The Avengers ended with a dramatic shot of Thanos, a major villain in the Marvel Universe. So it’s a given that he would play a major role in the second movie, right? It wasn’t entirely the case.

Despite Thanos making a brief appearance, his rights still belonged to creator Jim Starlin.

Notice how that was past tense? Okay, okay, I’m kidding. Starlin didn’t give complete rights over to Marvel Studios. Actually, he made a deal to allow his character to appear in Marvel films. Notice how that was plural? This time I’m not kidding.

It’s become official that Thanos will not only appear in The Avengers 2, but he will also be in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

It’s only natural that one of Marvel’s hugest villains will make an impact on numerous films. Especially when it’s one who is completely and utterly in love with Death.

Guardians of the Galaxy releases August 1, 2014, and The Avengers 2 assembles again May 1, 2015.