Kevin Feige On Why Marvel's Films Don't Overlap Anymore

04/27/2017 11:04 pm EDT

An element that has charmed many Marvel Cinematic Universe fans over the past decade has been the shared time line between the films. Particularly with Phase One, viewers would chomp at the bit for Easter eggs and dialogue referencing the other films, in hopes of understanding how the team of heroes would unite in The Avengers.

While those bits and pieces still make their way into certain Marvel properties, the overall time line of the films has grown to be much more spaced out. And with the films within the universe beginning to become more diverse stories, that sort of overlapping timeline has not become as prominent. This is particularly seen with Marvel's newest release, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which has been revealed to be taking place four years in Marvel's time line before next year's Avengers: Infinity War.

According to Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, making the films' chronology so close together was never a deliberate choice, but rather something that occurred as the stories saw fit.

"I think people like to talk about our long term plans, which we certainly have." Feige explained to CinemaBlend. "But very rarely do those long term plans dictate the specificity of any individual film. It's usually the opposite. It's focusing on a story, and focusing on the individual movie that we're making to do what's best. And then, if something changes that we weren't quite expecting down the line because it was made for a better movie, then we deal with it down the line. I think that's what happened in Phase One. We were telling those stories and having the crossover of Nick Fury talking about the Southwest Region, when the hammer fell..."

Of course, with many of the heroes of the MCU uniting to stop Thanos in Infinity War, there's a chance that fans could be seeing more of these Easter eggs very soon.

MORE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2: The Major Cosmic Characters Introduced In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 / 3 New TV Spots Released / Chris Pratt Performs Hilarious Pet Shop Prank Call

Set to the backdrop of 'Awesome Mixtape #2,' Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team's adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill's true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes' aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is written and directed by James Gunn (Slither). The film marks the return of the original Guardians, including Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord; Zoe Saldana (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (Spectre) as Drax; Vin Diesel (Furious 7) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (Jumper) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (The Big Short) as Nebula; and Sean Gunn (Gilmore Girls) as Kraglin. New cast members include Pom Klementieff (Oldboy), Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby, Everest), Chris Sullivan (The Knick, The Drop) and Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight, The Thing).

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is scheduled to hit theaters on May 5, 2017.

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.