The mad Titan Thanos, a character who is among the biggest of Marvel’s big bads, showed up at the end of The Avengers. That set him as a potential antagonist for, well, just about everyone. Defeating the guy is no small task. But we don’t know when that showdown will happen, or how. We do know that Thanos isn’t likely to have much of a role in Avengers: Age of Ultron. And beyond that? It’s all open to question. But Marvel chief Kevin Feige described the basic idea behind the portrayal of Thanos so far. The key concept to keep in mind here is “Emperor Palpatine.”

Note: there are some Guardians of the Galaxy spoilers below.

Kevin Feige told us the following at a Comic Con roundtable interview, but we held this quote until after the opening of Guardians of the Galaxy. (Even though it’s open knowledge by this point, thanks to Marvel and Gunn, that Thanos is part of Guardians.)