Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: New trailer hints at the film's plot through obscure comics connection

Could Elizabeth Debicki's gold-skinned Ayesha actually draw her inspiration and motivations from a different character in the comics?

The marketing so far for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has teased Baby Groot - and then a whole bunch more Baby Groot - but has so far remained relatively light on plot.

We know the crew will be back once more to save the universe, but from what exactly? Elizabeth Debicki's gold-slathered Ayesha seems so far established as the film's main villain, but it's unclear what exactly her plan is here, and how it may involve the participation of the Guardians.

However, The Hollywood Reporter believes her lines in the trailer are actually a pretty major hint as to the film's plot, specifically in their connection to another storyline in the Marvel comics universe. "I see it within you," she utters. "Fear. Jealousy. Betrayal. It is our duty to cleanse the universe of this weakness."

In the comics, Ayesha is a second attempt at creating the perfect, test-tube grown human being by a collective of scientists known as the Enclave, as an attempt to restart the human race. The first attempt, AKA Him, was one Adam Warlock; who later escaped the Enclave, only to be followed by Ayesha, who believed him the perfect mate to start the new human race.

Ayesha's lines in the trailer don't line up to how she's portrayed in the comics, though they do line up with Adam Warlock's desires; specifically, one of the entities created by him when he attempted to strip himself of all emotions by creating an embodiment of the "good" and "evil" parts of his personality, the Goddess and Magnus respectively.

The Goddess boasted gold skin and armour much like Ayesha's character in the film, and at one point embarked on a misguided crusade to "take away the pain and suffering" of the universe by removing free will, believing she was helping in the fight against evil.

What's most interesting is that not only does this plotline form part of a trilogy of comics centered around the Infinity Gauntlet, but the story of her and Magnus' creation is included in the second installment, named Infinity War i.e. the name of the next Avengers movie. That said, the notable (so far) absence of Adam Warlock make it pretty hard to guess how this all ties together, or how Ayesha will connect to the MCU at large.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits UK cinemas 28 April.