James Gunn Says 'Guardians of the Galaxy' "Definitely Connected" to 'Avengers 3'

If there's anything Marvel is known for at this point, it's the meticulous plotting of their interconnected Avengers universe. We've seen how one film bridges into the next, often in ways that are unexpected. So with Kevin Feige recently stating that he's got plans laid out well into the future, it should come as no surprise that Marvel's next film, Guardians of the Galaxy, will have an impact on everything that comes next.

While Guardians of the Galaxy is largely a one-off film, with no sequels confirmed at this point, there is at least one aspect that will definitely be carrying over. The villain Thanos, who shares a connection with every member of the team and was first revealed at the end of The Avengers, will appear in the film according to James Gunn. That's not much of a surprise, really, and nor is Gunn telling EW that 'Guardians' is "definitely connected to Avengers 3". Gunn refers to Thanos as "the head of the snake", which is an interesting turn of phrase given all the HYDRA stuff going on in the Marvel world right now. And if you've seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier, HYDRA may be in possession of something Thanos is interested in. Basically, it sounds as if Thanos may be a total no-show for Avengers: Age of Ultron, but he'll be the reason they assemble next time. At this point all we know about him is that he'll be motion-captured, and it'll be interesting to learn who gets that job. Vin Diesel would have been perfect but he's busy playing a raccoon.

Guardians of the Galaxy hits theaters on August 1st.