The Avengers Are Not In Guardians Of The Galaxy, Captain America Has Pivotal Role In Phase 2

It looks like James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy is completely secluded from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Last week we found out that the Guardians would not make an appearance in The Avengers 2, and we’ve recently learned that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes won’t be in Gunn’s flick either.

There has been much speculation regarding the relevance of the Guardians within the overall story. How or when will they interact with the Avengers? Will Robert Downey Jr. reprise his role as Iron Man in a cameo? Many of these rumors have been debunked, and it seems Guardians of the Galaxy is pretty much a stand-alone feature (which will undoubtedly provide us with several easter eggs and references to Marvel Studios’ upcoming projects), even though it takes place at the same time as the current phase of films.

However, we do know — thanks to JoBlo (via ScreenRant) — that the film’s lead villain is Ronan the Accuser (even though Thanos plays a crucial role), and the Guardians will operate out of Knowhere (their base of operations, a space station with the ability to teleport throughout the universe).

We’ve also learned that Captain America will play an instrumental role in setting up The Avengers 2. Whether he’ll make a brief appearance in Thor: The Dark World is up for debate, albeit Captain America: The Winter Soldier has already been described as “Avengers 1.5” by Anthony Mackie, who plays The Falcon in the aforementioned film.

I really hope the Guardians meet up with the Avengers sooner or later, although it’s far too early to start speculating on an eventual rendezvous. What do you think? Would you like to see Rocket Raccoon fighting side by side with Iron Man? Of course you do.

Guardians of the Galaxy stars Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Michael Rooker, Benicio del Toro, John C. Reilly, Ophelia Lovibond, Lee Pace, Glenn Close and Karen Gillan. It will hit theaters on August 1, 2014.