Guardians of the Galaxy seems to be an odd standalone in the Marvel cinematic universe, a film not linked directly to other Marvel movies. Or is it? DUN DUN DUN.
According to writer/director James Gunn in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Guardians of the Galaxy is “definitely connected to Avengers 3.”
The interview is hidden behind a paywall (boooo, hiss), but Screenrant summarizes:
Gunn confirms that Thanos will be motion-captured and animated, just like Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel). Gunn describes Thanos’ role in the villain hierarchy as the the “head of the snake.” […]
Come time for The Avengers 3, which debuts after a series of Phase 3 films we know little of (outside of the already-confirmed Ant-Man and Captain America 3), Thanos might be headed to Earth to collect some of the missing stones yet to be introduced and begin piecing together the Infinity Gauntlet – an artifact that when fused with the six gems gives him godlike power over the universe.
The Infinity Guantlet already made an appearance in Thor, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Thanos went after it in a future Marvel movie. But more importantly, does this mean the Guardians will eventually make their way to Earth to eat shawarma with The Avengers? The two groups already met recently in animated series Avengers Assemble. Maybe Marvel is prepping us for a future crossover in the movies. We’d watch Tony Stark and Peter Quill trade sarcastic comments anytime.