Barry Keoghan Is Wrong, Druig Couldn’t Beat Thanos

Barry Keoghan's confidence in his character is commendable, but Druig could not easily beat Thanos as the actor suggested during an interview.

Despite Barry Keoghan's optimistic statement, Eternal's Druig could not easily beat Thanos. During an interview for Eternals, the actor behind Druig was asked if his character could defeat Thanos in a fight and did not hesitate to say yes. Although the film has brought several new heroes that have changed the power scale of the MCU, outfighting the villain of the Infinity Saga would still be a complicated task.

Eternals has introduced a new family of super-powered beings to the MCU in a film that delves into the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe. Through its non-linear approach, the film revisited important moments in both the world's history and the MCU timeline and has re-signified much of what audiences believed they knew about that universe. Created by the all-powerful Celestials, each of the Eternals features a set of specific abilities ranging from super speed to flight. In Druig's case, in addition to the strength and resistance common to all Eternals, the character also has the power to bend minds at his own will.

While Thanos has already been shown to be susceptible to mind control techniques, as seen in his encounter with Mantis during Avengers: Infinity War, a full fight between Druig and the Mad Titan as suggested by Keoghan would be a bit more complex. Eternals has proved that even though its core characters are extremely powerful, they are not indestructible. There is also a difference in power levels even among the Eternals themselves with Ikaris being way stronger than the others. Although the film did not explore Thanos' background, the comics show the Avengers villain to be a genetically enhanced Eternal with a mutation called the "deviant syndrome" that grants him physical attributes and sheer strength far superior to those of a regular Eternal. That is the reason why, even without any of the Infinity Stones, Thanos can face god-like opponents such Thor and Hulk. Compared to those opponents, Druig would not be the toughest fight that Thanos ever had.

In Eternals, the heroes often struggled during their encounters with the Deviants. Not only did Ajak and Gilgamesh die facing the creatures, but other casualties could have also have occurred had it not been for Sersi's power surge during the battle in the forest. As Thanos also carries Deviant genes, it is easy to imagine that Druig would have a hard time facing him alone. It is also important to notice that Druig’s mind powers have limitations depending on the opponent’s strength. If Thanos managed to break free of the mind control even for a few seconds, a fistfight against Druig would most likely end with the Mad Titan's victory.

Barry Keoghan's confidence in his character is commendable, but Druig could not beat Thanos. Even though MCU's power ranking has changed with the arrival of the Eternals, Thanos still holds a high place in the hierarchy of Marvel's most powerful characters. Nevertheless, an encounter between Druig and Thanos even if it is during a flashback in an Eternals sequel would be a fun thing to see.

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