By Brent McKnight | 6 years ago

Even before the movie came out, there was talk of the team from Guardians of the Galaxy joining forces with the Avengers at some point. With the villain Thanos casting an increasingly large shadow over the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it makes sense that the action will move further out into space, and there is a great deal of crossover between the two groups in the comics. It seemed like a natural fit given Marvel’s penchant for connecting each and every property to one another. But Guardians director James Gunn says you shouldn’t expect a team up.

Since the beginning, Gunn has been adamant that his film is its own separate thing, and has even come out and explicitly stated that this title doesn’t exist solely to serve the Avengers films or to set up the coming two-part Infinity Wars saga. While there is an overall homogeneity in the MCU, across titles, casts, and creative teams, Guardians definitely feels more like its own distinct entity than anything the studio has produced thus far.

Talking to Screen Junkies, Gunn said:

We really are separate from the Avengers, and I don’t think people should assume too many things about the Guardians play in all these. We have our own galaxy to take care of. We have our own galaxy to save. Earth is the Avengers’ province. Thinking that everything is going to come together in a perfect way is not necessarily the way it’s going to happen.

While this doesn’t preclude some connection or encounter, it does sound like we shouldn’t hold our breath for a full on Guardians of the Galaxy/Avengers crossover, and that the realm of Earth and space will be kept relatively separate. He definitely drew a distinct line in the sand.

Still, there are a number of ways these two could tie together. It’s possible that both teams will come into conflict with Thanos separately. As we’ve seen in the various movies, the Mad Titan definitely has a bone to pick with each individual group. He could launch an attack on Earth to go after the Avengers, and in a totally different offensive, try to take down his adopted daughter Gamora and her compatriots. (That could make for an awesome Part 1 and Part 2 to Infinity Wars.)

Then there’s the possibility that only one or two characters could trickle across the lines. For example, Drax the Destroyer and Nebula both play a role in the Infinity Gauntlet storyline in the comics. And we’ve heard rumors that Age of Ultron ends with Hulk being blasted into deep space, which could prove to be a fun time, even if it is not the Planet Hulk arc.

We don’t know how any of this is going to play out on screen, but as the MCU continues to grow and expand, we’re in for a wild, interstellar ride, and I’m pretty pumped up to see how it all goes down.