Guardians of the Galaxy may not have any of the Avengers, but it does have ties to Marvel's overarching baddie.

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Out of all the characters currently in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thanos has received the least amount of screen time. After popping up in the mid-credit scene for 2012's Avengers, the villain has become the center of fan speculation. Guardians director James Gunn has confirmed that Thanos will have some part to play in the upcoming film, but it remains to be seen if he will actually appear in person.

Even if Thanos doesn't pop up on screen, the film still may give fans a clue as to what the villain is after. While many believe Thanos is after the Infinity Gems - which would cause him to tie in nicely with the Guardians plot - Marvelites who are basing their Thanos predictions on current comics may soon find out that their theories are off in left field.

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"The Marvel Cinematic Universe takes out of both the 616 and Ultimate Marvel Comics universe, and then they recreate some elements themselves," said Guardians director James Gunn, according to the Pointless Podcast (via MTV). "What Thanos wants in the comics is not necessarily what Thanos wants in the movies; we don't know yet."

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Guardians of the Galaxy will hit theaters on Aug. 1.