Kro And Thena Relationship In The Eternals Explained

In Eternals, we saw how the Eternals were humanized in the sense that they had feelings of their own and were capable of forming relationships with Eternals and people alike. And while the movie focuses a lot on subplots, such as the relationships that the Eternals have with one another, you might also wonder about the relationship that the Deviant Kro had with Thena, who he seemed to be more intertwined with than the other Eternals. So, what is the relationship between Kro and Thena in the Eternals film? 

Eternals portrays Kro and Thena as plain adversaries. They were more intertwined because Kro absorbed Gilgamesh’s powers along with his memories, and that means that Kro knew Thena really well from Gilgamesh’s memories. However, in the comics, Kro and Thena are actually secret lovers.

The thing you need to know about the Eternals MCU film is the stories and the relationships between the characters are entirely original, as most of these were not even in the comics. This is why diehard fans of the comics might get a bit confused with how the MCU portrayed the Eternals, especially when it comes to the relationship between Kro and Thena.

Are Thena And Kro In Love In The Eternals?

One of the best parts about the Eternals movie is that the writers were able to humanize the characters in a way that they were allowed to have feelings of their own and were able to form relationships with their fellow Eternals and other people as well. This means that the Eternals were more human than artificial beings crafted by Arishem for specific missions.

That said, plenty of the subplots in the Eternals movie revolved around the relationships that the Eternals formed. Some of these relationships were more obvious, such as the fact that Sersi used to be with Ikaris but was now with a human named Dane Whitman and the fact that Phastos had a human husband with whom he has a child. However, some relationships were not as fleshed out and as obvious.

One such relationship you may be wondering about is the one between the Eternal Thena and the Deviant Kro. And the reason why you may be wondering whether or not there is something going on with these two is the fact that Kro was more intertwined with Thena than the other Eternals.

We saw this in the fact that, in the Amazon Rainforest, Kro was seemingly taunting Thena after he had absorbed Gilgamesh’s powers and killed him in the process of doing so. Then, in the final battle, it was Thena who had to face Kro in single combat, all while the other Eternals were busy with Ikaris. So, what is the relationship between Thena and Kro in the Eternals movie?

While some of you might think that there is something deeper between Thena and Kro in the Eternals movie, what you should know is that their relationship is nothing more between two adversaries. That means that they are just plain old enemies. They are not in love with one another or are even close to having a relationship.

The reason why Kro is seemingly more invested in Thena throughout the movie can be connected to Gilgamesh. Kro, who started out as a more monstrous Deviant, was able to achieve a more human form when he absorbed Gilgamesh’s powers. After that, he seemed a lot more intelligent than he used to be and was even capable of human speech.

However, what you should also know is that Kro also revealed that he had access to both Ajak’s and Gilgamesh’s memories after absorbing their powers. That means that Kro basically knows what Thena and Gilgamesh went through together in the centuries that they spent as companions. And what you should know is that Thena and Gilgamesh share a healthy and platonic love for one another because they need each other’s company.

Given the fact that Kro had access to Gilgamesh’s memories of Thena and probably even knows how he felt for her, it was easy for him to target Thena at the end of the film. Remember that Thena was suffering from episodes of Mahd Wy’ry and couldn’t properly fight without triggering her “illness.” Kro was capitalizing on her weakness and on her relationship with Gilgamesh, who was the only one who could snap her out of her Mahd Wy’ry episodes.

But, as you probably already know, Thena was able to overcome her weaknesses at the last moment to kill Kro, who was using Gilgamesh’s memories to gain an advantage over the Eternal warrior.

Thena And Kro Relationship In Comics

As mentioned, in the film, there was nothing between Thena and Kro except for the fact that they were enemies and that Kro was specifically targeting her because he possessed Gilgamesh’s memories of her.

However, what you should know is that they are not mere enemies in the comics. In fact, the comics portray Thena and Kro as secret lovers. Yes, Thena and Kro are in a relationship in the comics despite the fact that Kro is a Deviant.

In the comics, Thena and Kro met 2,500 years ago and fell in love with one another. But the fact that they belonged to different races that waged wars against one another made the setup difficult. As such, they had to part ways but still had strong feelings for one another.

The fact that Thena and Kro are actually secret lovers meant that Kro was sometimes a reluctant ally of the Eternals. This meant that there were instances in the comics wherein Kro had to work alongside the Eternals, especially when they needed to fight a common foe. And the reason why Kro allied with the Eternals in those instances was due to his feelings for Thena.

Do Kro And Thena Have Kids In Comics?

Another fact that is surely going to be more than surprising for those who haven’t read the comics is that Kro and Thena actually have kids together. In the 1960s, during the Vietnam War, they met up in secret. The union bore Thena twins.

However, instead of raising the twins as her own, Thena was able to transfer the twins inside a certain Ms. Ritter, an infertile woman. She was the one who gave birth to Thena’s children with Kro and raised her as her own.

The twins grew up to become Deborah and Donald Ritter, who are the Eternal and Deviant hybrid children of Thena and Kro. They have the power to merge into one being that is capable of optic blasts, superhuman strength, and flight.