"Avengers: Age of Ultron" is racking up enough box office money to make billionaire Tony Stark jealous. But Earth's Mightiest Heroes aren't the only bankable super squad. Last year's "Guardians of the Galaxy" earned a cool $774 million worldwide while garnering rave reviews in the process.
Although "Guardians" and its cosmic setting were somewhat separate from the other entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there were still clear connections such as Infinity Stones and the villain Thanos. Naturally, that has led many fans to believe that The Avengers and the Guardians are going to team up at some point.
Is that a realistic possibility?
"I'm tied to doing three more, or five more, 'Guardians of the Galaxy' or whatever it is, you know, two more 'Guardians' plus another couple," star Chris Pratt said of his Marvel contract when speaking with GQ.
It's safe to assume that Marvel is planning on doing a "Guardians" trilogy but what could the other films in his contract be?
The most obvious answer is the two part "Infinity War" films that are slated to come out in 2018 and 2019. Those movies will finally pit Thanos directly against our heroes instead of having him pulling strings from the background, as has been the case in "The Avengers" and "Guardians of the Galaxy." Considering that the Guardians now have a history with the Mad Titan and the fact that Pratt's Peter Quill is from Earth, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him head home to join the fight.
Of course, nothing is guaranteed. Scarlett Johansson, who portrays Black Widow, has said that her film commitment is fluid and even Hugo Weaving, who has only appeared in "Captain America: The First Avenger," is reportedly signed on for multiple pictures. Contracts don't seem to mean much in the grand scheme of things and we have no idea if Marvel even wants to include the Guardians in "Infinity Wars."
But my gut tells me that we are heading for a massive crossover. The properties are too popular and too big of moneymakers to not eventually be blended for the climactic two-part event.
