Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is in production, and has, in fact, already wrapped production on Kurt Russell who's taken on a mystery role for the sequel.
The recent reveal of the antagonist may shed some light on who Russell may be playing, however. JoBlo is reporting that Ayesha, also known as Her, Kismet, and Paragon, will be the central villain of the piece.
Here's what's interesting, Ayesh was known as Her by the scientists who created her as a replacement for Him. Him became the superhero Adam Warlock.
There's a long-going fan theory that Adam Warlock will be revealed to be Peter Quill's father in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (He has an alternate backstory in the comics that director James Gunn has said he will not be utilizing.) It's also believed that Russell is in fact playing Quill's father in Guardians 2. If both are true, then Russell may have a far bigger role to play in this universe than we thought.
In the comics, Ayesha goes in search of Warlock in an effort to create a race of perfect beings…And we all know how well that goes whenever it's attempted. Might this be the central fight for the Guardians this go round? “Stop the crazy lady into forcing your dad to create a master race?”
Adam Warlock also has a connection to the Soul Gem, which is one of the only Infinity Stones currently unaccounted for in the MCU. If you'll recall, Thanos — the big purple bad of the MCU — is on the hunt to for the gems to complete his Infinity Gauntlet. If Adam Warlock is in Guardians 2, and has a connection to the Soul Gem, this could link both he and the Guardians to the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War Parts 1 and 2.
Meanwhile, the outlet also reports that Thor will be in search of a weapon to help him stop Ragnarok (an apocalypse) in Thor: Ragnarok, which is what sets him off on the buddy “road trip” with the Hulk.
Also notable is that the film will include elements of the Planet Hulk storyline, as has long been rumored. In Planet Hulk, the Hulk plays in gladiatorial games on a planet filled with those like him. In Thor: Ragnarok, Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster will be the game master of these battles. Perhaps Thor will find Hulk there, only to steal him away and bring him along on his adventures.
All will be revealed when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is be released on May 5, 2017, and Thor: Ragnarok following on November 3, 2017.