After six long years of waiting, everyone’s favorite found family of cosmic defenders are about to receive their next solo adventure inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Longtime fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be happy to be reunited with familiar faces like Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Nebula, Drax, and of course Groot.
However, the Guardians aren’t the only noteworthy characters who will be appearing in the upcoming film. One new face in particular has been the subject of much fan speculation — Adam Warlock, played by Will Poulter ofMidsommar,We’re the Millers, andThe Revenantfame. The question is, will Adam Warlock be a friend to the Guardians, ortheir most dangerous enemyyet?
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Who is Adam Warlock?
If the name Adam Warlock rings a bell to any MCU fans, there’s a very good reason for that — his impending encounter with the Guardians was first teased back in 2017’sGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. In one of the film’s mid-credits scenes, the villainous Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), leader of the Sovereign, sits before an ominous cocoon-like machine. She describes its contents as “the next step in our evolution: more powerful, more beautiful, more capable of destroying the Guardians of the Galaxy!” The scene concludes with Ayesha declaring that she will call her new creation Adam.
Hardcore Marvel Comics fansimmediately recognized this scene as foreshadowing for the eventual appearance of Adam Warlock in the nextGuardians of the Galaxyfilm. The design of Adam’s pod harkens back to his comic debut in 1967’sFantastic Four#67, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. In that story, Adam — initially known simply as “Him” — is created by a group of mad scientists known as the Enclave as the first of a race of genetically-engineered superhumans. During their battle with the Enclave, the Fantastic Four first encounter Him resting in a cocoon, his cosmic power slowly growing.
Eventually, Him emerges from his cocoon, revealing himselfto be not a monster,but a golden-skinned specimen of physical perfection. Refusing to abide by his creators’ evil plans, Him destroys the Enclave and leaves Earth, stating that Earth won’t be ready for a being like him for another millennium. But alas, Lee and Kirby would bring Him back two years later inThor#166. In that story, Him seeks a companion to end his loneliness, and thus abducts Lady Sif to be his mate. When Thor attempts to rescue Sif, Him fights back, showcasing strength and invulnerability to rival Thor’s own, as well as mighty telekinetic powers. However, Thor’s resolve proves superior, and Him is soon sent drifting through space in his cocoon once more.
Is Adam Warlock a Hero or a Villain?
Lee and Kirby portrayed Him as a cold, enigmatic figure — not quite evil,but hardly heroic either.In his debut issue, he rebels against his role as the Enclave’s tool of world domination, then promptly kills his creators without hesitation. When he reappears inThor, he possesses a scornful, condescending attitude towards humanity, and shows disdain for Thor’s compassion for mortals. As he proudly declares, “I am Him! I am law and truth unto myself!” He may not be a power-mad despot like his creators, but he’s still presented as a callous, selfish antagonist for the heroes of Marvel Comics.
However, that all changed once Him received the name he would become best known for. In 1972’sMarvel Premiere#1 by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, Him’s cocoon is recovered by the High Evolutionary, who soon dubs him Warlock. Warlock observesthe High Evolutionary’s latest experiment— an artificial planet called Counter-Earth. Created by the High Evolutionary to be a perfect society free of evil, Counter-Earth nevertheless develops into a near-perfect copy of 20th century Earth, complete with all its ills. Though the High Evolutionary intends to wipe out all life on his new world and start the experiment anew, Him undergoes a change of heart and feels compassion for the humans of Counter-Earth.
Determined to stay the High Evolutionary’s hand, Warlock descends to Counter-Earth to become its hero and prove that its people are worthy of life. Soon, Warlock is given the first name “Adam” by a group of teenagers who discover his crash landing. The newly renamed Adam Warlock is a far cry from his Lee-Kirby origins, going from a ruthless Übermensch who looks down on humanityto a kind-hearted saviorwho seeks to preserve human life. Writer Roy Thomas has stated in interviews that his characterization of Warlock was inspired by the then-recent musicalJesus Christ Superstar, which inspired him to give the Marvel Universe its own cosmic messiah.
However, Warlock’s morality would become blurrier in writer-artist Jim Starlin’s run onWarlock, which introduced a new villain for Adam in the form of his own future self. Traveling back in time and taking the name Magus, he set himself up as the ruler and deity of the Universal Church of Truth, a theocratic empire bent on saving the cosmos through conquest. Adam initially refuses to believe that he could ever become the Magus — but in truth, the Magus isn’t so far removedfrom Warlock’s time as Him.Eventually, Adam ends up sacrificing his own life to erase the Magus from existence. But of course, he’d inevitably return in 1991’sThe Infinity Gauntlet, in which he played an instrumental role in saving the universe from Thanos.
Will Adam Warlock Remain in the MCU?
Adam Warlock is a fascinating figure who possesses the capacity for both Incredible good and untold evil. Though he began as an enemy of Earth’s heroes, he’s since joined forces with them against Thanos. He eventually even joined the Guardians of the Galaxy in the 2008 comic by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, which later inspired the MCU’s adaptation. And though it’s too soon to say exactly what his role inGOTG Vol. 3will be, it’s likely that he’ll follow the path of his comic counterpart — initiallyserving as an antagonistbefore having a change of heart and banding together with the heroes.
However, the real question is whether Warlock will stick around in the MCU after his debut. Considering Thanos has already been dealt with in the Infinity Saga, much of Warlock’s comic history won’t be making it to the big screen. Even so, he’s still a prominent figure in Marvel lore, and the Guardians are likely to be losing a few members following the events ofGOTG Vol. 3. As such, it’s quite plausible that Warlock will be sticking around as a new recruit to the Guardians. Perhaps a hypothetical fourth film could even bring the Magus into the MCU.
Though he’s never had much popularity as a solo hero, Adam Warlock is nevertheless an important fixtureof Marvel Comics history— despite, or perhaps because of, his somewhat convoluted history. Still, if one takes the time to peel back the layers of his complex backstory, there’s plenty of interesting story to latch onto. So whether he’ll be appearing as a hero, a villain, or something in between, it’ll definitely be interesting to watch Adam Warlock’s movie debut inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
