It has been confirmed a number of times that the characters in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will be part of the massive ensemble cast for Avengers: Infinity War. This has already sent fans into a speculative frenzy about how Guardians may set up the events that play out in Marvel's Infinity War, which recently started production in Atlanta. According to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, don't expect any direct connections between Guardians 2 and Avengers: Infinity War. Here's what the executive had to say in a recent interview on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

"I always say, all the movies, Civil War is a standalone story about that, but that fit into [the MCU]. This is even more of a standalone story than that. This is about the characters. This is about their evolution as heroes, as their own internal family, as the group, a group of characters known as the Guardians of the Galaxy. You know, the way this film ends, and the team at the end, will inform future things, but there's nothing that nods directly towards it."

If Kevin Feige's statement to CinemaBlend sounds somewhat familiar, it actually echoes what Guardians 2 director James Gunn had said in an interview last year. The filmmaker teased that both of his Guardians stories were not "beholden" to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that it's not "subservient to the Avengers." He also added that it's not meant to "move toward Infinity War," so don't expect a preview of Infinity War when you see Guardians 2 in theaters this May.

Still, Kevin Feige's hint that Guardians of the Galaxy 2, "will inform future things" is certainly interesting, although it has already been confirmed that Thanos (Josh Brolin) won't make his presence known here, after making his first full appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy. While there is no direct link between Guardians 2 and Avengers: Infinity War, the site speculates that the events of this sequel will lead to Star-Lord and his Guardians heading to Earth, perhaps because Star-Lord discovers something about the Infinity Stones. After all, Star-Lord did have the mysterious ability to hold onto the Power Stone in the first movie, which will be explored in this sequel as well.

Director James Gunn also admitted on the set that the Thanos scene in the first Guardians movie felt out of place in the first movie, which is likely a big reason why we won't see Thanos in the sequel. After Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 arrives in May, Marvel will bring Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7) and Thor: Ragnarok (November 3) into theaters, with Black Panther (February 16, 2018) kicking off the studio's 2018 slate, followed by Avengers: Infinity War on May 4, 2018. There is still one more Infinity Stone that hasn't been uncovered yet, the Soul Stone, which will most likely be revealed at some point before Avengers: Infinity War, but that hasn't been confirmed. James Gunn has also made it clear in the past there will be no Infinity Stones present in Guardians 2. While Guardians 2 is shaping up to be another huge hit for Marvel Studios, fans shouldn't expect to find any Infinity War connections.