Adam Warlock, a famous character from the Marvel Comics, will be introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with its 32nd film, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.
Marvel has been dropping hints about the character’s debut since the first Guardians movie in 2014, and now in 2023, we will finally get to see him in action.
In case you haven’t read the comics, I’m sure you’re wondering who this character is and how he’s going to fit into Phase V of the MCU.
Adam Warlock is an incredibly powerful cosmic being and longtime enemy of Thanos who will be brought to life in the MCU by Will Poulter. His first appearance in a comic date all the way back to 1967 and his biggest role was in the 1990s Infinity Comic Series.
Warlock’s significance in the Marvel universe suggests that he might also make more appearances in the future.
1. Adam Warlock’s Origin Story
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced Adam Warlock in the Fantastic Four comics in 1967. He was created by a villainous group of scientists called the Enclave who wanted to build a humanoid man to help them achieve world domination.
Warlock, who was only referred to as “Him” at the time, emerged from a birthing pod with golden skin and abilities like super strength, energy manipulation and telepathy.
However, when he discovered the Enclave’s malicious intentions, he destroyed their laboratory and departed into outer space.
2. Warlock’s Connection to the High Evolutionary
After escaping his cocoon, Adam Warlock sets off on his own journey. He tries to court Lady Sif, but he fails after losing a violent face-off with Thor. He then encases himself in a healing cocoon to allow himself to rethink his life’s purpose.
Warlock emerges out of the cocoon when he meets the High Evolutionary. The High Evolutionary was the one who gave him the Soul Stone and also the name “Warlock”. This became the start of Warlock’s own comic series.
Warlock’s adventures on “Counter-Earth”, which the High Evolutionary had sent him to protect, also lead him to befriend a group of children who were responsible for giving him his first name, “Adam”. These children teach him the values of morality and humanity.
The Soul Stone allows Warlock to drain the life forces of his enemies. But once he gets tired and unhappy with his missions and lifestyle, he decides to turn over a new leaf.
The next chapter in his life came to be his longstanding rivalry with the mighty Thanos.
3. Warlock’s History with Thanos
Initially, Adam Warlock and Thanos were allies. Warlock first went to seek Thanos and Gamora’s help to take down Magus, the leader of an intergalactic cult.
Warlock learns that Magus is just a future version of himself who had become mad by excessively using the Soul Stone. He manages to take down Magus, but he soon turns against Thanos because he learns there are still five more Infinity Gems.
Warlock beats Thanos by turning him to stone. He then finds a home for his consciousness in the Soul Stone’s pocket dimension, the Soulworld.
In the aftermath of the situation, Thanos seeks revenge, finds all the other Infinity Stones and plans to erase half the universe. This is exactly like the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Once Warlock becomes aware of Thanos’ actions, he resurrects himself and leaves the Soulworld. With help from Earth’s heroes, he beats Thanos and foils his plans of erasing half the population.
However, the ending of this battle is unlike the one in the MCU. Instead of destroying all the Soul Stones, Warlock separates them and gives each gem to a different individual while keeping the Soul Stone for himself. This group soon came to be known as the Infinity Watch.
To ensure the Soul Stone stays safe, Warlock purges himself of all emotions and becomes a creature of pure logic. After starting off as a villain and reinventing himself a couple of times, Adam Warlock finally found himself on the heroes’ side of the Marvel Comics.
4. Warlock’s Role in the MCU
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, Adam Warlock has been sent by Ayesha to go after the Guardians. This follows the plot that was setup in the previous GOTG movie.
However, the High Evolutionary’s presence in the movie indicates that there will be another connection for Warlock. Maybe the High Evolutionary will use Warlock to get to the Guardians, and more specifically, Rocket.
The MCU will definitely have something different planned for Warlock because the Infinity Stones and Thanos have already been eliminated, and with that most of Warlock’s story from the comics.
We also know that the gem on Warlock’s head can’t possibly be the Soul Stone, so that leaves one more question to be answered.
But given how powerful Warlock can be, it looks like he will be playing quite a large role in the MCU’s Phase V, and we will be seeing more of him in upcoming movies.
5. Is Adam Warlock a good guy?
In an interview with Empire, James Gunn revealed that Adam Warlock is definitely not a “good guy” in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3.
This could mean one of two things: either Gunn has introduced the Magus version of Warlock, or we will see Warlock go on a journey of self-discovery by the end of which he will become a hero.
As seen in the comics, Warlock has the ability to encapsulate himself in a healing cocoon and revamp himself. Perhaps we’ll see him do the same thing in GOTG 3, where he’ll have a change of heart once he realizes the High Evolutionary’s intentions for Rocket.
On the other hand, if Warlock remains a villain till the end of the movie, he’s likely to become a larger threat over the course of Phase V.
Either way, the MCU and James Gunn have a lot of gaps to fill in Adam Warlock’s storyline. Warlock can be a very promising character with all of his abilities so hopefully Marvel will do him justice by portraying him accurately.
You can watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 in theatres on May 5, 2023.
6. About Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The High Evolutionary, Rocket’s creator, emerges to reclaim his creation threatening to destroy the Guardians to get what he wants. Star-Lord must lead his team and protect one of their own while dealing with his emotional turmoil over Gamora. The stakes are even higher as Adam Warlock hunts the team on the orders of The Sovereign’s leader, Ayesha.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to hit theaters on May 5, 2023. Previous cast members will reprise their roles, including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, and Pom Klementieff. Will Poulter and Chukwudi Iwuji will join the cast as Adam Warlock and The High Evolutionary.
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