
Now that we know (a tiny bit) more about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, it’s time to revisit the question of what other members of Marvel’s cosmic universe might pop up in the film.
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Recently, director James Gunn has dismissed the idea of the Nova Corps and Nova Prime showing up…and we’re also tired of suggesting the ideas of characters like Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock. So why bot branch out a little bit and think about some of the others we think have a shot?
So…who do we expect to see? Who do we hope to see? Read on…!
James Gunn (Slither, Super), director of 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, will return to write and direct the sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It is scheduled to hit theaters on May 5, 2017.
MANTIS

Is there enough room for two green-skinned warrior women in the next Guardians movie? Apparently, Marvel thinks so.
Pom Klementieff will reportedly play Mantis in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Marvel is still officially keeping the French actress’s role a secret, but reports claims to have been told by inside sources that half-Vietnamese, half-German superhero, with psychic powers and martial arts skills, as well as ties to the Kree.
In the comics, Mantis is the daughter of Libra, an on-again off-again superhero involved with the Zodiac organization. She’s spent time as both an Avenger and a Guardian of the Galaxy.
KANG

Classically an Avengers villain, Kang the Conqueror could be off the table — it’s hard to guess, since he’s a distant relative of the Fantastic Four.
He’s one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe, which of course has thrown him into conflict with other cosmic-level heroes like the Guardians of the Galaxy. The alternate-universe conqueror would be a formidable threat — he can bend time and reality to his will.
Certainly, Marvel could use another badass villain. It’s just hard to know whether they’d waste somebody so formidable before we hit the end of Infinity War and Thanos isn’t pulling everybody’s strings.
ETERNITY

Eternity is an abstract, virtually omnipotent entity representing all time and reality in the universe.
Who better to seek out when you have a question about an ancient, forgotten race like the one that Peter Quill’s father apparently belongs to?
Eternity is part of a small cosmic pantheon that also includes Galactus and Death.
It does, however (as you can see above) have ties to Doctor Strange, so there’s a pretty good chance that if it shows up in one, it could show up in the other.
VANCE ASTRO

Vance Astro, born Vance Astrovik and going by the nickname Major Victory, is one of the “original” Guardians of the Galaxy with characters like Starhawk, Yondu and Aleta.
Astro was an astronaut from the 20th century Earth who spends a thousand years travelling to Alpha Centauri in suspended animation.
He is also the future alternative universe counterpart of Vance Astrovik, the hero known as Justice.
Astro showed up, frozen in ice, and joined the Guardians during the Abnett and Lanning run — which provides much of the source material for the film — and inspired the team to take the name.
I’m intrigued to see how the Marvel Cinematic Universe tackles any of the “classic” Guardians.
EGO

The Guardians of the Galaxy movie is, more or less, what Green Lantern could have and should have been, in many ways.
And what does Marvel Cosmic share with the Green Lantern Corps?
What about living planets?
The DC Universe has Mogo the Green Lantern planet; Marvel has Ego the Living, which over millions of years developed consciousness and intelligence. With ties to Thor, the Novas and Rocket Raccoon, he could theoretically pop up in a number of places in the Marvel Cinematic Universe…but it’s hard not to think that you should trust Gunn, who managed to make Knowhere a believable environment, to handle it.