We already knew that Thanos -- the big bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe who was teased at the end of The Avengers -- would be showing up in this summer’s Guardians of the Galaxy . And now we know who will be playing him.

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Latino Review has the scoop, reporting that Josh Brolin will voice the character in James Gunn’s space adventure film. Variety and other outlets subsequently confirmed the report.Brolin of course isn’t new to comic-book movies, having played Jonah Hex for DC and Warner Bros. (remember that?) and also starring in Spike Lee’s Oldboy remake (remember that?!). Now he’s hitched his galactic wagon to Marvel, which will likely prove more successful than those earlier films. (He's also got Sin City: A Dame to Kill For coming up, and was in Men in Black 3.)Thanos is not expected to be the main villain in Guardians, but rather more of a puppet master as it turns out he was in The Avengers -- the guy pulling the strings of other villains. Ronan the Accuser, played by Lee Pace, will be the main baddie in Guardians… likely answering to old purple face himself.Since Brolin is reportedly only voicing the character, it seems a possibility that Thanos will be realized as a CG character ala the Hulk. After Guardians, Thanos is expected to play a part in the Avengers sequel, Age of Ultron, and Avengers 3 as well.Stuntman/actor Damion Poitier played Thanos in the brief end-credits scene in The Avengers, though it has always been assumed that the part would be recast as the villain took on a larger role in subsequent films. You can watch that scene below.

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