To me, what makes the most sense is a villain that would "destroy" (temporarily) the NOVA Corps. A villain that could do that would be of such a threat to be able to carry the movie.
The Annihilation Wave being the cause of NOVA's destruction makes so much sense, and with Nova's connection to Annihilus I'm actually surprised that Annihilus isn't another shared commodity.
At the same time it doesn't have to be Annihilus who controls the Annihilation Wave. It could be any major baddie, or group of baddies, so getting past Annihilus, I would want to see...
The Kree, possibly.
They've already been established in the Marvel movie/tv universe. I could see Nebula, under orders from Thanos (or on her own) make a deal with the Kree to destroy Xandar and the NOVA Corps.
Another possibility is...
The Beyonders (or just one Beyonder).
Let's face it, if there's a movie for the Beyonder to be introduced it's Guardians. They could also lead to Battleworld, for another flick (if you get my reference).
Another way to go would be...
Korvac. Obviously they would need to change his origin, but he could be redone in such a way that makes sense and maintains him as a major cosmic force.
Another one is...
Mar-Vel. He's a pretty interesting character that could lead to Captain Marvel, which I know many would like to see.
I guess they could try Variation on...
Terminus. Maybe instead of an entire race, just go with one dude.
Or, as someone else recommended, go with...
Kang.
Yes, Kang isn't necessarily a Guardians villain, but the Avengers villains seem to be somewhat planned out for a while. If Kang was going to fit as a villain in a non-Avengers movie, maybe Guardians would be the best option.
One thing that I would really love to see (as I've mentioned elsewhere) is the destruction of the NOVA Corps lead to Rhomman Dey being ordered by NOVA Prime to take something (or somethings), such as the infinity gem, and get it someplace safe. This could lead to someone like Nebula chasing after Dey, who ends up crashing on Earth. How great would it be to see this lead to the origin of Nova (Richard Ryder version), which in the end would lead to him having to give up his power so the NOVA Corps can be reestablished.
http://****************.com/wp-content/uploads/NovaSpace1.jpg
And, of course, this could even lead to a live action (tv or movie - (I'd rather see tv)) New Warriors!
Also, whatever story/villains they go with they will need to find a way to get Yondu into the story, as well as Peter's pops, who I still believe will end up being Starfox!
The Annihilation Wave being the cause of NOVA's destruction makes so much sense, and with Nova's connection to Annihilus I'm actually surprised that Annihilus isn't another shared commodity.
At the same time it doesn't have to be Annihilus who controls the Annihilation Wave. It could be any major baddie, or group of baddies, so getting past Annihilus, I would want to see...
The Kree, possibly.
They've already been established in the Marvel movie/tv universe. I could see Nebula, under orders from Thanos (or on her own) make a deal with the Kree to destroy Xandar and the NOVA Corps.
Another possibility is...
The Beyonders (or just one Beyonder).
Let's face it, if there's a movie for the Beyonder to be introduced it's Guardians. They could also lead to Battleworld, for another flick (if you get my reference).
Another way to go would be...
Korvac. Obviously they would need to change his origin, but he could be redone in such a way that makes sense and maintains him as a major cosmic force.
Another one is...
Mar-Vel. He's a pretty interesting character that could lead to Captain Marvel, which I know many would like to see.
I guess they could try Variation on...
Terminus. Maybe instead of an entire race, just go with one dude.
Or, as someone else recommended, go with...
Kang.
Yes, Kang isn't necessarily a Guardians villain, but the Avengers villains seem to be somewhat planned out for a while. If Kang was going to fit as a villain in a non-Avengers movie, maybe Guardians would be the best option.
One thing that I would really love to see (as I've mentioned elsewhere) is the destruction of the NOVA Corps lead to Rhomman Dey being ordered by NOVA Prime to take something (or somethings), such as the infinity gem, and get it someplace safe. This could lead to someone like Nebula chasing after Dey, who ends up crashing on Earth. How great would it be to see this lead to the origin of Nova (Richard Ryder version), which in the end would lead to him having to give up his power so the NOVA Corps can be reestablished.
http://****************.com/wp-content/uploads/NovaSpace1.jpg
And, of course, this could even lead to a live action (tv or movie - (I'd rather see tv)) New Warriors!
Also, whatever story/villains they go with they will need to find a way to get Yondu into the story, as well as Peter's pops, who I still believe will end up being Starfox!