The Marvel Studios habit of including a universe-building tease after the end credits has gone well beyond just an Easter Egg, becoming a pop-cultural in-joke that everyone's in on.  With Joss Whedon's truly huge The Avengers, the studio went for a mid-credits bit that revealed the Mad Titan Thanos as the guy pulling Loki's strings and setting him up as the big bad in future Marvel movies. 

We've been speculating as to just what Thanos will do in Marvel's "Phase Two," but there's very little firm information on which films will feature the cosmic despot.  Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige, a man who plays things famously close to the vest, has offered some teasing little nuggets on Thanos.

Almost a month ago to the day, James Gunn emerged as the man to direct Guardians of the Galaxy, the only non-sequel in Marvel Studios' "Phase Two," which concludes with The Avengers 2 in 2015.  Since then, it's been pretty much acknowledged that Gunn will oversee the cosmic adventure, but neither he nor Marvel have commented officially.

Now, for the first time, Gunn has confirmed that he'll rewrite and direct Guardians of the Galaxy.  Not only that, but he's shared some thoughts on the film in his characteristically amusing style.

After The Avengers, Marvel Studios is strutting its way into its next several summers of superhero action, and with a strut like that, people are naturally curious about the sequels of "Phase Two."  Both 2013 releases, Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, are currently in production, but what of the first Marvel movie set for 2014?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is scheduled to begin principal photography in March of 2013 for a release date in April, 2014.

Since he wrote and directed the third-biggest movie of all time to close out the first phase of Marvel's cinematic universe-building, Marvel Studios is doubling down on Joss Whedon for Phase Two.  While promoting a movie that he actually shot in the midst of making The Avengers, Whedon has commented on his involvement in the other upcoming Phase Two features and his thematic plans for The Avengers 2.

The sequel Thor: The Dark World is now shooting a big sequence on location in the U.K., and some new, thoroughly unofficial set photos show off a pretty large scale, some explosions, one creature, and Lady Sif throwing down on horseback.

Amidst all the superheroic shenanigans that Marvel Studios is so good at creating, there is Guardians of the Galaxy.  The final "Phase Two" movie before The Avengers 2 arrives in May of 2015, Guardians of the Galaxy is a distinctly offbeat property for Marvel's cinematic universe, a science-fiction adventure that involves an ass-kicking tree-alien and a gun-toting extraterrestrial raccoon. 

Any diehards concerned about the deviation from super-stuff can take solace in the endorsement of no less a luminary than Joss Whedon, however.

Anyone who already dropped hard-earned dollars pre-ordering the "Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One - Avengers Assembled" six-movie, ten-disc Blu-ray set has to be feeling at least a little Loki'd by the news that a lawsuit indefinitely delayed the release. 

There's good news today, however. 

The ten-disc, six-movie Blu-ray collection of Marvel movies always seemed too good to be true.  The "Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One - Avengers Assembled" set, collecting Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Avengers has been indefinitely delayed for legal reasons, though not the legal reasons you might think of straightaway.

Let's get this out of the way right now: Spoilers ahoy.  Well, possible spoilers.  If the rumor we're talking about here ends up being true, then this post includes some very spoilery details regarding Iron Man 3, a particular action scene, and the ongoing evolution of Tony Stark's armor.  So if you'd rather walk into next summer's sequel unspoiled, just rustle along.  Otherwise, read on.

Labor Day marks the unofficial end to summer, and it looks like Marvel Studios and Disney are looking to bookend the summer of 2012 with some hot and heavy The Avengers action.  Joss Whedon's mega-movie kicked off summer with the biggest domestic opening in movie history, and now it will close out the season by expanding back a whole lot more theaters nationwide for the Labor Day weekend.