Fans following the development and expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe closely understand that things are about to change. And no, we're not talking about the politics and power struggle involving S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. We're talking about aliens and people with super powers.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. introduced otherworldly characters and beings in its last two episodes and the timing is interesting considering the Guardians of the Galaxy trailer teased the cosmic side of the Marvel universe a few weeks earlier. In The Avengers: Age of Ultron, we're going to meet two new superpowered characters with unknown origins as well so, how are they all connected?

We've known that the pair of new heroes joining The Avengers 2 are the "brother-sister act" of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch (a third new character, Vision is also joining the fray) and in the comics, they're mutants, the children of X-Men antagonist Magneto, characters all owned by Twentieth Century Fox. Due to complicated film rights issues, these two characters are an odd exception to the rule and can be used by both Marvel and Fox. For Marvel Studios however, they can only use them in a limited capacity since they don't own "mutants" or X-Men characters like "Magneto" which means, new origins and new source of powers.

Marvel Quicksilver Scarlet Witch Cartoon

An easy explanation we offered upon first hearing the news would be to tie their special abilities in with something they do own, and something they've expressed interest and confidence in frequently in recent years - The Inhumans. With the "Kree" alien species namedropped in this week's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and playing a part in Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel Studios could theoretically begin laying the groundwork for an Inhumans movie should they choose to do so, since the Kree are behind their creation.

The Inhumans are a byproduct of the Kree experimentation on early humans in the past, during a time of war against other aliens. The Kree used science to genetically engineer their way through an evolutionary gap their species was enduring and to essentially breed a superhuman army for their own purposes. The result was the Inhumans, who formed their own unique society. They share interesting stories to characters including Quicksilver and Ronan the Accuser, who play major roles in The Avengers 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy, respectively. They even fought Thanos but we're not going to delve into that today.

Inhumans Kree Marvel Comics

So, could Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch get their powers from the same source as The Inhumans (look up "Terrigen Mist" if you're curious)? Could that also tie into what's happening with certain characters in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC? Speaking with HuffPo while promoting Captain America 2, Marvel Studios president of production, denied that this was the case, explaining that they're not connected.

"Well, Inhumans is something that we are definitely thinking about and we think there's great potential there for a great movie. But, no, no -- we have not linked those two."

And as for Inhumans offering a substitute origin for Mutation for Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch?

"As it relates to Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver? No. No, no, no."

So, there you have it. If Inhumans are not connected to "the twins" as many fans have speculated, how will Joss Whedon's Avengers sequel explain their origins? Are they aliens? Part of some species? Are there more like them? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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More: Will Ms. Marvel Be Introduced In 'The Avengers 2' or Phase 3?

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier hits theaters April 4, 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy on August 1, 2014, The Avengers: Age of Ultron on May 1, 2015, Ant-Man on July 17, 2015, and unannounced films for May 6 2016, July 8 2016 and May 5 2017.

Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes for your Marvel movie news!

Source: HuffPo