Guardians of the Galaxy 2 was announced a week before the first film opened and now it seems like one of the wisest decisions Marvel has made yet. Originally, the release date for the sequel to Marvel’s hit movie Guardians of the Galaxy was announced to be July of 2017.  However, during the big Marvel Phase 3 revealing yesterday in Hollywood, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced that The Guardians will return to a summer kick-off slot of May 5th, 2017.

It is widely anticipated that Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will play a pivotal role in the buildup of Marvel Phase 3.  Cast member Dave Bautista (Riddick) has already said that Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will play a big role in Avengers: Infinity War; therefore the sequel will almost certainly need to provide foundation for that crossover.

Although the details of the plot are unclear at this time, we know director/writer James Gunn and the entire cast – Chris Pratt (Moneyball), Zoe Saldana (Avatar), Dave Bautista (WWE Smackdown), Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) and Vin Diesel (Fast & Furious 6) – will be returning for the sequel.

Feige did not announce a subtitle for the sequel, but rumors have pointed to things like the “War of Kings” storyline, which revolves around Peter Quill’s (aka Star-Lord’s) royal heritage.  Feige also wouldn’t open up about whether or not characters “teased” in the first Guardians of the Galaxy, such as Cosmo the Dog and Howard the Duck, would appear in the sequel.

Additionally, writer/director James Gunn has previously stated that Thanos (Josh Brolin) won’t be the villain in the sequel, and that while Nebula (Karen Gillan) and The Collector (Benicio Del Toro) are anticipated to show up again in supporting roles, it is unlikely that either character will be the main threat.  In fact, it seems that there is no obvious choice for a villain in the sequel.

So if Thanos isn’t directly involved in the sequel’s plot, and with Ronan the Accuser no longer a threat, who are The Guardians going to face next?  We’ll just have to wait and see.