'Guardians Of The Galaxy' and 'The Avengers' Crossover Rumors: Director James Gunn Responds To Sequel Speculation

Fans wondering what Groot (Vin Diesel) might have to say to Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) -- it’s probably just “Groooot” -- might not want to hold their breaths. “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn took to Facebook to put a damper on speculation about how much crossover fun his film franchise would have with fellow Marvel series “The Avengers.”

Gunn posted some clarification regarding his desire for “Guardians of the Galaxy” to stay largely independent from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU): “And, regarding the bigger picture, we all agreed on one thing, and that was to keep huge chunks of the Guardians separate from the Marvel heroes of Earth, because they have a whole galaxy to explore. We wanted to use them as a way to make the MCU bigger, not smaller. We wanted to make sure they have their own mythos, as opposed to only one that is intertwined with the earthbound characters. They are connected, of course, but that connection would not be the purpose of their stories and fictional lives.”

The post was a wet blanket on fan speculation that the second “Guardians” movie, set to premiere in 2017, would act as a pseudo-setup to “Avengers: Infinity War,” the planned third and fourth movies of the “Avengers” franchise. The first “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which premiered this past September, laid the groundwork for connections between the franchises, including the character of Thanos (Josh Brolin), who is rumored to a villain in the “Avengers” sequels.

Though there will continue to be connections between the two franchises as more movies come out, the chances of any big crossover happenings, such as the “Guardians” crew visiting the Avengers on Earth, seem slim. However, fans can still hold out hope!

Would you like to see an “Avengers” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” crossover? Tweet your thoughts to @Ja9GarofaloTV.