'Guardians of The Galaxy' Plot Revealed, What Does This Mean For 'Avengers 2'?

The Guardians of The Galaxy are an odd choice when it comes to bringing Marvel's legendary cast of superheroes to the big screen.

They aren't the most popular figures in the comic company's universe, but they're comprised of the oddest band of individuals possibly ever assembled together and there's a giant tree-guy. You read that right. A guy who is, for all intents and purposes, a walking tree.

Despite these bizarre facts, "Guardians of The Galaxy" is a film that is happening, courtesy of Marvel Studios. Thanos has been rumored to be the bad guy this time around, after he was teased at the end of "The Avengers." Rumors also circulate that the plot of "Avengers 2" will somehow see Thanos utilizing the Infinity Gauntlet, an all-powerful device sure to rival the combined might of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

In an article courtesy of MTV Geek, the apparent plot of "Guardians of The Galaxy" has been revealed. The film adaptation of the off-beat comic is said to be about "a U.S. pilot who ends up in space in the middle of a universal conflict and goes on the run with futuristic ex-cons who have something everyone wants."

Now, for the "U.S. pilot" part, we're probably getting Star-Lord. The character is a former NASA astronaut who finds himself leading The Guardians of The Galaxy due to his mastery over strategy and knowledge of alien weaponry. Alien weaponry that would have been found after the climactic battle at the end of "The Avengers." Speculation leads one to believe that this character may be a SHIELD agent, in order to tie the loose ends related to alien weaponry together for the audience. A space-bound SHIELD agent caught in the middle of a galaxy-wide battle makes sense. As this is a film adaptation, it's understandable certain liberties be taken with the source material.

That "something everyone wants" could be a few things. The most likely "thing" is the Infinity Gauntlet, hence why Thanos would be the villain, as revealed during the final moments of "The Avengers." The Guardians of The Galaxy are a suitably cosmic team and Thanos is certainly a cosmic villain, so having him pursue the Guardians as they attempt to either get the Infinity Gauntlet into safe hands (Asgard, home of Thor?) or destroy it completely is an exciting concept for the film. It also stands to reason that Thanos somehow obtains the Infinity Gauntlet, thus setting the stage for "The Avengers 2," where he'll be the main villain against Captain America, Iron-Man and the rest of the team.

MTV Geek speculates that the "thing" in question may be the Cosmic Cube, which was utilized in both "Captain America: The First Avenger" and "The Avengers" as the device through which the alien invasion of Earth (led by Loki) occurred. It seems unlikely that Marvel Studios and Joss Whedon would be hot to rehash something that's been done twice already, so the smart money would be on something new. The Infinity Gauntlet, as a prop, already exists, so it's sitting in a warehouse somewhere in California waiting to be used after its unveiling at the Marvel Studios booth at Comic-Con in 2010.

"Guardians of The Galaxy" is set to hit screens on Aug. 1, 2014.