the latest release in Sony’s Spider-Man universe and likely the last too. Even though the film has been a box office flop with poor reviews, it can at least boast that it worked in a hidden Styles cameo. In order to show off his ability to mimic other people’s voices, the film has Dmitri Kravinoff sing Styles’s song “Sign of the Times.” Fred Hechinger lip-synced to Styles’ singing to make his mimicked voice as believable as possible.

Sharp fans of the singer were able to deduce that the audio used in the film was actually Styles’ performance of “Sign of the Times” from The Graham Norton Show in 2017. While this was a smart way to execute Chameleon’s mimic effect, it just feels like a shame that the studio couldn’t get Styles to record specific audio for the film. Of course, that would only be feasible in an ideal world where Styles had the time to do such a minor cameo, but I can’t help but feel like Marvel fumbled a chance to use him once again.

The MCU Still Has A Chance To Redeem Its Wasted Harry Styles Cameo

The Eternals Sequel Could Still Happen

Characters in the MCU obviously don’t appear in every project, and it’s normal not to hear from some for a few years. However, there hasn’t been much word from Marvel Studios about an Eternals sequel since the first film’s premiere, and it makes me a bit more pessimistic about it actually happening. When the studio announced their slate slowdown, there were also talks about cutting the projects that wouldn’t be guaranteed successes. With how the film was received, an Eternals sequel was likely one of the projects thrown around.

There is still hope for an Eternals sequel as 2024 has been a much more successful year for Marvel in terms of both box office numbers and critical acclaim. The slowdown really worked for the studio this year and they’ve seemed to figure out how to take risks with their projects while still achieving success. Since an Eternals sequel was never outright shut down, I think it’s safe to hold out hope for it happening. Styles’ Eros would undoubtedly play a big role in a sequel, and I’m really hoping the MCU decides to finally pay off his 2021 cameo.