The Thanos mid-credit scene in The Avengers was perhaps the most exciting credit scene in Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We haven’t seen much of the character since then, but the studio has confirmed that he will appear in Guardians of the Galaxy. It was recently announced that Josh Brolin would play The Mad Titan, but as to what role he will play in the film, that remains a mystery as well.

Now a new report has come in that clarifies how much of an impact he will have in Guardians of the Galaxy, and on the MCU itself. Hit the jump to learn more.

While Thanos is definitely one big baddie, we won’t be seeing much of him in Guardians of the Galaxy. That’s because Ronan The Accuser (Lee Pace) and Nebula (Karen Gillan) will be the primary antagonists. The two will serve under the leadership of Thanos, and be an extension of his evil. According to Vulture, Ronan and Nebula will take orders and communicate with The Mad Titan via hologram. So while he may not have a large part in the film, Thanos’ presence will be known throughout the film, with characters in referencing him often and fearfully. Thanos is also the adoptive father of Gamora (Zoe Saldana), so there is that connection. It is also said that we will get another look of the character during Avengers: Age Of Ultron, although how we will see him in that film is unknown.

In the comics, Thanos collects all six Infinity Gems and infuses their power into the Infinity Gauntlet, which has the power to wipe out all life on earth.

We will have seen at least four gems throughout the course of these films. The Tesseract represents Space, with Loki’s spear possessing the powers of the Mind gem. In Thor: The Dark World and its mid-credit scene, we saw Benicio Del Toro being handed the Aether, which could be the Power Gem, though some speculate that it is actually the reality gem. We will see the fourth gem in Guardians of the Galaxy, which is probably the orb that Star Lord (Chris Pratt) is trying to obtain.

While me may not know what Thanos’s plans are, learning about what it could be through these teases is a great way to keep fans and audiences intrigued and coming back for more.

Guardians of the Galaxy opens in theaters August 1.

[Source: Vulture]