WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Eternals, now in theaters.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's safe to say Thanos was considered the biggest threat throughout the cosmos. Whether or not he had the Infinity Stones, he truly embodied genocide and struck fear into the hearts of opponents, via words of intimidation or acts of violence. However, come Eternals, audiences discover Earth hid a threat greater than Thanos all along.
It's none other than Druig (Barry Keoghan), the Eternal with the most powerful mind-control seen in these Marvel movies thus far. It first becomes apparent when they arrive on Earth in Mesopotamia in 5,000 BC for a secret project. After they slay some Deviants, the wary natives who find the Eternals are naturally prepared to fight the aliens, only for Druig to use his powers in the blink of an eye to calm them down. They lay down weapons as the heroes smile, knowing their journey and new empire have begun.
Centuries later, Druig flexes in an even bigger way during the Spanish conquest of Mesoamerica. Ajak warns them not to interfere as they watch the slaughter of the natives atop the pyramids, but Druig -- who has quelled minor arguments, getting folks to embrace peace -- rebels and makes it clear they'll have to kill him to stop him from ending the conflict. He breaks the rules, as they're only meant to use their powers against Deviants, by mind-controlling the two legions and taking the armies with him. He spends the next few centuries hiding out in the forest, reclusive but happy since he doesn't care for the wars mankind, his kin or the Avengers fight.
Now, if he had intervened in Avengers: Infinity War, Druig probably could've made a huge difference. Druig could also have entranced soldiers like Earth's Mightiest Heroes to attack Thanos with greater fury, taken the Infinity Stones for himself and even gotten the likes of Captain America to destroy them to stop Thanos. And seeing as Eternals doesn't confirm if his powers are limited to just humans, Druig could even have been able to take control of Thanos' mind with one stare, had they met up.
Interestingly, Keoghan joked that his character could box the Mad Titan as well and beat him down, but ultimately, he need not lift a finger. It leaves fans wondering, had Druig gotten angry and had none of his Eternals family been on Earth to keep him at bay, if he could have enslaved the planet, including its heroes and villains.
For now, fans can be grateful Druig remained neutral and didn't train that malicious stare on innocents. Since Eternals ends with Druig in space, teaming up with Pip the Troll and Starfox to find his colleagues, audiences will surely get to see just how strong he is, as he'll have a lot more enemies to test his powers on outside of Deviants and humans in the next chapter.
To see how Druig would be a problem for Thanos, Eternals is in theaters now.
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