Who is Elizabeth Debicki playing in 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'?

Wednesday’s announcement that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 had begun production included the confirmation of a few long-expected new cast members, Kurt Russell and Pom& Klementieff, and one surprise: Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki.

While her part wasn’t specified, Debicki could fit the bill for a number of possible roles — but to understand why, look back at her recent career. Those who saw Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. will recognize the statuesque Debicki as the villainous Victoria Vinciguerra, a Nazi sympathizer looking to craft a nuclear weapon with her husband. (You can hear Debicki discuss her role in that film at EW’s San Diego Comic-Con studio.) She also turned up in minor roles in 2015’s Everest and Macbeth, and she may be most recognizable as Jordan Baker in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby.

Before Guardians arrives in 2017, Debicki will also turn up in BBC and AMC’s long-gestating The Night Manager adaptation as the girlfriend to Hugh Laurie’s Richard Roper.

So what does that history tell us about who she might be playing in Guardians? The sequel’s new characters have been kept shrouded in secrecy, other than the promise of finding out Peter Quill’s parentage. Still, there are a few guesses to be made based on where the Marvel Cinematic Universe is and where it’s heading. One buzzy name to cross off the list is Captain Marvel, as James Gunn has previously said she is not in the film. And with the character set to have her own solo film, it would be an odd move to bury such prominent casting deep in the list of a sequel film’s cast. (Consider Chadwick Boseman being brought out on stage to confirm his role as Black Panther when Marvel unfurled its years-in-advance cinematic plans.)

Another possible character may be Death, or Mistress Death, as the character is sometimes known. In the comics, Thanos is in love with Death and goes on his quest to prove his worth to her by taking over the entire universe. Thanos’ thirst for power has been a lurking shadow since The Avengers, and with his prominence in Guardians of the Galaxy, establishing a motive for his MCU machinations in the film’s sequel ahead of Avengers: Infinity War would seem like a sensible choice.

The 2008 comic book refresh of Guardians, to which the film version bears plenty of resemblance, also included a couple of character possibilities. Moondragon is a powerful telepath and skilled fighter. The openly bisexual character works for the superhero team after the death of another character Debicki could play, Phyla-Vell.

Phyla-Vell, also known as Quasar and occasionally known as Captain Marvel — but is not the same Captain Marvel set to join the MCU (comics can be confusing) — could be another potential option for the actress. Superhumanly strong and gifted with the ability to fly and fire off energy blasts, Phyla-Vell is also a 2008 Guardians player and was, coincidentally, in an earlier series, attracted to Moondragon.

The Marvel universe has no shortage of characters for Gunn to choose from, though these three may be some of the likeliest candidates. Fans will have plenty of time speculate before the the first trailer debuts. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters on May 5, 2017.