Adam Warlock is officially coming to the MCU!
This week brought the news that Will Poulter is joining the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as the golden-skinned hero. This is exciting news as Marvel fans have been waiting a long time for Adam to enter the franchise, even before Guardians 2 teased his arrival four years ago. Due to his importance to the Infinity Gauntlet saga, it was assumed that Adam would play a role in the conflict against Thanos.
Of course, we now know that never happened as there were enough characters to juggle as it was without introducing Adam into the mix. But now he’s on his way, it’s interesting to consider how Adam could be utilized in the MCU going forward without any connection to Infinity Saga elements. For instance, it’s unlikely he’ll have the Soul Stone in his head like in the comics, as Vision’s already claimed that accessory in the movies.
ScreenRant has offered a take on how Adam could fit into the franchise post-Avengers: Endgame, however, and suggests the answer lies in his earliest comics. While it’s true that he’s been connected to the Soul Stone for the longest time, Adam wasn’t always just a rival to Thanos. In the beginning, his main enemies were Man-Beast and the Magus, his own dark side given form by the Soul Stone. The Magus could be a great villain in some upcoming project.
But probably the biggest key to understand how Adam could fit into Guardians 3 lies in his trip to Counter-Earth, as detailed in 1972’s Marvel Premiere. The High Evolutionary – a character rumored to appear in the threequel – gave him the Infinity Stone and sent him to the aforementioned artificial world to stop Man-Beast. There, Adam befriended some kids who helped the newborn being learn a lot about morality and life. This is a role the Guardians could fill in the film, following his creation by the Sovereign in Vol. 2.
The Soul Stone and Thanos are important parts of Adam Warlock‘s character in the comics, but it’s possible to remove them from his mythology and still retain what makes him interesting. We’ll find out how he’s reimagined for the MCU when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters in May 2023.