It’s been an open secret for some time that Thanos‘ imminent arrival in Avengers: Infinity War would be met by Earth’s mightiest heroes and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Infinity War screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely basically confirmed that last May when we interviewed them in the Nerdist studio. Now, Vin Diesel is openly confirming that Marvel’s intergalactic band of misfits will be back for the next Avengers movie.

Via ScreenRant, Diesel posted a live-stream Facebook video where he said “next year you’ve got Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 coming and that whole concept started from you all saying ‘when are you gonna be in a Marvel movie?’ And you remember the first picture after that Marvel meeting that I had where I was standing [with] the Avengers thing in the back.” For the record, this is the picture in question, which Diesel posted in 2013.

“What’s gonna be surreal is that picture is going to come to pass because now the Guardians will be included in Avengers: Infinity War and that’s incredibly exciting,” added Diesel. “Incredibly exciting. Incredibly exciting and something that if you were a part of our page you knew before everybody.”

Diesel’s incarnation of Groot is based on the character’s modern appearances in the Marvel Universe as a member of the Guardians. However, when Groot made his first appearance in 1960, he was an alien invader who was able to say more than three words at a time. It’s the modern Groot that people like, though, and there’s probably a great deal of comedic potential for Groot and the Guardians being treated like invaders by the citizens of Earth before their inevitable team up with the Avengers. We’ll be able to see it play out when Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018.

Are you excited to see Groot and the Guardians of the Galaxy in Avengers: Infinity War? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: Marvel Studios/Vin Diesel