Kevin Feige Says ‘Thor 2’ Villain Won’t Be Thanos & ‘Iron Man 3’ Will Contain “Biggest Spectacle Yet”

Normally, the window for open discussion on a film's ending is debatable, with some camps saying 6 months while others go for 5 years, but considering in the time it just took to blink “The Avengers” has made another cool million, we feel pretty confident in exploring its mid-credits teaser. Marvel Studios' president Kevin Feige thinks so too, and in a recent interview he chatted about the eternal villain's role in their film universe, as well as his thought on “Iron Man 3” and “Thor 2.”

Speaking to Empire (via Collider), Feige confirmed Thanos, the extraterrestrial Mad Titan grinning at “courting Death” in Whedon's film, will appear as the main baddie in future installments, but will it be anytime soon? “No, future, future,” Feige clarified, “But there will be a major new villain. A major, major new antagonist…” The next films on Marvel's slate are “Iron Man 3” and “Thor 2,” but with Coldblood and Firepower already confirmed for 'IM3,' the Shane Black-directed film already seems stuffed enough. Feige, though, is confident that's not the case. "We don't equate bigger with better. It's Tony's most personal journey since he was trapped in a cave in the first half of the first movie, but it'll also have the largest spectacle of any of the Iron Man movies." Seems almost like a contradictive statement, but at least we can rule out that film for potential baddies, which leaves “Thor 2” to hold the question mark.

The Alan Taylor-directed film, with Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman reprising their roles, also features Loki (Tom Hiddleston), but after his pretty thorough beating and incarcerated return to Asgard at the end of “The Avengers,” his power is pretty much sapped. Rather, it's Mads Mikkelsen who has signed on to play the villain, which could be the major adversary that Feige is speaking of. Still, at this point, Marvel is keeping potential character details close to the chest as they plan their next wave of box-office busting films, but Feige did reveal some details about “Thor 2,” specifically in regards to the plot. “We're going to see the other side of Asgard. It's not all polished and golden in this film. And the events of 'Avengers' will have affected Thor for sure. His relationship with Loki will continue to evolve, and the biggest part is Natalie and Thor returning with Jane Foster.”

After being conveniently whisked away to an island in “The Avengers,” it'll be interesting to see what Portman brings back to the role of Jane, and what intriguing villain Mikkelsen plays when "Thor 2" is released November 15, 2013, after filming this summer. But before that, "Iron Man 3" will boot up on May 3, 2013.