A spoiler for The Avengers lies within.
When Thanos was revealed as the figure with the menacing grin during the credits scene at the close of The Avengers, speculation began as to where he would fit in Marvel's future plans, and what films he would appear in. James Gunn's re-write of Guardians Of The Galaxy is thought to include Thanos, but Kevin Feige has now been chatting to MTV about the character, to fill in a blank or two.
“There's a great track record now about lobbing something in at the last moment to get the audience buzzing", he said. "Particularly when it came to Thanos, (we knew) that most people in that audience had no idea who the purple guy was – but they could clearly tell he was important, and knew if they asked the two or three people sitting next to them, somebody would know who he was.”
Feige continued: “Clearly, there's a purpose to us putting him at the end of that movie. We do have plans for him. I wouldn't say we ever feel the need to rush anything one way or the other. We succeeded in phase one because we stuck to our guns and stuck to the plan. That plan took place over many, many, years and it ultimately paid off. I see phase two unfolding in the same way of us taking our time, us doing what's right for each individual movie, while folding in elements that will not only build up to the culmination of phase two, but even phase three.”
That might just hint that Thanos' role in the upcoming phase will be as a more behind the scenes antagonist, with his involvement being more significant in phase three.
Feige also hinted that they are open to recasting the role, which will no doubt be unwelcome news to Damion Poitier who played Thanos in The Avengers.
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