Ever since audiences saw the mid-credits stinger in The Avengers, fans have been wondering just how the Mad Titan known as Thanos would fit into the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Because the character wields so much power, it has been assumed by many that The Avengers 2 will have Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Hulk battling against the mega-baddie, but what about the movies before that? When Marvel Studios announced that they would be making Guardians of the Galaxy their final "solo" film before 2015, many pointed to the "Thanos Imperative" storyline of the comics - which featured the Guardians going up against the villain - and suggested that Thanos could be involved with that movie as well. And now more evidence is pointing in that direction.
Comic Book Movie recently discovered a Q&A with Marvel President Kevin Feige on the Japanese blog Nifty that seems to all but confirm that Thanos will be playing a role in Guardians of the Galaxy. While the site's English translation is a bit rough, the first question posed to the studio head was in regard to why the Guardians were chosen as the newest characters to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The short answer? Feige wanted to bring the movies deeper into space. Said Feige (via CBM's translation), "I've got a story I wanted to tell the world [that is] not directly related with the characters of The Avengers, [until?] a little later."
But how will Thanos fit into the fold? After answering that first question, the Marvel President was asked point-blank if the antagonist would be making his first extended appearance in the comic book movie. Again, the translation is a bit rough, but Feige responded, "“I'm out [laughs] of course, because there is meaning [to the credits stinger]."
Obviously this isn't a full-blown confirmation, but it is an interesting hint. Given that Guardians of the Galaxy won't be out until 2014 chances are that it will be quite a while until we have a clearer picture of what's going to happen and be included in the movie. To learn what we do know about Guardians, head over to our Blend Film Database.
