Marvel's S.T.A.T.I.O.N. Confirms What Thor Knew About Thanos
From Loki's Mind Stone plot twist to their undulating official movie timeline, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has never shied away from sneaking new canon in under our noses. Now, according to The Direct, the studio's touring interactive pop culture exhibition "Marvel's Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N." might just be at it again.
S.T.A.T.I.O.N., or Scientific Training and Tactical Intelligence Operative Network, is set up as a hands-on look at the inner workings of the MCU, all presented as in-universe artifacts. There are props used in the actual movies, as well as reconstructions of Iron Man's going-out wardrobe, all with detailed descriptions designed to give visitors a deep dive into their favorite heroes' backstories.
One detail in particular has caught the attention of eagle-eyed fans. In the segment of the exhibit dedicated to Thanos, the genocidal California Raisin behind the Infinity Saga's most twisted shenanigans gets a little bit of color added to his backstory. His character synopsis is labeled as having been written by Thor, who describes the Mad Titan as a native of "Saturn's largest moon, Titan, making him a Titanian in nature." The description goes on to say, "It is rumored however that Thanos is the last of an ancient and highly sophisticated species known throughout the universe as 'The Eternals'."
Hopefully the S.T.A.T.I.O.N. gift shop sells fresh Captain America underoos, because any nerd who got a bead on that sentence undoubtedly messed theirs.
Thor knows Thanos's origin... Thort of
If you're not familiar, the Eternals are a race of superbeings in Marvel comics, currently on deck for an MCU debut in late 2021. Created eons ago by the towering cosmic entities known as the Celestials, they were designed to be nigh-unkillable planetary defenders, locked in millennia-spanning conflict with their evil counterparts, the Deviants. In the comics, Thanos is the child of two very human-looking Eternals, but he has a dash of Deviant genetics mixed into his DNA, hence the ridged chin and lilac countenance.
Now, Thanos' involvement in the Eternals movie has been rumored for a while, with a possible prequel subplot centering around his home world of Titan. If the information at "Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N." holds water, it would seem to point to a definite appearance from the snap happy despot.
Importantly, it also gives us a look at where the Eternals stand in MCU continuity. With Thor having written the entry on Thanos, it seems that the Asgardians are aware of the Eternals' existence, but that the Norse gods believe the immortal protectors to have died off or disappeared. All of that, along with the Eternals' absence during previous movies, points to a couple of intriguing possibilities, including a plot that takes cues from Neil Gaiman's 2006 miniseries in which the eponymous characters have lost their memories and are living as regular human beings on Earth.
Whatever the case, we'll just have to wait until Eternals comes out in November of 2021 to find out.