Marvel Studios has been clear that they're winding up for a massive intergalactic crossover in Avengers: Infinity War. But it won't be their first foray into space, with Guardians of the Galaxy and two "multi-realm" Thor films already under their belt. These franchises have been kept separate up to this point, but the fate of the MCU's disparate heroes are soon to intertwine. The only remaining question is how soon.

Based on the statements of director James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 sounds like it might be even more of a standalone piece than its predecessor. But Thor: Ragnarok, which features The Incredible Hulk, is being described as "an intergalactic buddy road movie." Based on the title, we can safely assume that somewhere in there, things hit an apocalyptic scale.

That Hashtag Show, which notably reported the casting of Marvel's Iron Fist earlier this year, has dropped a hot rumor that comes from an unnamed source at Marvel. According to their source: "Thor and the Hulk will in some way encounter the Cotati, one of the oldest species of aliens in the Marvel universe. The Cotati are best known as the race of aliens to awaken the powers within Mantis."

The Cotati and Mantis vs Thor

Mantis is set to make her debut in the MCU next year as a major player in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. In the comics, Mantis is a human woman of Vietnamese birth. While, Pom Klementieff, the actress playing Mantis is of Asian descent, James Gunn has been clear that Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord, will once again be the only major human character in Vol. 2, lending to the likelihood that Mantis' origin story will be altered for her role in the film. Hashtag's source also has indicated that in the MCU, the Cotati will look like Mantis, rather than their immobile plant forms from the comics.

There are a couple possibilities that arise if this rumor turns out to be true. One is that Thor's "road trip" may pass through Hala - the comic book home planet of both the Cotati and the Kree. The Kree are an important factor in the origin of Captain Marvel, who is getting her own movie in 2019, and have appeared in both the first Guardians of the Galaxy film as well as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., though their home planet has yet to be seen in the MCU. This also opens up the possibility that Mantis herself might make an appearance in Thor: Ragnarok. While Hashtag's source couldn't confirm any of these possibilities, it sounds like they weren't ruled out either.

As always with rumors from unnamed sources, this should be taken with a grain of salt, though it's fun to speculate how wild things may get on the road to Infinity War. Quite a lot still needs to happen before a universe of heroes unites against The Mad Titan, and so far it feels like we've only scratched the surface.

Doctor Strange opens November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man: Homecoming– July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; Avengers: Infinity War – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel– March 8, 2019Avengers 4 – May 3, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on July 12, 2019, and on May 1, July 10, and November 6 in 2020.

Source: That Hashtag Show